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Libreria – Taking bookshops to a whole new level

Welcome Libreria! A brand new bookstore concept opening today in London’s East End – 65 Hanbury Street, London E1.

Not only does it look fabulous – artist designed colourful floor to ceiling shelves, a reflective material in the ceiling giving a sense of space, small dens to huddle up in while you read – but it also has curated selections of books according to themes and across genres, a whiskey bar (!),  24 hour opening hours at least once a month and lots and lots of events. Smart phones and tablets are prohibited inside the shop as the founders want to ‘celebrate the analogue’. Love it already!

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Elena Ferrante heading for the screen

Here’s some good new for those of us mourning the end of BBC’s adaptation of War and Peace. Elena Ferrante’s hugely popular Neapolitan novels, My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, The Story of the Lost Child, will be made into a 32 episode television series in a co-production between Italian TV production companies Wildside and Fandango, the producers behind Gomorrah. The identity of the author remains a mystery…

Fantasy casting for Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels on TV by the Guardian

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Pruning bookshelves – is it possible?

My bookshelves are overflowing. I have promised myself to fix it and as I stand before them I come to all sorts of realisations. First of all, I buy a large number of books that I never read. A trip to the book shop for me is like a trip to IKEA, you go in thinking you’re buying a lamp and a bin and two hours later find yourself in the check-out queue with a trolley full of napkins, candles, bedsheets, kitchen utensils, plants…

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The Romanovs and Simon Sebag Montefiore at 5×15

I was enthralled by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s (of the bestselling biography Jerusalem) talk about his his latest book The Romanovs at 5×15 in Notting Hill last night. Three-hundred years of Russian tsars, murders, betrayals, wars, romance and lots and lots of sex, and Sebag Montefiore knows how to tell a good story. Not to be missed!

The Guardian – review of The Romanovs

The Telegraph – review of The Romanovs

If you live in London, you might want to look into 5×15’s excellent program of author talks.

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Costa Book of the Year Award 2015 goes to a Young Adult book

For the second time in it’s 45 year history the Costa Book of the Year Award (chosen from the five category winners announced a few weeks ago) goes to a children’s book. Part detective story, part mystery and part historical fiction, The Lie Tree written by Frances Hardinge follows Faith, a bright 14 year old girl with an interest in science, unearthing the truth about her father’s mysterious death. Plenty of Victorian girl power, perfect for teenage girls and, I’m sure, boys too. Philip Pullman is the only other children’s author to win this prize, so maybe that says something.

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Not to be missed: BBC’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace

For those of you that have access to BBC One, don’t miss its War and Peace series that started last Sunday. I watched it last night on the Iplayer and enjoyed every second of this lavish costume drama. BBC at its absolute best! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s second episode. For those without access to BBC One, don’t despair, the series has been sold widely and is bound to show up in your country too. Now I’m building up courage to tackle the book itself…

War and Peace on BBC One

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She does it again! Kate Atkinson wins the Costa Prize for the third time

Kate Atkinson won the Costa Novel Award 2015 earlier this week for the novel A God in Ruins. Not bad considering she’s won the prize twice before: in 2013 for Life After Life and in 1995 for Behind the Scenes at the Museum. A God in Ruins follows Teddy, one of the characters from Life After Life, and his struggle to live a ‘normal’ life after his career as an RAF pilot during the Second World War.

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Best Books of 2015

The best books of 2015 lists are being published in the newspapers these days and I have collected the best of the ‘best lists’. I don’t necessarily agree with all their choices, but there are lots of interesting books here.

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