Thursday, December 27, 2007

What should I buy to read next?

What paperback book should I buy to read next? There are many different ways to choose a new book. You can choose another book by an author you have enjoyed in the past. But what do you do if you want to try something new, maybe a novel from an unestablished author? You can go into a local branch of W H Smith and look at their book chart to see what has been selling well. You could also see what has been recommended on the Richard and Judy television show. Richard and Judy's Book Club has been attributed to helping transform several authors into household names and lift their sales over a million. The couple have announced the 10 reads of 2008 , ensuring a lucrative year for those authors included. From Jan 9, celebrity reviewers will discuss the merits of each book over 10 weeks on the couple's prime-time Channel 4 show. Viewers will then vote for their favourite book, which will be awarded the title of Richard and Judy's Best Read at the Galaxy British Book Awards on March 14. The award, launched in 2004, has quickly overtaken better known - and more highbrow - prizes such as the Man Booker and the Costa awards in influencing reader habits. The books which make the shortlist are not chosen by Richard and Judy themselves, but by Amanda Ross, the show's producer - making her one of the most powerful people in British publishing.

I have looked at this list and it appears to have something for everyone. The first book is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini which I have already read . Looking at the other books I rather fancy Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris.

Story: The characters spend their days, and too many of their nights, at work. Away from friends and family, they share a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers they call colleagues. Amidst the boredom, redundancies, water cooler moments, meetings, flirtations and pure rage they find life is happening, to their great surprise, all around them.

This appears to be published in paperback on 04/01/2008 for £7.99 which should be a good pocket money read.

The idea that Richard and Judy use for their book club is a good one, an idea that I like and many new authors will like because it encourages the public to try authors other than the big names. There is no reason to support only the well known names because authors have the same problems getting their product out as musicians have. Richard and Judy help this diversity of talent and bring good new work to the mass market.
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