Features and Articles
Lily A King
Writer | Editor | Content & Social Media Marketer
Canada
Canada
Features and Articles
Hello. Our regular avid reader, Beth, is taking a well-deserved break this month. My name is Lily. I've worked here at AbeBooks for almost seven years and I am, without a doubt, an avid reader.
Utter the phrase A Game of Thrones. Whether referring to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic fantasy novels, the first title in that series, or the blockbuster HBO television series of the same name, there are few among us who would not immediately grasp the reference to this fantasy world of Lannisters and Starks, kings and would-be kings, queens and dragons, and family loyalty and betrayal taken to extremes, all set against a backdrop of seasons that span whole decades.
by Robert Galbraith Well, it's another year done and again J.K. Rowling is at the center of one of the top book stories of the year. Rowling made headlines in July when The Sunday Times of London revealed her as the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, author of the crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling .
by Brian Jacques Although I came late to the party, I was one of millions aghast and bereft when the third season of HBO's Game of Thrones ended. I'd only recently become hooked, after watching season two in its entirety one rainy Sunday, so barely two months later I couldn't believe it was already over.
by Hilary Mantel With Eleanor Catton's 2013 Booker Prize for The Luminaries falling so closely on the heels of Hilary Mantel's wins in 2009 and 2012, for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies respectively, interest in historical fiction has never been higher.
As defined today, a graphic novel is a book-length story told in comic strip format where the art is of equal or greater importance than text, and published as a single volume. Fiction, non-fiction, biography and memoir can all be considered graphic novels if published in book form and presented through the use of sequential image panels.
by Robert Galbraith Well, it's another year done and again J.K. Rowling is at the center of one of the top book stories of the year. Rowling made headlines in July when The Sunday Times of London revealed her as the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, author of the crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling .
Considered the greatest writer in the English language, William Shakespeare's works are among the world's most widely read, most intensely studied, and most passionately collected. Early editions are also some of the most valuable.
by Elizabeth Wein At the risk of stating the obvious, Young Adult fiction is hot right now. And I mean really hot. Suzanne Collins' bestselling Hunger Games Trilogy has captured the imaginations of readers of all ages, male and female, and has been turned into a series of films that has 'tweens and teens (and their parents) lining up for hours, just as Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga before it and just as Veronica Roth's Divergent series after.
'Excuse me?" The whispered question was faint amid the bustle of a Friday evening sidewalk. Wrapped up in my own impatience to get home, I didn't realize he was speaking to me. "Excuse me, miss," he said again, a little louder this time but still breathless, difficult to hear against a backdrop of rush-hour traffic on wet pavement.
This past Sunday I rode a bicycle for the first time in over twenty years. And I had the time of my life.
Sample Blog Posts
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is the 2014 winner of the John Newbery Medal, awarded by the American Library Association for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Illustrated by K.G. Campbell, DiCamillo's mash-up of comics, prose, and even poetry, is a high-energy romp about a lonely girl named Flora and her super-hero friend, Ulysses, who happens to be a squirrel.
The 2014 Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair is just around the corner, on Saturday, October 11, and Sunday, October 12. The fair will take place at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, on the north side of Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle and site of the 1962 World's Fair. Get directions.
Many AbeBooks booksellers are also dedicated bloggers. Each seller's blog is one of a kind, created with a deep love of books - from sharing images of vintage cover art, to cataloging recent acquisitions and sales, to publishing in-depth educational articles, to recounting highly entertaining stories of personal experiences, both in the trade and about the book life in general.
The good folks over at Bookslut have announced plans for a new book award. Dubbed the Daphne Award, it will celebrate the best books of 50 years ago and 'right the wrongs' of book awards past. As an afficionado of old books, I love this idea.
HBO's True Detective crime series, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, has sparked interest in a rather forgotten collection of short horror stories published in 1895, reports the Daily Telegraph. The King in Yellow by Robert W.
Stephen Reid, Canada's most notorious bank robber, is the winner of the 2013 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize for A Crowbar in the Buddhist Garden: Writing from Prison . The book is a collection of unflinching, harrowing essays that detail Reid's experiences as an addict, criminal, writer, and prison inmate.
Sample Newsletters
› › › Hello, In this month's Digest, you'll find information about the Kensington Christmas Book Fair and a video of AbeBooks' recent visit to the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. You'll also find a request for suggestions of booksellers located in unusual, remote, or rural locations and, as always, the some fantastic seller-supplied images and the bestselling signed books for October.
› › › Hello, In this month's Digest, you'll find a reminder about upcoming changes to Completion Rate and Bookseller Rating requirements and, as always, the most expensive sales and bestselling signed books for April.
› › Hello, In this month's Digest, we're asking you to tell us about your favorite used bookstores. You'll also find information on some upcoming promotions, and, as always, the most expensive sales and bestselling signed books for June.