#IBW2016 Tag

I'll be honest, 2016 hasn't been a good year so far for reading. However, having just watched some of the Independent Bookshop Week Tag videos though (including the original, here, by Vintage Books), I feel very inspired by lots of new titles. I thought I would have a go myself because who doesn't love a good tag.

IBW 2016 is happening from 18th-25th June, so get involved and do the tag if you wish!

1. What book(s) are currently in your bag?

Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse has been my bag now for longer than I care to admit. I've just got the part where the main character, Hannah finds a thread of possible truth about her husband which might explain why he didn't return home from his business trip to New York. This was my 'post-interview' book a few months back, and it even featured when one of the interviewees asked me what I was currently reading. Despite all this, I'm still only about half way through it. As I said... not a good book year. 

2. What’s the last great book you read?

As already stated a few times in this blogpost (if this were a CV or a cover letter, it would have been thrown in the dustbin by now for careless repetition), I haven't been reading much in 2016, so I just found my 'Notes' App on my iPhone where I have listed all the books I read in 2015. There were some corkers, but it's a toss up between Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (because it's impossible to deny that it isn't a great book) and The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Therialt. 

 


3. What book have you gifted the most?

As Will from the original Vintage Books video said, I don't think there's one book that I tend to give as a gift. It very much differs from person to person. In my family we tend to put book wishlist on Amazon so that we get the ones that we're really after, so it really depends. Saying that, I've had some great ones bought for me which weren't on there. (Side note: I still haven't quite gotten used to this whole 'using the word 'gifted' as a verb' thing!). 

4. What’s your favourite independent bookshop?

I'm going to cheat and pick two...

The first is the Minster Gate Bookshop in York. It's all about the setting for me; picture an old creaky building living in the shadow of York Minster with stairs that somehow keep producing rooms upon rooms of books. This bookshop is a wonderful escape from the busy streets of York. They sell new and old books on everything and even prints, pictures and old maps. 

The second is Shakespeare and Company in Paris. I first visited here on a school art trip to Paris years ago and fell a little bit in love. Every square inch of this place has a book crammed into it, I'd never seen anything quite like it! It feels like a little, intimate den of possibilities. With a piano on the second floor, the occasional Parisian (or tourist) will play to you while you float through the shop with delight. When I saw this shop in the film Before Sunset, I was so excited! Ask for any books that you buy to be stamped whilst you're at the till. It's just what you have to do! 

Shakespeare and Company featured in Before Sunset

Yep, I got mine stamped!

5. What’s been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)?

I had to think about this one for a minute, but I think my favourite book recommended by a Booktuber was Caitlin Moran's How to be a Woman, recommended by Just Kiss My Frog. The way Leena talks so passionately about all the books she's read just makes me want to rush out and buy every single one. I have chosen this one because for me, it was a gateway drug to everything else Caitlin Moran ever wrote. Upon finishing this book I went into a sort of mad frenzy. I was addicted; watching every interview on YouTube, reading every column in The Times and buying everything she had previously and subsequently written. Thanks Leena, thanks Caitlin Moran, I can now say with confidence that I am a feminist!

6. What’s your favourite bookshop memory?

Meeting the YA Book Prize winners in 2015 at Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross. This was one of the events I attended when I worked in publicity, and I was so lucky to spend the evening with some wonderful and insightful authors including Louise O'Neill and Sally Green! I met some fabulous people that evening, some of whom I am still in touch with now. I even wrote a blog post about it, which is available here. 

YA Bookprize Shortlistees

7. What do bookshops mean to you? What do you love about them?

Bookshops are a place for wonder and discovery. I love meandering around the tables at the front of Waterstones, looking at all the books that I've caught discussions on or seen in the Bookseller list. This excitement was heightened when I used to work in publicity and a number of them were ones I was working on! I love gazing in awe at the beautiful cloth-bound Penguin Classics. I love letting my eyes be drawn in by interesting covers (everyone knows that books really are judged by their cover, at least initially!). I love the feeling that you might find something that can speak to you in a way that nothing ever has before.  

8. What are the books that made you? Which books have most affected or influenced you?

I know I just talked about this one but I've been thinking long and hard and I have to choose How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran. She has single-handedly identified everything that is unfair/unequal/annoying about being a woman today and even laid it out very kindly in handy chapters! 

9. What book do you recommend readers gift for Father’s Day?

If I knew the answer to this, I'd be a very happy lady!

10. What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile?

Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin. 

6 Great Podcasts

Is it me or are podcasts 'back'? Everyone seems to be starting a podcast or talking about new podcasts, which is great because I love them! Fashionable or not, I thought I would share a few of my favourites with you. Equally if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them in the comments! 

Answer Me This! 

I had to start with Answer Me This! because I've been listening to it every week (and subsequently fortnightly when host, Olly Man got busy) since before, what feels like, the dawn of time. Since January 2006, Helen Zalzman and Olly Mann have been wittily and hilariously answering questions submitted by their listeners. The format is simple, but the outcome is brilliant. Complete with great banter, catchy jingles and an educative element, I would recommend this to anybody!

Podcast Length: Newer ones are 40 mins, older ones were 30 mins
Frequency: Bi-monthly, though they are on a break at the moment because Olly Mann has just had a baby
Hosts: Helen Zalzman, Olly Mann and Martin the Soundman (appears on the podcast in an echoey voice!)
Audience: Everyone!

Graham Norton 

Once again throwing caution to what may or may not be cool, I can honestly say that I am unashamedly very much in love with Graham Norton and his Saturday morning 'Mumsy' BBC Radio 2 programme. This podcast, or 'podload' as he mysteriously calls it, is a condensed version of this morning show. He chats to celebrity guests (with admittedly a lesser general popularity that those on his Friday night BBC1 chatshow) but my all time favourite feature of the podcast is 'Grill Graham'. Alongside Maria McErlane, Graham does his best to play 'agony aunt' with his usual dose of irrepressible caustic humour. In fact sometimes I scroll past the interviews and just listen to this!

Podcast Length: Around an hour
Frequency: Every Saturdays
Hosts: Graham Norton with Maria McErlane
Audience: If you like the BBC1 chatshow and appreciate his sense of humour, you would most likely get on with this

Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham

I discovered this podcast recently by accident and couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I'd sought out everything on the internet with even a passing reference to Lena Dunham, but I was wrong! Lena explores and examines everyday life topics such as work, love & sex and the body with a diverse range of guests. If like me, you could make a career of sitting on Youtube watching her speak, then you will know what to expect: plenty of very frank, raw and sensitive discussion, often relating to feminism.

Podcast Length: About an hour
Frequency: There are currently 5 podcasts which were made last year
Host: Lena Dunham
Audience: I would say that this would most likely appeal to teen girls to women in their thirties, but if you enjoy this and you're outside those brackets then that's great!

Oxford Brookes University Publishing Podcasts

This one is a bit niche but if you're interested in pursuing a career in the publishing industry then I would definitely recommend it. Oxford Brookes University run a prestigious Masters course in Publishing. The department broadcasts talks with well-established professionals in the publishing industry on topical issues such as 'eBooks in Schools', 'Becoming the New Publisher' and 'Managing Change in Publishing'. It also tackles relevant topics for students or graduates hoping to get their foot in the door, including 'Building a Career in Publishing' and 'Career Options in Publishing'.

Podcast Length: Usually under an hour
Frequency: A wealth of podcasts exist from 2006-2015, however there haven't been any posted this year
Hosts: Various
Audience: Anybody seeking advice about entering the publishing industry

Woman's Hour Daily Podcast

Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour presents reports, interviews and debates on health, education, cultural and political topics aimed at women. Woman’s Hour claims to be a 'powerful advocate for women’s empowerment'.  I like to pick and choose which podcasts I listen to based on which guests they have and what issue they are discussing, but because they are daily, there is regularly something of interest.


Podcast Length: 45 - 55 mins
Frequency: Monday - Saturday
Hosts: Jane Garvey and Jenni Murray
Audience: Women (and Men!)

The Listening Project

The Listening Project seeks to capture the nation in conversation to build a unique picture of our lives today to preserve it for future generations. I find listening to the thoughts, opinions and worries of others strangely cathartic and very insightful and I like the fact that they're short.




Podcast Length: 13 - 14 mins (yes, it's very specific and I applaud the production team!)
Frequency: Weekly
Host: Fi Glover
Audience: Anybody

Goldsboro Books: Crime in the Court

Due to technicality issues involving not having a working laptop in London for about three months, there haven't been any blog posts for a while, but I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

I am late to the game to write about this, but I went to Crime in the Court last Thursday (June 25th), an event held at Goldsboro books, which is a lovely independent bookshop just off Leicester Square which specialises in signed first edition copies.

This was the fourth annual Crime in the Court event, which takes place in the lovely space outside Goldsboro bookshop. Crime writers of all sorts attended the event as well as fans, publishers, publicists, agents. As the publicity agency I work for was responsible for the PR for four of the authors there, it was great to all have an informal chat and a glass of wine.

I have listed the authors who attended below: 

Rebecca Whitney, Elizabeth Haynes, Terry Stiastny,

Susan Wilkins, Clare Mackintosh, Antonia Hodgson,

Louise Millar, Christobel Kent, Kate Rhodes,

RC Bridgestock, Charles Cumming, SD Sykes

William Shaw, V.M.Giambanco, Ali Knight

Elly Griffiths, L.C.Tyler, Dreda Say Mitchell & Tony Mason,

Elena Forbes, Julia Crouch, Mick Herron,

Colette McBeth, T.R.Richmond, Vaseem Khan

Jenny Blackhurst, Robin Blake, Sabine Durrant

JS Law, Clare Carson, Erin Kelly,

Jane Lythell, Stuart Prebble, Simon Toyne

Anya Lipska, Fergus McNeill, SJI Holliday,

Helen Giltrow, Claire McGowan, Eva Dolan,

Mark Billingham, SJ Watson, Sharon Bolton,

Renee Knight, David Hewson, Emma Kavanagh,

Sarah Hilary, Alison Joseph, Cal Moriaty,

Saul Black, Diana Bretherick

I highly recommend any crime fans to go next year as it's always great to meet authors whose books you have enjoyed. I even got my copy of The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble signed  - definitely a highlight!

A Month In Book-World

So much has happened in my first month of work in PR, it's madness! I thought I'd share some of it here, in case it helps anybody who is thinking of working in books, publishing or PR to find out what goes on. My first month was quite events-heavy (no complaints, I met some amazing people!).

The first thing on the schedule was the YA Book Prize, an event to celebrate and recognise the growing success of young-adult fiction. This was the first year that it has run, and I think all will agree, it's a fantastic idea. 

The event, hosted by The Bookseller, was held at Foyles in Charing Cross and was a fantastic evening. Most of the authors including Sally Green (Half Bad), Non Pratt (Trouble) and YA Book Prize winner Louise O'Neill (Only Ever Yours) were there to celebrate. 

Highlights for me were spending the evening amongst such a talented bunch and meeting some really lovely people, including Rosianna from YouTube (I fangirled a little bit), who was on the judges' panel and was there to announce the award! 

Rosianna Halse Rojas announcing the winner

Louise O'Neill accepting her award

 The shortlisted books on display in Foyles, Charing Cross

The Shortlistees

A few days later the British Library held The Folio Prize Fiction Festival. Panels of shortlisted authors (a favourite of mine was Jeanette Winterson) were given a topic to discuss (conflict, desire, betrayal etc.). Watching these was fantastic, as they all had thought-provoking, insightful things to say on their topics, and it was interesting to watch the small panels of authors bounce off each other. The floor was then opened for the audience to ask questions, which was a nice idea.

From a work perspective, the main job was to look after the authors and running the book signings after each lecture. Having this responsibility was a first for me, and the experience of meeting authors I love was incredible! A couple of the authors really stood out to me during their lectures, and I definitely want to check them out based on how they came across; Colm Toibin (Nora Webster), Ali Smith (How to be Both) and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (Dust).

I took lots of photos of the weekend, but here are a few of my favourites...

Book signing with Yvonne, A M Homes and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Jeanette Winterson 

 Press photos 

 Colm Toibin 

 Ali Smith

 Lecture: On Inheritance with A M Homes, Jeanette Winterson and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor in conversation with Mark Lawson

 Lecutre: On Endings with Jon Dunthorne, Jon McGregor, Justine Picardie and Suzi Feay in conversation

On Betrayal: Ben Lerner 

The Monday after the Folio Prize Fiction Festival weekend, was prizegiving event. This was held at St Pancras Rennaisance Hotel, and was a very fancy affair with frocks and cocktails! The main job here was to welcome guests through the doors, helping the authors sign the books and being on hand when they went up on the stage. Congratulations goes to Akhil Sharma for winning the Folio Prize on the night, for his book Family Life! I will leave you with this picture of the team (I am on the right!).   

xx

Graduate Work Tip

Here I am, being good and finally getting round to doing this post, which has been in my brain for a really long time now.

As I have said here before, being a graduate and looking for a job is seriously no easy thing. Along with the difficult application forms, getting your CV right and knowing what it is you even want to do (argh!), there's the stress of it all! I found that after weeks of solidly filling out applications to jobs, I was losing motivation and getting, if I'm honest, kinda depressed. Speaking to various friends, I know I wasn't alone in this.

One simple, yet amazing little tip I wanted to share is document what you apply for. It sounds like an obvious thing, but imagine if you spend a month applying for jobs, you'd definitely start losing track of what you'd already applied for. My method was using an Excel spreadsheet.

Surprisingly, I found this a really motivating thing to do. I found huge satisfaction out of watching the list grow as I put the effort in. It's something that you can always come back to. Now I'm coming to the end of the work experience I'm currently doing, I can come back to this list and add to it as I start applying again. As a fan of lists, I just love the organisation of this, and it actually encourages me to apply for more.  

More to come, 

Good luck guys!

x

Errrrm...Change of Plan!

Oh how the tides have turned and the seas have changed! In my last post, I was set to go to Oxford to do a Masters degree. I am not in Oxford. I am not doing a Masters degree. I am about to finish my last week at a local high street drug/beauty shop whose name rhymes with 'hoots', and start some work experience at a literary PR/Marketing firm in London. About a week before I was meant to go to Oxford, I had a very 'un-me' panicky and emotional outburst, where I realised I actually didn't want to go at all. I realised I don't want to do more education, I just want a job I'm happy with. Even if that means I'm at the bottom, working my way up.

Life is a big question mark in all departments currently, and although this is stressful, anxiety-inducing and unsettling for someone who needs some kind of control, I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Songs listened during this blogpost: Hozier - Take Me To Church, Paramore - Still into You, Interpol - All the Rage Back Home, Royal Blood - Little Monster

Summer Progress

I'd be so intrigued to read other peoples' blog posts about the summer directly after they've finished university. If you're not lucky enough to have a job lined up ready and waiting (we all know those annoying people!) then the summer can be a stressful and pressuring slog.

Having left university, I had 100% ruled out all possibility of doing a Masters degree. For me it seemed like too much of an academic direction to go in, when I knew I wanted to get into the publishing industry. It also just seemed like A LOT of hard work when I'd just finished my BA (Hons) degree, complete with dissertation! After a bit of searching around into the world of publishing, I noticed first that a Publishing degree was a thing, and second that lots of people seemed to have one, or were talking about it. I am told that it is not necessary to have an MA in publishing to get into the industry, but my attempts were clearly not working (many rejections - most likely on the grounds of not enough experience). I applied for the MA at Oxford Brookes, not really thinking too much of it (as I was still hoping a job might come my way!), but after the personal statement was written and telephone interview was held, I got in! As of now - the MA is the official plan! Mental!

I'm very much looking forward to living in Oxford for the year, as I've heard good things about the city!

I'd love to hear about anybody else's plans for the future, or how your post-uni summer is going?