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Author Event – Freya North
Freya is visiting Leeds Central Library to talk about her latest book Rumours, her relationship with her characters and her journey to getting published. She will be at Central Library on Thursday 27th September at 7pm. Tickets cost £3 and can be bought at the Central library or you can ring 0113 247 6016 to reserve a place and pay on the door.
Rumours is a story about starting over and learning from the past, about sticking to principles and finding a way to love again. Rumours is classic Freya North: gripping, astute, witty, sexy and filled with a brilliant cast of characters.
Rumours is Freya’s 12th novel. Previous titles include Cat, Love Rules, Secrets , Pillow Talk (winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2008) and last year’s summer bestseller Chances.
Author Event – Freya North
We are very excited that Freya North is doing an event with us this month! Freya is the bestselling author of books such as Love Rules, Pillow Talk and last year’s hugely successful Chances.
Join us for an evening with Freya who will be talking about where her ideas come from, her special relationship with her characters and her journey to getting published as well as her latest book, Rumours.
The event is at the Central Library on Thursday 27th September at 7pm. Tickets are £3 and are available from Central Library or by calling 0113 247 6016 to reserve a place and pay on the evening.
Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards 2012 – the winners
The five category winners have been announced for this year’s Romantic Novel Awards.
You can read extracts and find out more about the authors on the Romantic Novelists’ Association website.
You can also vote for your favourite in the competition to find the overall Romantic Novel of the Year.
The category winners:
- Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year: Summer of Love by Katie Fforde
- Epic Romantic Novel of the Year: The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
- Historical Romantic Novel of the Year: Highland Storms by Christina Courtenay
- Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year: Please Don’t Stop the Music by Jane Lovering
- Young Adult Romantic Novel of the Year: Dark Ride by Caroline Green
Romantic Comedy and Young Adult Romance – More RoNAs
Here are the shortlists for the final two categories in the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards.
The shortlist for the Romantic Comedy Novel category is:
- The Look of Love by Judy Astley
- Please Don’t Stop the Music by Jane Lovering
- Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews
- Who’s Afraid of Mr. Wolfe by Hazel Osmond
- Lizzy Harrison Loses Control by Pippa Wright
The Young Adult Romantic Novel category features protagonists who are teenagers/young adults and “dark and stormy teen crushes”. The shortlist is:
- Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari
- Dark Ride by Caroline Green
- My So-called Phantom Lovelife by Tamsyn Murray
- Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherley
Romantic Novel Awards – Epic and Historical Romances
Welcome to part two of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards (RoNAs). Here are the shortlists for the next two categories. Category winners will be announced on 5th March, with the five winners going on to compete for the big prize, which will be announced on 17th May.
There is a great mix of titles on these two shortlists, so even if romance isn’t usually your thing, it’s worth checking them out.
The Epic Romantic Novel category is for novels containing serious issues or themes, including gritty, multi-generational tales. The shortlist is:
- Jubilate by Michael Arditti
- That Liverpool Girl by Ruth Hamilton
- The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
- The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
- Crimson China by Betsy Tobin
For romantic novels set in a period before 1960, the Historical Romantic Novel shortlist is:
- Highland Storms by Christina Courtenay
- The Noble Assassin by Christie Dickason
- Daughter of Siena by Marina Foriato
- Perhaps Tomorrow by Jean Fullerton
- A Gathering Storm by Rachel Hore
Time for a bit of romance
The shortlists for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards (RoNAs) have been announced. Launched in 1960, the annual awards have been redesigned and updated for 2012, but the overall winner will still claim the title Romantic Novel of the Year. Previous winners include Philippa Gregory, Joanna Trollope, Jojo Moyes and Julia Gregson.
Category winners will be announced on 5th March, with the five winners going on to compete for the big prize, which will be announced on 17th May.
For the first time, members of the public can vote online for their favourite book. Voting begins on March 6th.
We’ll take a look at each of the shortlists in turn over the next few days, starting with the Contemporary Romantic Novel. This is for books set after 1960, and includes chick-lit and paranormal romances. The shortlist is:
- It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson
- Summer of Love by Katie Fforde
- The Untied Kingdom by Kate Johnson
- To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell
- Chances by Freya North
- Christmas at Tiffany’s by Karen Swan
If you just can’t wait (and who could blame you), you can see the shortlists in full on the RNA website.
Crime pays (if you’re an author)
Crime and thriller authors once again head the list of the most popular books in UK libraries, according to annual statistics released by the Public Lending Right.
The list is headed by the usual suspects, with Dan Brown’sThe Lost Symbol the single most borrowed book. Thriller writer James Patterson has five novels in the top 10, and is once again the single most borrowed author in the UK library service. Lee Child and Ian Rankin also feature in the top 10. The pattern is repeated for the books most borrowed from libraries in Leeds.
This is great news for the big names, but spare a thought for some of the authors at the other end of the list. Many have written really great titles but, for one reason or another, they are at the bottom of the most borrowed list. They may not be writing in a popular genre, or only have one novel to their name. Some do not publish books as regularly as the big name authors, others were popular in their day, but have not written anything for a while. Some, sadly, are no longer with us.
So, today we’re celebrating some of the least borrowed authors in Leeds Libraries. If you fancy discovering a hidden reading gem, give some of these a try. You can reserve online and collect from your nearest library, or in some cases download the eBook or eAudio version without even leaving the house.
Jo Bannister is a well-reviewed British crime author, with a number of series to her name, as well as standalone novels. Well worth a look if you’re a fan of police peocedurals.
Emily Brontë. Surely some mistake? Come on people of Leeds, Wuthering Heights is a great book, and we have eBook and eAudio versions too.
Ngaio Marsh published 32 detective novels from the 1930s onwards, featuring Roderick Alleyn. Her popularity has not been as enduring as that of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, but her novels are similar. eBooks available!
Jeaniene Frost is an American fantasy author, best known for her ‘Night Huntress’ series of paranormal romances. If you like to read about vampires, these are the books for you.
Looking for a bit of romance? Victoria Pade is the bestselling author of numerous contemporary romances. It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, so go ahead and indulge yourself.
Book Review – The last letter from your lover by Jojo Moyes
I absolutely loved this and couldn’t put it down, wanting to find out if it all came out right in the end and the lovers would be together. Not the sort of thing I would normally have picked up but it was recommended so I gave it a go and I’m so glad I did. I don’t know if it is typical of her books but can’t wait to find out and read more!
Leeds Libraries Borrower
Reserve a copy online, and collect from your nearest library
And the winner is…
All of these books have won a literary prize this year. Some are better known than others, but if you’re looking for a great read, you could do worse than investigate some of these titles.
We have copies of all the winning books in Leeds Libraries. Click on a title to reserve a copy online, and collect from your nearest library.
If you have read any of the books, please leave a commant to let us know what you thought, or send us a review, and we’ll publish it on the blog.
The Man Booker Prize
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
The Commonwealth Book Prize
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
The James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The Lotus Eaters by Marianne Macdonald
The Betty Trask Prize
Saraswati Park by Anjali Joseph
The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo
Romantic Novel of the Year
The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes
The Theakstones Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
61 Hours by Lee Child
The Spear’s Book Awards Novel of the Year
Other People’s Money by Justin Cartwright
The Arthur C Clarke Award
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
Summer of History
The publishers HarperCollins are inviting readers to make 2011 a Summer of History.
They are highlighting four exceptional historical fiction titles, any of which would make a great holiday read:
- The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn
When 12-year-old Katherine Howard comes to live in the Duchess of Norfolk’s household, poor relation Cat Tilney is suspicious of her. The two girls couldn’t be more different: Cat, watchful and ambitious; Katherine, interested in clothes and boys. Their companions are in thrall to Katherine, but it’s Cat in whom Katherine confides.
- Plague Child by Peter Ransley
This is the first instalment of a captivating trilogy set against the backdrop of the English Civil War. September 1625: Plague cart driver Matthew Neave is sent to pick up the corpse of a baby. Yet, on the way to the plague pit, he hears a cry – the baby is alive.
- The Girl in the Mirror by Sarah Gristwood
Jeanne, a young French exile, is brought to London as a young girl disguised as a boy. Growing up, she lives as a clerk, ending up in the household of Robert Cecil. As she witnesses the intrigues and plots swirling round the court of Elizabeth I, she finds herself sucked into the orbit of the dashing young favourite, the Earl of Essex.
- The King’s Diamond by Will Whitaker
In the midst of a politically sensitive and dangerous world steps Richard Dansey, a young and ambitious jewel merchant, determined to break his mother’s stranglehold on the family firm after his father’s early death. Richard’s reckless pursuit of jewels worthy of Henry’s wooing of Anne Boleyn, lead him across Europe to Venice and Rome.
