A while back I started hyperventilating on Twitter about a book that had just come in that I had absolutely fallen for within the first pages. Well, it’s good to see that I’m not the only one - A Mountain of Crumbs, Elena Gorokhova’s luminous memoir about growing up in Soviet Russia, has already garnered rave reviews in the national press.

‘When you open a memoir set in Soviet times, the first thing you want to know is what sort of company you’ll be keeping for the next 300 pages. When I read, on page 1: “I wish my mother had come from Leningrad, from the world of Pushkin and the tsars, of pearly domes buttressing the low sky … But she didn’t. She came from the provincial town of Ivanovo … She came from where they lick plates,” I knew this was going to be a dream ride.’ - Guardian

‘[A] stunning memoir: subtle, yet brimming with depth and detail. It leaves you wanting more.’ - Daily Telegraph

The Telegraph also ran an extract in Stella: read it here.

A Mountain of Crumbs will be Radio 4’s Book of the Week from Monday 23rd August.

When we published Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, the buzz around the office told us that we had something special on our hands. We couldn’t have predicted the response when it came out: below is a round-up of the awards mentions and reviews it’s been enjoying:

Awards:

WINNER - 2010 Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award for book that bookseller have most enjoyed handselling

SHORTLIST - Miles Franklin Award

SHORTLIST - Christina Stead Award

Reviews:

‘Catcher in the Rye meets To Kill A Mockingbird in a novel that confronts racism, injustice, friendship and the tenderness of first love - as seen by bookish, guileless, 13-year-old Charile Bucktin, led astray by the intriguing, dangerous, eponymous outcast, Jasper Jones’ Easy Living

‘Terrific…this is an enthralling novel that invites comparison with Mark Twain and isn’t found wanting. Silvey is able to switch the mood from the tragic to the hilarious in an instant’ Mail on Sunday

‘A finely crafted novel that deals with friendship, racism and social ostracism … Saluting To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Silvey movingly explores the stifling secrets that lurk behind the most ordinary of facades’ Marie Claire

‘Silvey’s story of a claustrophobic Australian mining town and two of its native, naïve sons is suspenseful, charming and very readable indeed’ Mslexia

From the blogs:

‘A joy to read and has definitely been one of my favorite reads this year!’ - The Little Reader

‘One of my favourite reads of the year so far’ Follow the Thread

‘All I can say is that when I woke this morning and realised I’d finished the book last night, and that I wasn’t going on my usual visit to Corrigan over my cornflakes, I felt I was mourning a good friend’ Gillian E Hamer

‘An engrossing novel’ The Book Bag

Craig Silvey has written in a way that is accessible to young and old. It’s descriptive, captivating and thrilling - a book with a long lifespan … READ IT! Giovanna Falcone

Order a copy from us, or through Amazon, Play, Waterstone’s, or at your local bookshop now, or go to the website and find out more!

                                                 

 

It was announced on Friday that two William Heinemann titles have made the 6-strong shortlist for the CWA Non-fiction Award!  

Killing Time: The Race to Stop an Execution is the haunting yet gripping memoir by David R. Dow, a death-row attorney based in Texas. Praised by John Grisham as ‘riveting and compelling’ and the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin as ‘extraordinary’, it’s the story of the author’s fight for justice. His life is thrown upside down when he becomes convinced that one of his clients, who is facing execution in a matter of weeks, is innocent.

Major Farran’s Hat: Murder, Scandal and Britain’s War Against Jewish Terrorism 1945- 1948 is the gripping true story of the murder, in Palestine in 1947, of a Jewish activist by a British counter-terrorist officer and the subsequent cover-up. A controversial untold story of Britain’s role in shaping the Middle East by David Cesarani, an author described by the Sunday Times as ‘masterful’, this was sure to cause a stir.

The other great bit of news from Crimefest was that Josh Bazell’s awesome Beat the Reaper picked up the e-dunnit award for best crime e-book. Congratulations Josh!

The winner of the CWA award will be announced in June… fingers crossed!

To mark the release of Christopher Potter’s critically acclaimed pop-science novel You Are Here, we have created this great animation that shows your place in the universe - from the tiniest quarks and electrons to the vastness of outer space. Simply head on over to Bookhugger and start your journey!

You Are Here is out now. Read Christopher Potter’s guest blog on what inspired him to write it here. If you would like to host the animation on your website, please email me at windmill(at)randomhouse.co.uk.

We’re giving you a chance to win one of six signed copies of Arthur Smith’s brilliant autobiography My Name is Daphne Fairfax. To be in with a chance, head on over to Chortle now!

Reviews:

‘Funny, poignant, interesting and charming. This is how life should be lived, (apart from where he nearly dies)’ - John O’Farrell

‘All the qualities which make Arthur Smith such a success on the stage are here… by drawing out the comedy in humdrum reality he keeps one constantly smiling’ - The Scotsman

‘The loveable old codger rolls out his memoirs, full of so-barking-they-must-be-true stories of his youth and stand-up career’ - Metro

‘Witty, self-aware and poignant’ - The Observer

‘It radiates a glow of whimsy and invention’ - Independent on Sunday

‘My Name is Daphne Fairfax is a witty inside track on life’s bigger themes: the mirage of fame, boredome, depression and death’ - The Times

Heather Brooke gave a talk at Editorial Intelligence yesterday on some of the issues raised in her book The Silent State. Watch the video below.

Christopher Potter is our guest blogger at the Turbine, talking about what made him write his critically acclaimed popular science book You Are Here, and what science has to learn from philosophy. Read his post ‘Defending the Unknown’ here.

Praise for You Are Here:

‘One of the most entertaining and thoughtful pop-science books to be published for years’ - Sunday Times

‘Anyone drawn to the big questions will enjoy this latest synthesis’ - New Scientist

‘A wonderful, miraculous book… The whole universe bottled for your delight’ - Stephen Fry

You Are Here will provide an antidote to existential vertigo, helping you find your feet in a limitless universe - Matt Ridley

‘One of the best popular science books I have ever read’ - Guardian

‘I read it in an evening, with a sense of increasing excitement, and then vertigo, and finally a sort of stunned awe’ - Evening Standard

It was announced last night that Jasper Jones has been shortlisted for Australia’s oldest and most prestigious literary prize, the Miles Franklin Award.

From the judges’ comments: ‘This is first-class fiction from one of Australia’s younger writers - a feisty Babushka doll of a novel that delves into serious issues with a deceptively light touch but deep intent. Its world and characters linger in the imagination long after the reading is over.’

Craig Silvey is currently in the UK to promote the publication of Jasper Jones on the 29^th April.

Pocket Notebook, the dark comic novel written by serving police officer Mike Thomas, has been longlisted for Welsh Book of the Year, announced last night.

http://www.academi.org/the-long-list/

The shortlist will be decided on the 6th June, with the winner announced on the 30th June. Congratulations Mike, and good luck!

Heather Brooke appeared on Start the Week to talk about The Silent State and the way Britain’s culture of state secrecy goes by almost unquestioned by most British people. Listen at the link below, from 25 minutes in.

Heather Brooke on Start the Week

The Silent State is published in April.