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!

It’s been a while, but never fear, I have a super-dulux-bumper-edition of the Friday Feeling to tickle your frontal lobes in time for the weekend.

I’ve been on here before raving about Christopher Potter’s You Are Here, so I won’t mention again how completely brilliant it is and how anyone interested in how the universe works should go and read it immediately.  What I will say however is that you could do worse than start with this very cool animation that shows you your place in the universe, with has extracts of the book next to it.

Does finding out a writer who you admire is in life thoroughly nasty make a difference to how you read them? And can their weaknesses as people be what drives their art? This article discusses the issues through the troubled lives of Naipaul, Larkin and Dickens. And which crazy writer are you? Take this quiz to find out. I got Thomas Pyncheon…hmmm….

Ever wanted to bask in the cocktail-quaffing, long lunch-having ease of a job in the media-journalism-publishing industries? Here’s your perfect opportunity! 

It will shock you to learn that even publishers make the odd mistake sometimes. Some of these mistakes are worth a pretty penny, if you’re eagle eyed enough to spot them: do you have any on your shelves?

Finding out what was happening on your birthday 300-years-ago was probably not what the British Library had in mind when it announced this project, but I’m willing to bet that’s what most people will use it for.

And this has nothing to do with books, but everything to do with AC/DC, for which I make no apology.

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

Author and historian Helen Rappaport will be touring around the country talking about her writing through 2010. For full details please visit Helen’s official site.