This is How we Read in the UK (Parcel Hero Infographic)

 ParcelHero have created an interesting infographic in the run up to the Man Booker Prize on the UK's reading habits.

The infographic looks at everything from the most well-read regions of the UK to a head-to-head comparison between eBooks and hardbacks. We thought this would be something that you would be interested in reading, children's books have overall done really well in 2014, but are they still lacking the coverage they so deserve...

Take a look and see what you think?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Top Ten Favourite Reads 2014

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books is coming to the end of yet another reading year. 
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of my favourite reads of 2014. 

The below books are in order of the publishing date and not in order of merit as I loved them all for different reasons. 

So here is the list.....

1) Simon Mason - Running Girl - Published by David Fickling - Jan 2014
The solving of the crime takes a fresh and non-stereotypical approach to keep you on your toes.

2) David Gilman - Monkey and Me - Published by Templar Publishing -  Feb 2014
There were times when I laughed out loud and times when I was on the verge of tears in this warm and moving tale. It would be a great read for youngsters however it does work very well on more than one level. 

3) Howard Sargent -  The Forgotten War - Published by Book Guild - Feb 2104 - (Adult Book)
This book is coming together like a cauldron full of magic; it's all binding together like a witches spell..... The ingredients are rapidly coming to boil as we plough further into the story. The action has intensified and a shock death in one of the many plots has slightly shocked me. As I progress further into the story it now feels like a well worn shoe. I love the complex structure of the story, it is very clever and must have taken some time to map out. 

4) Sophia McDougall - Mars Evacuees - Published by Egmont - March 2014
What you will find is a fresh, fast-paced space romp. A group of children fighting to save themselves from themselves in order to rescue the galaxy. This is science fiction where children rule. This book, in my opinion is one of the best reads for me this year and one of the most exciting books that you will find for both boys and girls.

5) Cameron McAllister - The Tin Snail - Published by Corgi Children's -  May 2014
In my opinion, this is a beautifully written story. I loved every minute that I spent reading this book. It is easily set to be a classic hit this summer. A fantastic family read; this is a story with a big heart based on an amazing idea. A poignant tale filled full of warmth, great characters and the coming together for the common good. 

6) Steve Feasey - Mutant City - Published by Bloomsbury Children's - May 2014
This is the best read in the teenage horror genre that I have read for some time. It will make you hair turn green. It has got everything that I look for in a story and more. It's very cool and one that boys will love and girls will come to love. In my humble opinion, this is a really well delivered story set in a fantastically dark and futuristic world with imagination and creativity at the height of the genre. This is amazing stuff; I am really looking forward to the next instalment.

7) Eoin Colfer - W.A.R.P - The Hangman's Revolution - Published by Puffin - June 2014
I warped with full speed into the story; my mental agility soon reached overload. From the very first page, the reader is flung straight into the action following young FBI agent Chevie bags-of-attitude Savano. Trapped in a nightmare future, she needs to return to 19th century London to change the course of history. Can she do it? Well, that you will have to find out.  

8) David Barnett - Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon - Published by Snowbooks - Sep 2014 - (Adult Book) 
This is a first class piece of literature. It depicts a highly imaginative world where the sense of adventure is written in abundance. The story is filled with adult humour and colourful language.  The characters are full of life and explode of every page. They are cocky, sharp, intense and very witty; a fantastic balance for a story of this nature. 

9) Garth Nix - Clariel - Published by Hot Key Books - October 2014
I have been looking forward to this: the latest of Garth Nix’ Old kingdom novels and I wasn’t disappointed. Five star fantasy entertainment.

10) Danny Weston - The Piper - Published by Andersen - October 2014
Just like the Pied Piper and the town rats, you are soon hypnotically drawn into the mysterious past. It is like an eerie melody that plays repetitively and alluringly until you finally wake up. Be aware though, as you might not be in the same place that you were before you started reading. It is a spooky fantasy that will hit you full in the face the more that you read 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all (readers, authors, illustrators and publishers) for your support in 2014. I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year.

MR RIPLEY'S ENCHANTED BOOKS - DARREN SHAN OF HORROR BOOK COVER WARS 2014 + BOOK COMPETITION

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books has decided to do a one off Book Cover Wars featuring some of Darren Shan's amazing book images. I have tried to pick a varied selection for you to consider. This is your chance to vote for your favourite BOOK COVER from the five that I have chosen. 

It's very easy to vote by clicking the links that you'll find at the end of this post. You have one month to vote as the Book Cover Wars will end on the 16th AUGUST 2014. Feel free to tell your friends and other like minded people about this post. 

As an incentive, I will give one lucky person who votes and leaves a comment on the post a Darren Shan book of my choice. This is open worldwide - I will choose one lucky winner at random. Enjoy and get voting.....

BOOK ONE: ZOM-B BABY - UK PAPERBACK COVER - PUBLISHED BY Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (27 Mar 2014) - VOTE HERE

BOOK TWO: ZOM-B ANGELS - TAIWAN BOOK COVER - PUBLISHED BY Crown Publishing Limited - ( 16 June 2014) - VOTE HERE

BOOK THREE: THE THIN EXECUTIONER - US HARDBACK  BOOK COVER - PUBLISHED BY Little, Brown Books (1 August 2010) - VOTE HERE

BOOK FOUR: WOLF ISLAND - UK PAPERBACK - PUBLISHED 
BY HarperCollins Children's Books (27 March 2014) - VOTE HERE

BOOK FIVE: BIRTH OF A KILLER - UK HARDBACK - PUBLISHED BY  HarperCollins Children's Books - ( 30 September 2010) - VOTE HERE

Kids/YA Literary Agent- Ben Illis - Spring/Summer Book Recommendations 2014

H. L Dennis - Secret Breakers: The Pirate's Sword - Published by Hodder Children's Books (1 May 2014) - Series is also Carnegie-Nominated.

Team Veritas have been searching for the truth. But sometimes the truth is hard to handle. No longer safe in England, the team from Station X must escape to the United States of America where they embark on an epic treasure hunt. It starts in New York City where they track down a precious ring once owned by a Knight of Neustria. From there, on to Washington DC to look for clues in the largest library in the world - and then a trek across the Blue Ridge Mountains in search for treasure hidden in a long forgotten cavern.

Claire Furniss - The Year of the Rat - Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books (24 April 2014) - Fantastic Read.
I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over. But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another. The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…

Lisa Glass - Blue - Published by Quercus (5 Jun 2014)  The summeriest YA surfer chick romance you will read all year, with Zeke. Just Zeke. Everyone loves a bit of Zeke.
Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris's world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.
Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.
But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit.

Brian Conaghan - When Mr Dog Bites - Published by Bloomsbury Publishing (3 July 2014) Critically acclaimed, touching and hilarious.
Dylan Mint has Tourette's. His life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in - the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed. But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mum, Dylan discovers that he's going to die in March. So he makes a list of things he must do before he dies: first, he wants to have real sex with gorgeous Michelle Malloy; second, he's got to find his autistic best friend Amir a new best bud; third, he's got to get his dad back home from the army so they can say goodbye properly. It's not a long list, but it's ambitious, and he doesn't have much time. Sometimes you've just got to go for it - no holding back - and see what happens . . .

This is the launch of a major new writing talent. Brian Conaghan makes you travel every step of the way in Dylan's shoes, laughing and crying - often at the same time - as Dylan faces the twists and turns of an unfair world with glorious optimism and wit.

Matt Brown - Compton Valance The Most Powerful Boy in the Universe - Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd (1 Jun 2014)  (Side-splittingly funny and rather stinky and gross MG humour)
When Compton Valance and his best friend Bryan Nylon discover the world's first TIME MACHINE (aka a mouldy, thirteen-week-old-cheese-and-pickled-egg sandwich), they become the most powerful boys in the universe. But how will Compton and Bryan decide to use their incredible new time-travelling powers? Will they use them for good? Will they use them for evil? Or will they just focus their efforts on perfecting a formula for the world's first pair of custard trousers? Things are about to get totally scrambled for Compton Valance.

Many thanks Ben for the interesting and varied recommendations; it looks like there's a book for everyone here. Check out Ben's online independent shop to view these titles and many more at the following link: http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/bookboyben 
For every book that you buy from Ben's shelves, hive will share a percentage of the sale with their chosen independent bookshop.

PRESS RELEASE: THEAKSTONS OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR LONGLIST REVEALED 2014

(Last years book winner 2013 - Beasts and Gods, by Denise Mina)

Giants of the genre are pitted against each other as the longlist is announced for the tenth Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

One of the most prestigious crime writing prizes in the country, 2014 sees past winners Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Denise Mina in the running.

Lee Child who won the Award in 2011 returns to the longlist with his 17th Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man. Sizing up to the phenomenal bestseller is two-time award winner, Mark Billingham for his Tom Thorne novel, The Dying Hours.

Denise Mina, who has won the past two years’ could make it a hat trick and defend her title with her brilliantly plotted The Red Road, said to rival Ian Rankin’s best. Number one bestseller Ian Rankin also represents Tartan Noir, with Standing in Another Man’s Grave, his first new Rebus novel in five years.

A new Scot is on the block to take on the old guard, Malcolm Mackay is one of just two debut authors to feature on the longlist with The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter. The first in a trilogy, it’s been praised as an intriguingly odd, remarkably original debut.

South African author Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls was a phenomenal bestseller and after being praised by Stephen King, it’s a hot contender.

Irish author Stuart Neville’s first three novels were previously longlisted for this award, and he’s back this year with his hugely gripping thriller, Ratlines. Stav Sherez is also back on the longlist with Eleven Days, his superior police procedural and sequel to A Dark Redemption.

No stranger to awards Belinda Bauer is the CWA 2010 Gold Dagger Award-winning author; her latest novel Rubbernecker has received glowing reviews.

Elly Griffiths also makes an appearance with her intriguing crime story, Dying Fall, which effortlessly brings together neo-Nazis, New Age hippies in Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Now in its tenth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award was created to celebrate the very best in crime writing and is open to crime authors whose novels were published in paperback from 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2014. The 2014 Award is run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and Radio Times.

The long list, comprising 18 titles, is selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee and representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd and WHSmith.

The longlist in full:

Rubbernecker, Belinda Bauer, Transworld Publishers

The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes, HarperCollins

The Dying Hours, Mark Billingham, Little, Brown Book Group

Like This, For Ever, Sharon Bolton, Transworld Publishers

A Wanted Man Lee Child, Transworld Publishers

The Honey Guide, Richard Crompton, Orion

The Cry, Helen Fitzgerald, Faber & Faber

Dying Fall, Elly Griffiths, Quercus

Until You're Mine, Samantha Hayes, Random House

The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter, Malcolm Mackay, Pan Macmillan

The Chessmen, Peter May, Quercus

I Hear The Sirens In The Street, Adrian McKinty, Profile Books

The Red Road, Denise Mina, Orion

Ratlines, Stuart Neville, Vintage, Random House

Standing in Another Man's Grave, Ian Rankin, Orion

Children of the Revolution, Peter Robinson, Hodder & Stoughton

Eleven Days, Stav Sherez, Faber & Faber

Weirdo, Cathi Unsworth, Profile Books

From 22 May to 19 June, longlisted titles will feature in a four-week campaign across all 600 WHSmith stores and 80 library services, representing a total of 1645 library branches. The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist of six titles which will be announced on 30 June.

The overall winner will be decided by a panel of Judges which this year comprises of Executive Director of T&R Theakston Ltd. and title sponsor Simon Theakston, Festival Chair Steve Mosby, Radio Times’ Alison Graham, and Head of Fiction at WHSmith, Dave Swillman, as well as members of the public. The public vote opens on 3 July and closes 15 July at www.theakstons.co.uk

CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist 2014 and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist 2014

CILIP Carnegie Medal 2014 shortlist:

• All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry (Templar)
• The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks (Puffin)
• The Child's Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnston (David Fickling Books)
• Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper (Bodley Head)
• Blood Family by Anne Fine (Double Day)
• Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber)
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (Anderson Press)
• The Wall by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury)

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2014 shortlist:

• The Paper Dolls by Rebecca Cobb (illustrator) and Julia Donaldson (author) (Macmillan Children's Books)
• Where My Wellies Take Me by Olivia Gill (illustrator) and Michael Morpurgo and Clare Morpurgo (authors) (Templar)
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator) and Drew Daywalt (author) (HarperCollins Children's Books)
• This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)
• The Dark by Jon Klassen (illustrator) and Lemony Snicket (author) (Orchard Books)
• Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf by Dave McKean (illustrator) and David Almond (author) (Walker Books)
• Oliver by Birgitta Sif (Walker Books)

The 2014 winners for both the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal will be announced on Monday 23rd June 2014 at a lunchtime ceremony at the Unicorn Theatre in London. The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library and the coveted golden Medals. Since 2000, the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal has also been awarded the £5,000 Colin Mears Award cash prize. The ceremony will be live-streamed for the first time.

Website: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/

The Times / Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2014 Short-List

THIS YEARS SHORTLIST: 

BIRTHDAY SURPRISE by LISA DRAKEFORD
When a girl unexpectedly gives birth on the bathroom floor at her best friend’s party, the fall-out is intense and affects everybody ...  A gritty teen read with redemption and tenderness amid the difficulty and confusion.

THE SOUND OF WHALES by KERR THOMSON
People trafficking, diamond smuggling and the redemptive power of nature form the basis for this ethereal and moving tale set on a remote Scottish isle; a beautifully woven story for middle-grade readers.

THE TERRITORY by SARAH GOVETT
Floods have ravaged the world and only the brightest kids can earn a place on dry land by passing a rigorous exam. But while rich kids can buy their way to a life of comfort, most ordinary kids have to tough it out to stay alive ... A thrilling and thought-provoking dystopian novel.

DEARLY WILD by VICTORIA WOOLFE
Harry’s mum is dead and the only comfort he can find is in caring for a damaged deer he discovered in the woods. Beautiful, gentle and evocative, this story about the power of wild animals, set against the coldness of young grief, reads like a truly modern-day Kes.

THE RUNNER by JAMES LOFTHOUSE
Liam is the witness to a brutal murder. More than this, he knows one of the two perpetrators. Placed into hiding, Liam is still not safe and is forced on the run in order to survive. Thrilling at every turn, this is a gripping real-life drama that will have teens on the edge of their seats.

Good luck all, the winner will be announced on Saturday 5th April 2014.

MR RIPLEY'S ENCHANTED BOOKS: FAVOURITE BOOKS 2013 - Children's/YA and Adult

                                   

2014 is officially on the horizon and Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books is coming to the end of yet another year. Around this festive time I like to take a trip down memory lane and highlight some of my favourite reads of 2013.  All of the following books have been reviewed on the website so if you would like to know and read more then just use the search bar....... Mr Ripley's Favourite Adult Reads 2013: (in no order) Brandon Sanderson - Steelheart - Published by Gollancz - 26, September 2013 Cherie Priest - The Inexplicables - Published by Tor 14, February 2013 Gareth Powell - Ack-Ack Macaque - Published by Solaris 3, January  2013 Samantha Shannon - The Bone Season - Published by Bloomsbury 20, August 2013 Joe Hill - NOS4R2 - Published by Gollancz - 31, October 2013 Mr Ripley's Favourite Children's/Young Adult Reads 2013: (in no order) SF Said and Dave McKean - Phoenix - Published by David Fickling - 1, August 2013 Brandon Sanderson - The Rithmatist - Published by Orion - 23, May 2013 Ian Johnstone - The Bell Between Worlds - Published by HarperCollins - 6, June 2013 Andy Mulligan - The Boy with Two Heads - Published by David Fickling - 6, June 2103 John Connolly + Jennifer Ridyard - Conquest - Published by Headline - 26, September 2013 Oisin McGann - Rat Runners - Published by Corgi - 7, March 2013 Rhys A Jones - The Obsidian Pebble - Published by Spencer Hill Press - 29, October 2013 Emerald Fennell - Shiverton Hall - Published by Bloomsbury - 3, January 2013  Chris Riddell - Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse - Published by Macmillan - 12, September 2013 Ashley Miller + Jack Stentz - Colin Fischer - Published by Puffin - 7, February 2013 Andrew Lane - Lost Worlds - Published by Macmillan - 25, April 2013 Michelle Paver - The Burning Shadow - Published by Puffin - 1, August 2013 I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all (readers, authors, illustrators and publishers) for your support in 2013. I'd like to wish you all a great Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year.

Floris Kelpies Children's Prize Shortlist 2013

Every year as part of the Kelpies Prize, we look for the best unpublished children’s fiction with a Scottish twist. Since February, our editors have been working their way through a record number of entries to find our three finalists for this year’s prize – and they certainly weren’t disappointed.

We’re delighted to announce that the books shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2013 are:

• Never Back by Barbara Henderson
• Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens by Alex McCall
• The Great Moon Mission by Shona McQuilken

Never Back is an exciting Scottish thriller about a dangerous journey to remember who you really are. TJ and Levi have no memory of their life before New Dawn, brainwashed to forget by the Authorities. Can they discover their past before their present catches up with them?

Barbara Henderson has taught English and Drama, and started her own small puppetry business. She won the Nairn Festival Short Story Competition in 2012.

It’s an age-old question, but why did the chicken cross the road? To start the giant robot chicken apocalypse, of course. In Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens, there’s something fowl going on in Aberdeen as the city is terrorised by giant robotic chickens. But Jesse and his friends aren’t going to let the chickens rule the roost any longer …

Alex McCall grew up in Aberdeen, which may be why it is the first city he has destroyed in print. He has published several poetry and short story anthologies.

It’s an out-of-this world experience in The Great Moon Mission. Jimmy and his friends were expecting canoeing or sailing for this year’s class trip, not the chance to blast off into space! But as they begin to wonder what this mission is really about, Jimmy and his friends find themselves in a race against time, and slime, to save Earth from some little green men.

When her school careers advisor told her that being an author wasn’t a proper job, Shona McQuilken decided to become a scientist instead. The Great Moon Mission combines her two passions.

It won’t be long until you can find out which will be the latest addition to our Kelpies list. The winner of the Kelpies Prize 2013 will be announced at a ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday 22nd August 2013.

Want to enter next year’s Prize?

Manuscripts are now invited for submission to the Kelpies Prize 2014. The deadline is 28 February 2014 and for full rules and guidelines, you can read more here.

Joseph Delaney's - Seventh Son - New Movie Trailer - Official Warner Bros. UK

This film is released in February 2014!  It is based on Joseph Delaney's Wardstone Chronicles (Spook's Apprentice) books.  This shows Jeff Bridges facing down a dragon in the Seventh Son official movie trailer and looks absolutely amazing.... what do you all think?