Books, Issue 682
11 articles
Sorted by popularity / date
Joe Simon: My Life in Comics
21 Jul 2011
Interesting autobiography from one of the pioneers of superhero comics
(Titan) This autobiography written by one of the founding fathers of the American comic books hits the bookshelves a fortnight ahead of the release of the latest Hollywood blockbuster adaptation of a superhero strip, Captain America, which…
John Hegarty - Hegarty on Advertising
29 Jun 2011
'Turning Intelligence into Magic' with a history of the cut-throat industry
(Thames & Hudson) As the man behind the iconic adverts for Levi 501s (Nick Kamen in his boxers), Audi (‘Vorsprung durch Technik’) and Barnardo’s (a baby jacking up on heroin), John Hegarty is better placed than most to discuss the perfect campaign.
The highs and lows of Harry Potter’s outrageous fortunes
28 Jun 2011
An evaluation of each of the films from the Harry Potter series
Having earned £6 billion worldwide, Harry Potter is the highest grossing film franchise of all time. And while the critical reception hasn’t always matched the commercial one (no Academy Awards yet), the films have been as successful as JK Rowling’s…
Alan Hollinghurst - The Stranger’s Child
28 Jun 2011
Sprawling 1913 family epic leave reader underwhelmed
(Picador) When it comes to keeping his fans waiting, Alan Hollinghurst has got it down to a very fine art. It’s seven itchy years since the London writer scooped the Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty and this resultant beefy doorstopper proves…
Supergods - Grant Morrison interview
21 Jun 2011
Grant Morrison on his journey to becoming one of the world’s leading comics writers
When I was eight my mum, who was a big fan of science fiction in all its forms, took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey three times in one month. It was a profound thing to see. The second time I was so freaked out by the Stargate sequence that I couldn’t…
Edinburgh International Book Festival 2011 line up highlights
16 Jun 2011
Grant Morrison, Will Self and Jo Nesbø among highlights
A selection of international authors, a bunch of Scottish novelists, an array of top non-fiction scribes, a host of children’s writers and a series of exciting innovations: yes, it’s just another Edinburgh International Book Festival programme. A cliché…
Debut author Rebecca Makkai answers our questions
14 Jun 2011
Brian Donaldson interviews the author of The Borrower
Our debut author Q&As continue with Rebecca Makkai, whose first book is about an odd couple embarking on an improvised road trip Give us five words to describe The Borrower. Librarian, boy, kidnap each other. Name one author who should be more…
Yrsa Sigurdardottir - The Day is Dark
14 Jun 2011
Yet another new Stieg Larsson-eque, nordic crime novel
(Hodder & Stoughton) Just as Norwegian Jo Nesbø is busy being ‘the next Stieg Larsson’, Yrsa Sigurdardottir is apparently ‘Iceland’s answer to Stieg Larsson’. The late Swedish author could scarcely have predicted how posthumously helpful he would…
Daniel Clowes - Mister Wonderful: A Love Story
14 Jun 2011
New York Times Magazine column story into bittersweet romcom
(Jonathan Cape) Famed for titles like Ghost World and Art School Confidential (both adapted into films by director Terry Zwigoff), writer and artist Daniel Clowes’ real strength is the emotional realism he imbues his characters with. Mister Wonderful…
Helen Walsh - Go to Sleep
14 Jun 2011
Melodramatic family drama about the stigma of post-natal depression
(Canongate) Helen Walsh makes compelling reading of a complex issue in her third novel, Go to Sleep, which aims to explore, and explode, the taboos surrounding post-natal depression. Based on her own experience of PND – which is estimated to affect a…
Ross Raisin - Waterline
14 Jun 2011
Unconvincing follow up social drama to God's Own Country
(Viking) The strength of Ross Raisin’s debut novel, God’s Own Country, was the authenticity of the central character’s Yorkshire voice, but for this follow-up Raisin has moved proceedings to Glasgow, and it has to be said that his Scottish brogue is…
