... to think we should shun the 3 for 2 offers...

[woollyideas]

I've read a few threads on MN where people are expressing their disappointment in books they've read and I can't help noticing that many of the novels are the very ones which are shoved under our noses at every turn - the ones on the three-for-two table in major bookshops, the ones on the supermarket shelves etc.

Recently I've been trying to read 'off-piste', looking at things from small publishing houses, or by authors who aren't household names. The three best books I've read this year are all by authors who you may never had heard of.

Out of the many titles they bring out each year publishers will only promote a small percentage and I'm beginning to think they're mostly shite not necessarily the most worthy, but are promoted because they're deemed to be 'marketable' (eg. household name authors, books written by wives of famous people, etc.) AIBU in thinking that just because a book is prominently displayed and widely reviewed it is not necessarily worthy of our attention? In fact, could I go so far as to suggest a boycott of the 3 for 2s?

Would anyone like to join me in recommending their favourite books of the year - something that wouldn't be on the 3 for 2 tables, or sold in Tesco?

Mine are:
Ingenious Pain by Andrew Miller
Glasshopper by Isabel Ashdown
and
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

Well I find the whole thing very odd then. she doesn't use her own name with the press, he doesn't use his real surname on his books and fundamentally her DH is actually a published author! very strange.

Well lots of people use a pseudonym when writing so that's not strange in the slightest. As for her name, I don't know about that, I only 'know' her on here. I'm sure she has her reasons. And I don't think being a published author leads to riches unimaginable. At least it hasn't for the few people I know who are published.

The site for the book The prince of Thorns has a pic of the author and also states that he is the father to 4 dcs including one who is severely disabled. So yes it could be rivens husband(also said he is a scientist-does that fit?)
Either way I wont be buying the book as not my cup of tea at all!
A book I bought which would probably never have usually picked up is The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. Was recommended on the tv book club but all the other choices were crap. Superb book.

I can confirm that prince of thorns by Mark Lawrence is indeed rivens husbands book.

It 's also not unusual for authors to use a made up name... The books supposed to be very good btw, it's had rave reviews and I have it on order.

Ah so it is him-was confused by the scientist bit as didnt think he worked? anyway I hope the book does well and perhaps makes their lives a bit easier.

Op - wally lamb is very well known, think he even made oprah's reading list. ;) try his 'she's come undone' _ it took him 7 years to write and is a breathtaking work of art.

Yes he's a scientist but only works part tie and can't do school holidays.

time

Stupid ipad

I've just been introduced to the author Jasper Fforde by a friend of mine and they are really good, very very strange, but good nonetheless, i understand he is totally minted due to high sales, which is odd as i've never heard of him!

Thanks for the link to Prince of Thorns - been struggling with what to buy DH for his birthday.

It was only released 2 weeks ago, so not exactly a published author for long. I dont understand what you find so strange MorallyBankrupt

I was thinking this might be a more general shopping query... if it had been, I'd applaud shunning 3 for 2 and even BOGOF offers, as they are encouraging wastefulness in some instances, and cannot be used by some portions of society (less well off, and single/ elderly people, for whom buying might be outside their means, or transporting goods home too awkward if they don't have a car).

Anyway, anyone who pushes for offers to be a simple "reduction of cost of 1 item" (which would allow a pensioner to get the item at same price as current BOGOF deal where buying 2 may make less sense and would apply for your books, too, of course) would get my support...

Well NetworkGuy, I agree with that, too. I hardly ever buy 3 for 2 or BOGOF in supermarkets either. There are only two of us (me and DD) in my family and it isn't worth it for us, unless it's something like loo roll. It annoys me, in fact, because often the price for single items often appears to be inflated in order to make the offer look even better (if that makes sense!)

Publishers pay through the nose to have their books displayed in bookshops in any other way that spine-out on a shelf. It's not just that they pay to get their authors' books on the prominent 'three for two' table, they also pay to have a book displayed cover-out on a shelf (ie, so the browser can see the full cover, not just the spine.)

I wouldn't entirely discount the 'three for two' offers, though. There's a new prize called 'Fiction Uncovered' which is a judged competition aimed at promoting mid-list fiction authors, and part of the 'prize', which is shared among eight or so authors, is getting on the 'three for two' table in one of the big chains. There were some genuinely good novels in there this year.

I think the best thing you can do to genuinely make up your own mind about what you want to read is to scan the book pages of newspapers and keep a note of things that sound like your kind of thing. And to go to good independent bookshops with really well-informed booksellers who will be able to recommend things based on other books you've liked, and who make displays of books that aren't just rehashes of the latest Richard and Judy/Oprah bookclub things. For anyone in London, Daunts' is unbelievably good.

I have just finished The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, fanatstic clean writing, great story, and strong characters. Loved it!

Goodynuff, Stef Penney has a new novel out, if you liked her first one.

Abraham Lincoiln, Vampire Hunter

Yes - Prince of Thorns is mine. A dark work of fantasy inspired by 'A Clockwork Orange'. If you're considering it then it's probably worth dipping into reviews first to make sure it's your cup of tea:

mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/

HardCheese, do you know what its called?
Corvax, I hope you enjoy it!

I recommend (particularly for lovers of crime fiction):

Andrew Taylor "American Boy"
Barbara Cleverly "Strange Images of Death"
C J Sansome's 'Shardlake' novels (5 of them)

I also love everything that Ken Follet has written, and it is very wide-ranging, from historical epics, to short story thrillers, to war-time espionage. Brilliant characters and excellent research in each book.

Corvax - me too!

I'm still only in the Hall at the moment, but I'm loving it very much.