This is a perceptive and well-written biography of a complex, eccentric and flawed man. Bowker does a great job coming to grips with his subject, whose life he details in straightforward chronological order. He occasionally engages in some unnecessary speculation of the "Orwell must have thought ..." variety, but not so often that it adversely affects his credibility as a biographer. Bowker's prose is clear and uncomplicated and if the list of sources is any indication his research appears to be thorough. This is a "warts and all" biography and although Orwell had plenty of warts to be revealed, Bowker conveys empathy for his subject without making excuses for his sometimes problematic behaviour.

In recent times I've fallen in love with Orwell's "window pane"* prose and have started working my way through his novels and his non-fiction. Reading this biography has given me insight into the man behind the writer. Highly recommended for Orwell fans.

*Orwell's description of what good prose should be like.

bookshelves: one-penny-wonder, mystery-thriller, winter20092010, britain-england, gorefest, published-1997, boo-scary, fantasy, serial-killer, recreational-homicide

** spoiler alert ** No more ordering until Jan 2020 or until my 1064 items TBR pile is at zero but still the remnants of my December purchases trickle in quite unhurriedly. Don't think for one cotton picking moment that vow worked!!

There is a bridge in Glastonbury; an old timbered bridge that spans a quiet brook.

bookshelves: one-penny-wonder, britain-england, published-2004, summer-2010, autumn-2010, boo-scary, doo-lally, gangsters, gorefest, gothic, noir, mystery-thriller, ouch, recreational-homicide, revenge, serial-killer, testost-tosh

Original post here: http://writingvirginia.booklikes.com/post/589089/post

Bowker, which keeps track of such things, announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week that the number of self-published titles went up 59% last year versus the year before. Purely by the numbers, nearly 235,000 self-published printed volumes came into the market in 2012, compared to just under 302,000 traditionally published books. If you add in e-books, the self-published total jumps to over 390,000 titles.

The leading genres? Romance and literary fiction. 71% of all self-published books are bought by women. The reason for the self-publishing boom? According to authors polled, traditional publishers are a big obstacle to getting published, especially for first-timers and newbies. Also, writers have significantly increased their knowledge of the publishing process itself and are more savvy about formatting, cover design and other elements usually handled by a publishing house. 

Here is the original release from Bowker: http://www.bowker.com/en-US/aboutus/press_room/2013/pr_10092013.shtml

Bowker, which keeps track of such things, announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week that the number of self-published titles went up 59% last year versus the year before. Purely by the numbers, nearly 235,000 self-published printed volumes came into the market in 2012, compared to just under 302,000 traditionally published books. If you add in e-books, the self-published total jumps to over 390,000 titles.

The leading genres? Romance and literary fiction. 71% of all self-published books are bought by women. The reason for the self-publishing boom? According to authors polled, traditional publishers are a big obstacle to getting published, especially for first-timers and newbies. Also, writers have significantly increased their knowledge of the publishing process itself and are more savvy about formatting, cover design and other elements usually handled by a publishing house. 

Here is the original release from Bowker: http://www.bowker.com/en-US/aboutus/press_room/2013/pr_10092013.shtml