The Penguin Blog

Friday afternoon literary thought-provoker - Romance Special

Flowers? For me? Oh, you shouldn't - oh. You didn't. They're for your mother? Fine. Whatevs.

But you did get me a book? Now we're talking.

Despite difficult book relationships at times, a deciding factor in agreeing to domestic bliss with my better half was the discovery of a key shared book. I say I gave the book to him, he says he gave it to me. Potato potahto. (I gave it to him.)

So which book have you found shared love in? Or, for the misanthropes out there, which was the straw that broke the relationship's back?

Once more, I'll post something nice out to whichever answer I like best. Although that will probably only apply to UK people. But come on! Everyone can just join in anyway! Yeay! Hang on - you didn't even get me flowers. Why am I feeling bad about this?

Sam the Copywriter

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This Saturday, do something wonderful for literature

Some ideas for what to do on a rainy/blustery/snowy/perfectly nice Saturday afternoon:

Map of library protests

Voices for the Library

CILIP

Please go if you can. It's so important that we do everything we can to save these most-important institutions.

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Remember that by posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use. If you consider any content on this site to be inappropriate, please report it to Penguin Books by emailing reportabuse@penguin.co.uk

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Friday afternoon literary thought-provoker - part #3

With Our Glorious Leaders pretty much determined to destroy our health, our social lives and our ability to read, one occasionally dwells upon the thought of apocalypse. Hurray! Who doesn't love a little end-of-the-world to make one grateful for not living here. Or here. Or even here.

My strongest ante-natal cravings were always for Apoco-fiction - or travaux de désastre, as I like to think of it - including The Road (yawn), The Death of Grass (MUST PLANT WINDOW BOXES), The Stand (yeay!), and I Am Legend (double yeay!), and I continue to enjoy this stuff as a misery primer for my doom-empty life.

I finished On the Beach the other day - please, please all read this, as it is simply wonderful - but it's really got under my skin in the most delightful way. I'm viewing everyone rushing around Trafalgar Square and the like in a strange manner, picturing how things would be instead in Shute's Melbourne of the sixties.

So. What's your favourite fictional apocalypse? Do you lean more towards the creatures from outer space (as it were), or are you more of a ka-BOOM fan? Letters to the usual gap below - and I might even throw* some books to the best answer.

Sam the Copywriter

*post. I mean post.

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Remember that by posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use. If you consider any content on this site to be inappropriate, please report it to Penguin Books by emailing reportabuse@penguin.co.uk

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