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News stories from the book world in August 2013

August 2013

The late lamented Elmore Leonard

26 August 2013

Elmore Leonard, who died this week at the age of 87, was for most of his writing life ignored by the critics. Starting as a writer of westerns, even then belittled by the literary establishment and now little published, he graduated to the tough crime novels which made his name.  Read more

'A new star-in-the-making'

19 August 2013

This week has brought the debut of a new star-in-the-making - or should she be described as having leapt straight to stardom? Samantha Shannon, whose first novel The Bone Season is published in the US and the UK this week, seems like an ordinary kind of superstar.  Read more

Bezos buys the Washington Post

12 August 2013

Many observers were completely shattered this week by the completely unexpected news that Jeff Bezos had bought the Washington Post. Apparently the Graham family used an investment firm to approach six "potential suitors" amid tightest security before choosing Bezos.  Read more

Writers need readers too

5 August 2013

Two press articles have this week raised an interesting debate about the role of writers and what it's reasonable to expect them to do, and the importance of readers in the writing-and-reading continuum.  Read more