Rowan Jones, Author at For Reading Addicts

May 25, 2019

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Watch the latest trailer for His Dark Materials here!

By Rowan Jones | Adaptations, News, Video | No Comments

His Dark Materials will be hitting the small screen thanks to HBO and the BBC.

We saw the teaser trailer in March and it didn’t give much away, however this latest trailer is VERY exciting. In it we get to see and hear the characters many of us fell in love with from Pullman’s books including the main protagonist Lyra Belacqua who is played by Dafne Keen and the wonderful James McAvoy who will play Lord Asriel. Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins) is set to play the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby, while James Cosmo and Lucian Msamati play as Farder Coram and John Faa respectively.

Any fan of the book series will be pleased to see far more detail from the book included in the television series, as opposed to the movie The Golden Compass, which left out chunks of the story and never managed to make enough at the box office to carry on the movie franchise.

8 intense episodes will run over 2 seasons, and a date has yet to be announced for its release. We do know, however, that it will premiere in the USA by the end of 2019.

We will let you know more details as we have them- meanwhile check out the trailer below!

May 24, 2019

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London Underground Map Redesigned with Literary Stops

By Rowan Jones | Inspired by Literature, News | No Comments

The London Underground map has had a temporary makeover and had all its place names replaced with literary people, book titles, and fictional places.

The idea was created by book personalisation company In The Book who have redesigned each stop with a famous literary name such as Graham Greene, Zadie Smith, or Arthur Conan Doyle. The map covers most of zones 1 and 2 with some prolific writers featuring multiple times- Charles Dickens is represented in 7 areas.

Tom Matthews, spokesperson for In The Book said:

“The map aims to give a comprehensive geographical guide to London’s diverse literary history. We’re all familiar with Charles Dickens, Martin Amis and Zadie Smith, but it’s also titles such as Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows that help colour areas of the city in their own unique way.”

May 21, 2019

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Librarian shares 28 things she has noticed about her job

By Rowan Jones | Libraries, News | One Comment

A librarian from Scotland took to Twitter to share her insight into what it is like being a librarian in the UK.

Secret Library Gorgon, whose real name is Mel, told Bored Panda that being a librarian was never her intention but sometimes great things happen without you planning them.

“I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years but I became quite unwell about five years ago and had to leave my product design engineering role and course. I was gutted but I knew that recovery would take a while. I’ve always been a bookworm so I started looking for jobs in libraries and other environments to do part-time while I recovered. I love it so much that I hope I can keep working in libraries permanently.”

After chatting with a colleague about some of the quirks of their job, Mel started posting them on Twitter: “I figured a few of my fellow library assistants would relate. If I’d known how big it would become, I’d have proofread them first!”

May 17, 2019

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Heartwarming message discovered in newly purchased book

By Rowan Jones | Inspired by Literature, News | No Comments

A chance purchase brought some much-needed positivity into one young woman’s life during a Sunday shopping trip.

27-year-old Ashley Jost from Missouri, USA, picked up the copy of Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis while on a shopping trip in Target. Ashley grabbed a copy of the self-help book after remembering a reading challenge she signed up for with her friends.

Ashley started reading as soon as she got home and didn’t discover the surprise until she was interrupted:

“My dog started barking so I got up from reading and threw the book down on the ottoman when suddenly a five dollar note fell out. I knew it wasn’t mine so I thumbed through the pages and saw a pink post-it stuck to one.”

May 16, 2019

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First look at the latest Hogwarts house themed shoes from Vans

By Rowan Jones | Inspired by Literature, News | No Comments

Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry has joined forces with the footwear giants Vans to create some colourful hi-tops and skate shoes.

JK Rowling’s incredible legacy of the Harry Potter universe has been adopted by people all over the world- many of whom have had their Hogwarts school house assigned by Pottermore.

Each fan/student is assigned a house that fits their personality: Slytherin for the cunning and ambitious, Gryffindor for brave and athletic, Hufflepuff for the loyal and humble, and Ravenclaw for the smart and creative.

Shoe company, Vans, have recently revealed the first look at their collaboration with the world of Harry Potter with each shoe design based on each Hogwarts house aesthetic.

Check out the new designs below!

May 15, 2019

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Judge’s copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover in export ban

By Rowan Jones | Literature, News | No Comments

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is no stranger to controversy and it seems the 1928 novel has had yet another ban enforced.

The controversial novel written by DH Lawrence was at the centre of an obscenity trial in 1960, and the copy used by the judge presiding over the case is now in further trouble. The copy belonging to the judge, Sir Laurence Byrne, is full of highlighted explicit passages, marked up by the judge’s wife Lady Dorothy.

The book was sold last year for £56,250 and the new owner planned to take it abroad but the book has been temporarily stopped from leaving the UK. The new owners must apply for a licence to take the book out of the UK as it is an ‘item of cultural significance’.

The UK government’s block means collectors have until 9 August to declare their intention to buy it and then up to three months longer to find the funds.

Michael Ellis, Arts Minister, has stated how he hoped a buyer would come forward to “keep this important part of our nation’s history in the UK”.

May 13, 2019

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BBC announces Guy Pearce will star as Ebenezer Scrooge

By Rowan Jones | Adaptations, News | No Comments

The BBC has announced that Guy Pearce will star in the lead role for their adaptation of A Christmas Carol set to air December 2019.

Other stars have already been announced but the actor playing the main character was kept quiet. Screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) has since announced to the BBC that Guy Pearce will play Ebenezer Scrooge alongside Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Stephen Graham (Line of Duty) and Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders).

Andy Serkis will play Ghost of Christmas Past and Rutger Hauer (Bladerunner) is the Ghost of Christmas Future, while The Ghost of Christmas Present is yet to be announced.

May 12, 2019

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The Governess Anne Hegerty whispers erotic fan fiction

By Rowan Jones | News, Television | No Comments

Anne Hegerty, also known as The Governess, is a formidable opponent for contestants on the UK gameshow The Chase.

A sensual ASMR video was devised by LadBible and mobile company 3 who decided to utilise The Governess’s strict schoolmarm charm. Her low and smooth vocal tones, and her clipped English accent can be heard reading erotic fan fiction written about Anne Hegerty herself.

As is standard with ASMR videos, there are various intriguing sounds made throughout- a wobbling blancmange, tapping on a solid aubergine, and the trademark ASMR whispering. Describing the video does it no justice- you really must watch it for yourself.

Prepare to be drawn into the erotic world of pub quizzes, juicy fruits, and ketchup!

May 10, 2019

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Scottish space pilot was inspired by children’s book

By Rowan Jones | Inspired by Literature, News | No Comments

A Scottish space pilot was so inspired by the book Exploring Space that he took it with him on his first journey into orbit.

David MacKay, the first ever Scottish space pilot, received the Ladybird book as a child for good attendance at Sunday School. Growing up in the historic Highland county of Sutherland, MacKay’s dreams of flying were first inspired by the local Royal Naval Air Station (now RAF Lossiemouth). Watching the planes flying low over his village of Helmsdale, MacKay would dream of flying and travelling the world. The Apollo missions happening around the same time, MacKay’s daydreaming and wanderlust soon took a look skywards; once he was handed the Exploring Space book, MacKay knew what he wanted to do.

The Scottish spaceman’s high-flying career started when studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow in 1977. He spent 16 years as a military pilot and after the RAF he flew passenger crafts before joining Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, and joined the commercial space race.

May 9, 2019

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Captain Scott ‘s copy of Dickens goes on display

By Rowan Jones | Authors, News | No Comments

Captain Scott ‘s copy of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield will be going on display at the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

The book was taken on the Terra Nova expedition in 1910 by Captain Scott with the view to sustain morale among his men. Captain Scott and his men would take it in turns to read chapters to the group, keeping spirits up during the harsh Antarctic conditions. David Copperfield was written in periodical chapters with intriguing cliffhangers, making it perfect for reading aloud together.

There was a British tradition of taking libraries of books on expeditions, with Sir John Franklin taking over 1000 books with him on his 1845 journey to the Arctic including some novels by Charles Dickens such as The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby.