Saturday Summary #1

Hi, and welcome to the first Saturday Summary. Not ever anywhere, probably, but the only one that matters...err. Anyway, brief news about the book-week gone here follows!

David Nicholls' Us, is undergoing the adaptation process to a BBC drama. Us was longlisted for last year's Man Booker Prize. If you've read the book and you're looking forward to the adaptation...maybe don't. We're kidding, but adaptations are a tricky art. You could always read the book again. And if you've not read it at all, check it out.

Tuesday was Doodle day. Not only did Chris Riddell become the ninth Children's Laureate, he also unveiled his alter-ego, 'Doodle', turning each of the previous children's laureates into super/heroic authors as well. The sheer power of that man's pencil case; and he wants everyone else to enjoy drawing and doodling too - very good luck to him

Midweek came with the line-up announcement for this August's Edinburgh International Book Festival. We're making plans to attend, and think everyone who possibly can should too. Festival director, Nick Barley, told The Guardian he thinks the UK's reading habits are "an embarrassment". Oof, should we make it up, we hope to help to report on the variety being showcased.

One thing's for sure: people definitely need to give A Song of Ice and Fire author, George R.R Martin, some space!

And finally, please watch this. We think it's wonderful.

Have a good weekend, and see you next week. Perhaps we'll have a logo for this little bit.

George R.R. Martin asks fans of GoT to let him work

George R.R. Martin likely feels fortunate in many ways. But that doesn't preclude him from needing to remind people to back off a bit. Last year the author of the famed A Song of Ice Fire series - understandably - responded to the Swiss daily, Tages Anzeiger, in strong terms regarding concerns about his age and health. We won't link to that (keeping things fairly polite).

Obviously stressing Martin out isn't going to help him complete the next installment any quicker. And now he's sought to remind fans of the TV series Game of Thrones, adapted from the A Song... books, exactly that. On his 'Not A Blog' livejournal page, Martin addresses one or two other matters and then is quite clear:

Meanwhile, other wars are breaking out on other fronts, centered around the last few episodes of GAME OF THRONES. It is not my intention to get involved in those, nor to allow them to take over my blog and website, so please stop emailing me about them, or posting off-topic comments here on my Not A Blog. Wage those battles on Westeros, or Tower of the Hand, or Boiled Leather, or Winter Is Coming, or Watchers on the Walls. Anyplace that isn't here, actually.

Yes, I know that THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER named me "the third most powerful writer in Hollywood" last December. You would be surprised at how little that means. I cannot control what anyone else says or does, or make them stop saying or doing it, be it on the fannish or professional fronts. What I can control is what happens in my books, so I am going to return to that chapter I've been writing on THE WINDS OF WINTER now, thank you very much.

Hard to argue with, that. We wouldn't want to either - this is the man who in July 2013 destroyed a guitar, with Neil Gaiman for support. Seriously, let's just let him work. After all, it's not like there's a shortage of other great books to read in the meantime.