Tag Archives: books about town

Books About Town – City Trail

July 20, 2014

I hit the final and biggest trail on the National Literacy Trust Books About Town tour on my own today to pick up the last fifteen benches (minus the 1984 one, which isn’t back from repair yet) and the upcoming 51st book which is still being voted on by book lovers. The City is one of the most interesting parts of London, being technically made up of only a square mile. The rest of London is actually the City of Westminster… but I digress. The City is the heart of London’s financial district as well as some of its most iconic sights including St Paul’s Cathedral and The Tower of London, which means the super modern stands shoulder to shoulder with the truly historic. If you are going to do any of the trails and want to be awed by London, this is definitely the one for you… plus it’s the easiest to navigate. Here are the benches I snapped.

Katie in London by James Mayhew

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Noughts and Crosses by Oliver Dean

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Usborne’s that’s not my bench by Rachel Wells (original illustrations) Jenny Hillborne (design) Painted by Sarah Jane Richards

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Jacqueline Wilson by Nick Sharratt (original illustrations) created by Jane Headford

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Bridget Jones’s Diary by Paula Bressel

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Mary Poppins by Darel Seow

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Peter Pan by Laura Elizabeth Bolton

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Dickens in Liverpool by Hillside School

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Fever Pitch by Sophie Green
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Brick Lane by Charlotte Brown

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Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack by Trevor Skempton

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The Laura Marlin Mysteries by David Dean (original illustrations) created by Jane Headford

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Alex Rider by Kanako and Yuzuru (original illustrations) created by Mike Snowdon

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The Wind in the Willows by Mik Richardson

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A Brief History of Time by Paraig O’Driscoll

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Books About Town – Bloomsbury Trail

July 14, 2014

Em and my  National Literacy Trust Books About Town adventure continued on Sunday with the Bloomsbury Trail. Bloomsbury is an area of London with a rich publishing history so it made a lot of sense that it was a core part of the trail. It is also home to the British Museum and the British Library where we met Em’s friend, Donna, who joined us for this leg. There were so many awesome familiar books on this trail with cool little flourishes that I started to realise that I should also be taking photos of the backs and sides of some of them, which is why there are multiple snaps of some of the benches. The only disappointment was that the 1984  bench had been removed for repair. We heard a rumour that it had been stolen but apparently it’s going to be back soon… fingers crossed. I’d hate to have an incomplete set.

Here are the eleven we did find.

Jeeves and Wooster Stories by Gordon Allum

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The lion, the witch and the wardrobe by Quad Digital Mandii Pope

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Sherlock Holmes Stories by Valerie Osment

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Mrs Dalloway by One Red Shoe

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Earnest by Trevor Skempton

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Rest Your Stalks by Oliver Dean

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Pride and Prejudice by Charlotte Brown

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Always Try to be a Little Kinder Than is Necessary by Sian Storey

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James Bond Stories by Freya Dean

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Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly by Tom Adams (artwork) created by Mandii Pope

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Around the World in 80 Days by Valerie Osment

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Books About Town – Riverside Trail

July 13, 2014

Regular readers might remember that I sent off on a mission last week to complete the National Literacy Trust Books About Town trails with my friend, Em. We started with the Greenwich Trail last Sunday and this weekend did the Riverside Trail which runs along the South Bank alongside the Thames River. It’s one of the most exciting parts of the city where super modern meets ancient London in a vibrant swirl of business and leisure.

I was extra excited to venture out because my company will be moving offices to the South Bank in a couple of months’ time and I’m looking forward to really getting to know this part of town and what secrets it has to hide. We certainly weren’t disappointed when we came across the Hays Galleria, which houses a cute collection of bars, restaurants, boutiques and market stalls surrounding a crazy fountain.

Although Em and I had to do part of the trail during a downpour we still had a whale of a time and snapped 10 benches (plus the one I accidentally found in Waterloo Station).

The World’s Biggest Flipbook by Jeremy Banx
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Shakespeare’s London by Lucy Dalzell
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Please look after this bear. Thank you. by Michelle Heron (featuring Em in the background)
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Great Expectations by Ivan Liotchev
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From the Gruffalo to Scarecrows: The World of Alex Scheffler and Julia Donaldson by Alex Scheffler
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The Librarian by Paul Kidby
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Clarice Bean by Lauren Child (original illustrations) created by Jane Headford
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Dr Seuss by Theodore Seuss Griesel
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How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (original illustrations) created by Gerard Strong
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Through the Looking Glass by Ralph Steadman
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War Horse by Rae Smith (original illustration) created by Gerard Strong
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