Horror Classics Reimagined: Dead & Read Merges Literature with Heavy Metal Culture

The music industry really knows how to give their fans covetable and collectible memorabilia, which is just not something you usually associate with books.

Dead & Read launches a unique fusion of classic literature with a heavy metal twist.

Max Minerva’s Co-Founder, Sam Taylor, brings his expertise from both the music and book industries to the forefront.

Literature lovers can now express their passion with exclusive merchandise including posters, t-shirts, and collectibles.

Limited Edition Collections: Only 666 copies featuring classics like Frankenstein, The Turn Of The Screw, and In A Glass Darkly.

World-Renowned Artwork: Illustrations by Dan Mumford, known for his work with Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Queens Of The Stone Age.

Dead & Read, a trailblazing literary venture, is excited to announce its Kickstarter launch, aiming to revolutionise the world of classic literature. With the infusion of heavy metal aesthetics, Dead & Read bridges the gap between literary enthusiasts and rock culture, epitomising the innovative spirit of its founder, Sam Taylor.

Reviving the Classics with a Roaring Beat

Bookish fans have pondered over the absence of merchandise for classic literature in the same way the music industry celebrates its artists. Recognising this unfortunate void, Sam Taylor, whose career has crossed over from music to books, was inspired to provide literature fans with high quality, collectible art. With Dead & Read, Taylor seamlessly blends the reverence for classic literature with the edgy, rebellious spirit of heavy metal.

Merchandising the Classics 

Key Features of Dead & Read's offerings:

 Reimagined book covers combining the charm of classic tales with heavy metal designs.

Exclusive apparel including t-shirts showcasing iconic literary figures in heavy metal renditions.

“As a live music fan, I love the ability to collect posters and other merchandise that keeps the memory of the moment alive. The music industry really knows how to give their fans covetable and collectible memorabilia, which is just not something you find with books. So we’re launching our first collection of Classics - three Horror titles with a Heavy Metal twist,” says founder Sam Taylor.

Beyond The Books: Dead & Read’s Authentic Merchandise

The artistic elements extends beyond the pages. Every book is complemented by screen-printed t-shirts and signed posters, turning each piece into a collector's dream. The horror-heavy metal blend is visually represented by the spellbinding illustrations of Dan Mumford, who has a rich history of creating for rock legends like Metallica and Iron Maiden.

This is Dead & Read’s first Kickstarter, inviting readers and music lovers to wear their passions, quite literally, and proclaim their love for age-old tales with a contemporary twist.

Horror x Heavy Metal: An Unparalleled Edition

With just 666 copies of each horror classic, these collections are exclusive masterpieces. This iconic number pays homage to the horror genre and the brilliant imagery that goes with it.

Dead & Read’s collections are the future for literature and music lovers Dive into the tales, wear the stories, and embrace the rhythm. Visit Dead & Read's Kickstarter page to secure your limited edition collection.

About Dead & Read

Dead & Read is a literary initiative by Sam Taylor, co-founder of Max Minerva’s Books, an independent bookshop with locations in Bristol and Portishead. With a history in both the music industry and book trade, Taylor envisioned a platform where literature and music collide, resulting in collectibles that fans across both realms would treasure. Dead & Read is more than a brand; it's a revolution in the world of literature and music.

For press inquiries, please contact: Sam Taylor Founder, Dead & Read

Phone: +44 7901 042 165

Email: hello@deadandread.co

Website: Their Kickstarter Page is at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deadandread/three-horror-classics-with-a-heavy-metal-twist

Social Media Handles: @deadandread on Instagram

Back To School Book Sale - extra 10% off

Save on essential Back to School books and more besides!

• An extra 10% off in the Back to School sale

• Limited Edition Boxes for KS1 & KS2 – only £14.99 each (10 books inside)

• Books selected by their in-house teacher in ‘Teacher’s Picks’

• Parents unsure about books for their child can email teacherspicks@books2door.com for suggestions

As children head back to school ensuring they have their essential items is every parent's top priority, the more bargains that can be found, the better, obviously!

Online children’s retailer, Books2Door, have been busy finding different ways to make back to school books even more affordable including an extra 10% off in their sale.

Parents can also email their teacher (Jasleen) directly at teacherspicks@books2door.com with questions about which books are suitable for their child.

(Image courtesy of Steve Buissinne from Pixabay)

Aardvark Books the bookshop and café near the Welsh border

Aardvark Books is a unique bookshop and café which is situated in the Shropshire village of Brampton Bryan, which is near Bucknell. 

It's home is The Bookery, Manor Farm, the postcode is SY7 0DH. It's midway between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113 road. There is a Transport for Wales train service to Knighton which is approximately six miles away. You can book rail travel here https://tickets.trc.cymru

Opening hours are usually Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, though some bank holiday Mondays they might be open, call them on 01547 530744 for details or to confirm.

There's free parking for coach parties, plus up to 50 cars, there's wheelchair accessibility and cyclists, walkers and dogs are welcome.

Bus services might be available check here for details  https://www.minsterleymotors.co.uk

Aardvark Books has in excess of 50,000 books in stock, from the latest releases to second-hand and rare titles.

Sections include cookery, history, non-fiction, books for children, art and much more besides. Books can also be bought on line, too.

Aardvark books is operated by Sheridan and Sarah Swinson who have been there for nearly two decades.

They also have the Aardvark Café at the very hub of the bookshop. With it's word-burning stove, a tempting range of hot drinks, soups, toasties and home-made cakes served on vintage bone china, it's an ideal place to rest a while after a day of book hunting. The ground floor is accessible for wheelchairs, there's wifi and it's dog-friendly. If you intend to turn up with a party of eight or more, please let them know in advance.

There's also a very special section of The Bookery called BookBurrow, which is an adventure for children of all ages.

They host a range of special events including car boot sales, art events and Christmas fairs.

https://www.aardvark-books.com

Totnes community bookshop launches crowdfunding bid to secure its future

The stark warning is: “Too many independent, community minded shops are disappearing from our high streets."

Castle Books in Totnes, Devon, has launched a £135,000 crowd-funding campaign to acquire its premises at 4 Castle Street and to thus help secure the future of its community bookshop and outreach programmes.

With the building up for sale, and the shop’s lease coming to an end, the future of the historic and much-loved shop is in jeopardy. Now Castle Books’ dedicated team of volunteers are calling on book lovers from Totnes and around the world to support its campaign by visiting its crowd funding page, making a donation, and helping to spread the word on social media.

For over 50 years, readers, writers, and book collectors living in and visiting Totnes have made a beeline for the second-hand bookshop, located a few steps from the high street in the shadow of one of England’s best preserved Norman castles. 

The shop has changed hands just once in the past five decades, and since 2016 has been owned by a Community Interest Company (CIC). 

It is operated entirely through the good will of a its volunteers who also organise regular literary events for the wider community, including a monthly Book Group and Poetry Open Mic (without the mic!) There are no paid staff. All profits from book sales are channelled back into the local community to support local literary causes.

Among the beneficiaries are Totnes Library, which has received over £5,000 from the shop since 2021. The library staff have used this to help install a new ‘teen hub’, with the support of KEVICCs students, and to create a versatile and welcoming space for community groups and those seeking company and shelter during the energy and cost of living crisis. 

Eve Ashton, Centre Manager for Torbay Libraries commented: “We really can't thank Totnes Community Bookshop enough for their kindness and their generosity. The projects their funding has enabled have had such an impact on thousands of people, of all ages and backgrounds, who use the library.”

Another regular recipient is Grove School, Totnes, whose Headteacher Hilary Priest said: “The Totnes community bookshop at Castle Street has been a genuine and very real godsend to us over the years helping us to buy new books for our children. The donations they give have meant our children are really supported in their love of reading and their readiness for secondary school.”

The story of Castle Books began in 1969 when Belle Collard bought 4 Castle Street and opened Totnes’s first vegetarian and wholefood café. In 1972 Belle put a shelf of books in the upstairs dining area for her customers to enjoy. An advert described it as “The only restaurant in Devon where you can buy a first edition with your first course, and a print with your pudding.”

Gradually the books took over from the food and Belle began to put all her energies into buying and selling book stock. So much so, that in 1975 the restaurant gave way to ‘Collards Books’, filling all three floors of the building.

As Belle aged, she found climbing the stairs increasingly demanding and in 1991, aged 72, she took the decision to limit the shop to the ground floor where she continued working two or three days a week for another 20 years, with the help of some trusted volunteers.

When Belle sadly passed away on 15 September 2013, she bequeathed her entire stock of books to her volunteers who established a community interest company (CIC) to continue the shop’s operation. Her daughter Jennie, who inherited 4 Castle Street, generously granted the newly formed CIC a 10-year lease on the ground-floor shop before selling the building. And thus Castle Books was born.

Castle Books continues to be run by a 20-plus team of committed volunteers and is held in warm affection by both local customers and visitors to Totnes. The range, quality and affordability of the books are as notable as ever, with regular acquisitions backed by generous donations ensuring the stock is always fresh and always relevant.

“We recognise it's a big ask in these somewhat difficult times, but we want to do all we can to secure Belle’s legacy and keep Castle Books as a thriving literary and community hub for Totnes, hopefully for another 50 years!” said volunteer manager Francis Checkley. 

“Too many independent, community minded shops are disappearing from our high streets. Purchasing the fabric of the shop will allow us to secure our future for new, future generations of book lovers and ensure our community bookshop remains a vital part of Totnes’s heritage.”

Would you like to help secure a ‘happily ever after’ for Castle Books, its volunteers, and the community they serve? Then please visit the shop’s Crowdfunding page to donate and help spread the word via social media. 

“Customers from all corners of the world seek out (and stumble upon) Castle Books for our wonderful choice of books and friendly welcome. We’re sure many of them would be willing to contribute – if only they knew about our campaign,” said Francis.

https://www.castlebooks.org

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-castle-books-community-bookshop

1,000,000 Free e-books every single month

In the beginning the internet was free: information was available for all at the click of the mouse.

Over the past ten years quality information has become increasingly expensive with surfers being asked to 'join up', 'subscribe' or pay a one-off fee to find what used to be free.

Now, to reverse that trend need2know books have launched the big book giveaway with one million e-books covering more than 100 titles free every month.

Ian Walton, need2know publisher says "we launched the initiative for two main reasons: the altruistic one; to make the information free to those who cannot afford to buy the printed book and the commercial one, to build 'brand awareness' in the people that can".

In the first two days over 1000 books were downloaded, the most popular titles so far are: Bullying - a parents guide; Asthma - the essential guide and Applying to university.

Ian also added, "Whilst most publishers are working on web sites to SELL e-books we have spent a lot of time and money building a site to give the books away.

With the diversity of subjects in the need2know range covering health, education, social and leisure issues there is a book that can be helpful to everybody.

The plan is to make www.bigbookgiveaway.com a permanent part of need2knows future marketing strategy.

Rabbitwood

If you travel beyond the seven mountains, traverse through many enchanted valleys, make your way over or around a variety of lakes and rivers, you will, eventually, find yourself on the very edge of a large, ancient woodland.

Here, you will find Rabbitwood. Which is the home of the oldest rabbit family in the entire world.

It is the Hobblestones. Tobbit of Hobblestone is the eldest member of the clan. And Tobbit has a very special desire, he wishes to ride like the wind through the very forest itself, even as swiftly as the humans do on their mighty horses!

Whilst he is searching for a suitable steed, he meets and befriends a tiny fox. But foxes and rabbits can never be friends! Surely their natural instincts will take over? Or must that always be the way?

Read this beautiful book to discover for yourself!

An ideal Christmas present as it is perfect for reading to the little ones and has some splendid illustrations. It is published by Far, Far Away Books at £12.99. www.farfarawaybooks.com

Money-Saving Amazon Matrix Launched by DiscountVouchers.co.uk

Specialist voucher code website introduces new portal offering in-depth search of deals from online retailer

DiscountVouchers.co.uk, one of the UK’s top money saving website resources, has announced a new Amazon deals matrix to help the country’s shoppers save time on top of money when sourcing gifts from famous etailer, Amazon.co.uk.

Logging on to DiscountVouchers.co.uk this week sees consumers able to use the new Amazon pricing and deals matrix to save up to 75% at Amazon. This year will see the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk Amazon matrix grow thanks to the company’s experience and expertise. DiscountVouchers.co.uk has already seen its overall business grow by 60% this past year.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments: “We have all the experience and technologies in place to be able to make this kind of introduction – and we think that site users will really enjoy being able to source great value Amazon deals more quickly and easily than ever.”

Scott continued: “Sourcing gifts and presents without spending hours doing it is a great bonus for consumers – through this new Amazon matrix we can help people to enjoy saving oodles of money and time as well.”

The new tool can be accessed at http://www.discountvouchers.co.uk/amazon-hub-txt.

For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk

Nigerian Prize for Literature reaches shortlist phase

The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature today approved an initial shortlist of six out of the 126 books submitted for the 2011 edition of the prize.

The list parades well-known writers of children’s literature like Uche Peter Umez winner of the 2006 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and runner-up for the 2007 The Nigeria Prize for Literature with his book The Runaway Hero; Philip Begho, author of over 70 books and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2004 and 2010 with his Aunty Felicia Goes to School; Ayodele Olofintuade, with Eno’s Story; Chinyere Obi-Obasi, with The Great Fall, Mai Nasara with The Missing Clock. Thelma Nwokeji,’ a new writer, also made the list with her debut, Red Nest.

The list was presented after two months of intensive scrutiny by the chairman of the panel of judges for this year’s prize, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, a professor of English, University of Lagos and past co-winner of the prize. Other members of the panel are Prof. Lekan Oyegoke of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Yakubu Nasidi of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. David Ker, Vice Chancellor The Catholic University of Nigeria, Obehi, Abia State and Prof. Ini-Obong Uko, Department of English, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State all well-respected literary critics.

The Advisory Board was represented by its chairman Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo and Dr. Jerry Agada, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors.

This standard this year, even more than other years, is uncompromising. Even though Nigerian writers from all over the world submitted entries for the prize, the six authors on parade are all home-based.

Although the contending books for the prestigious prize sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited are overwhelmingly for the 7-12 age range, rather than the teen or 'crossover' books that sometimes pass for children's books, they did not shy away from tackling gritty or difficult subjects. They are also books that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

The children’s literature prize does not favour any genre- prose, poetry or drama; only good writing is rewarded. The prize sifts the huge array of children’s books which come out every four years, short listing only the mind-snaring originals.

Professor Akachi-Ezeigbo said the judges were particularly careful to avoid poorly edited books, books with low moral thresholds, junk reads, thrillers or books which can be read on auto-pilot. The emphasis is on good books that stay with you long past the point at which you put them down, she said.

Professor Banjo thanked the judges urging them to ensure that only entries that meet a very high standard of excellence were rewarded. He said a second shortlist of three books will be announced in September and a winner, if any, in October.