I spent last week in New York, meeting with Random House/Broadway Books to discuss Chocolate & Zucchini (now on our web site - can't wait to really start work on this book) and seeing Bob Silvers and Katherine Tice at the wonderful New York Review of Books. I also went to a lot of museums and did a great deal of walking in Manhattan - including two accidental wanderings into the Rambles in Central Park - we emerged unscathed.

We also went into a lot of bookshops - and I was left with a few overwhelming impressions. There are now far more paperbacks in the USA than a few years ago - in this way they are catching up with the UK. But, the covers seem to be printed on really thin paper, and in one shop it felt like being greeting by the Armada in full sail - every cover was warped and looked like it was moving fast in a breeze. Did all the American publishers decide to downgrade their cover spec. at the same time? Copies of our Hubert Selby Jr and Elif Shafak books seemed fine - the covers are on 240 gsm board which is standard acrossthis list.

The thing I liked was the Barnes & Noble table of Loved Books which we Recommend (or something very similar). I bought some I had not read, and felt very happy. But then someone told me this space is paid for. What a shame....