books
-
Birds in literature – quizIn the week Helen Macdonald won the Samuel Johnson prize with her memoir, H is for Hawk, we take to the air with this quiz about our feathered friends in literature. But can you tell a hawk from a handsaw? Find out whether you're a turkey or a soaring success
-
The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet review – joyful satire of the fantasy genreIn his first book for adults, the children’s author demonstrates a Pratchettian vigour and invention . By Harry Ritchie -
Lena Dunham apologises after critics accuse her of sexually molesting sisterGirls creator says she is ‘dismayed’ by interpretation of childhood behaviour, described in her memoir, as abuse
-
I’m hooked on ebook highlighting – what we underline is so revealingEbook readers reveal the most highlighted passages in Harry Potter, the Bible, Lord of the Rings and many more, writes Alison Flood -
Doctor who treated Siegfried Sasson 'pioneered' anthropologyWilliam Rivers’s groundbreaking contribution to anthropology sidelined after his death in 1922, according to a new book
-
Typewriters and their owners: famous authors at work – in picturesAs Tom Hanks announces that he is to publish a collection of short stories inspired by his love of typewriters, we remember some of the other writers who have cherished them, across the ages
-
Christmas reads: what books are going to end up in your stocking this year?Do the biggest and brightest in bookselling know what you are buying this Christmas? We asked for predictions from Amazon, Foyles and Mr B’s, to name a few; see what they predicted and how sales are faring in the lead-up to the Christmas rush
-
-
Gunpowder, treason and plot: literary conspiracy theories for bonfire nightDid Charlotte Brontë kill her sisters? Was Hunter S Thompson murdered? And were Shakespeare’s plays actually written by Queen Elizabeth? It’s a fine night to burn your convictions, writes Ema O’Connor
-
Prison Reform Trust writing competition: voices from insideJudges including Michael Morpurgo saw a record number of entries from incarcerated men, women and children, in spite of diminishing creative opportunities in UK prisons, writes Erwin James
-
The Edge of the World: How the North Sea Made Us What We Are by Michael Pye – reviewThe traffic on a cold grey sea that created the modern world – from fashion to feminism, money to marriage customs. By Tom Holland
-
How I Stopped Being a Jew by Shlomo Sand and Unchosen: The Memoirs of a Philo-Semite by Julie Burchill – reviewWhat does it mean to be Jewish today? Two books offer very different perspectives. By Will Self
-
F by Daniel Kehlmann review – a comic novel about the death of GodThis is an exuberant look at love and life in an absurd and godless universe, writes Simon Ings
-
In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow – reviewHow were the lives of ordinary people changed by the French wars? This is anecdote-rich descriptive history at its best. By Vic Gatrell
-
Ukraine Crisis: What It Means for the West by Andrew Wilson – reviewThis is a vivid study of Russian expansionism and civil insurrection. Has the turmoil reached its peak? How much further will Putin go? By Luke Harding
-
Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts by Jonathan Powell – reviewTerrorist organisations have often been regarded as too awful to talk to – until we realised we had to talk to them. This ‘guide for negotiators’ shows that dialogue is essential, writes Oliver Miles
-
Forgotten John Steinbeck story published after 70 yearsWith Your Wings, about a black pilot returning from the second world war, was written for an Orson Welles radio broadcast in 1944 but then disappeared
-
Top five most scathing book reviewsFrom ‘half-baked nonsense’ to a ‘stink in the nostrils’, Alison Flood rounds up five of the most damning book reviews ever. But what’s your favourite hatchet job?
-
Scientists outshine arts students with experiments in creative writingWith no publication angst and a killer work ethic, science students easily match their peers in the humanities in the art of creative writing. It even makes them better scientists, says novelist and teacher Aifric Campbell
-
Christine Kenneally: I was thrilled to find out I'm a convict princessAuthor who blends DNA research with personal stories to examine how people inherit their family’s experiences says understanding how history has shaped you is empowering, writes Johanna Leggatt
-
Helen Macdonald: a bird’s eye view of love and lossHelen Macdonald’s obsession with falconry got her bullied at school. It has also just won her the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction. She talks to Stephen Moss about grief, Wordsworth – and training hawks with Bedouins in Abu Dhabi
-
‘Strike off a thumb, 20 shillings’: digitised Textus Roffensis is a window on early British lawA book of medieval law that predates the Magna Carta and is described as ‘Britain’s hidden treasure’ has been made available to view online, writes Alison Flood
-
Some Luck review – the first volume of Jane Smiley’s new trilogyA tale of dramatic childbirths, meandering romances, long lives and unexpected deaths from the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist. By Alex Clark
-
Former psychiatrist Lydie Salvayre wins Prix GoncourtAuthor saw off competition to secure France’s top literary prize for her novel Pas Pleurer, which is focused on Spanish civil war
new fiction and poetry
-
F by Daniel Kehlmann review – a comic novel about the death of GodThis is an exuberant look at love and life in an absurd and godless universe, writes Simon Ings
-
Some Luck review – the first volume of Jane Smiley’s new trilogyA tale of dramatic childbirths, meandering romances, long lives and unexpected deaths from the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist. By Alex Clark
-
Self-published book of the month: Yesterday by Sheila Norton – review
Self published book of the month Self-published book of the month: Yesterday by Sheila Norton – review
An air of self-congratulation undermines this story of a journalist investigating her teenage past, writes Alfred Hickling
-
-
The Laughing Monsters review – Denis Johnson’s spy tale heads into Graham Greene territoryThis west African thriller should help an American original emerge from the publishing shadows, writes Mark Lawson
-
Funny Girl review – Nick Hornby’s tribute to the golden age of light entertainmentIn setting his seventh novel around a fictional 1960s television sitcom, Nick Hornby gives himself great scope to defend the cosy comedy at which he excels, writes Alex Preston
-
Treachery review – SJ Parris’s Elizabethan sea-romp is rich with intrigueThe philosopher-spy sets sail for Plymouth in SJ Parris’s fourth twisting, turning Giordano Bruno thriller, writes Natasha Tripney
-
-
Hold Your Own review – powerful poetry from Kate TempestShe may have been pipped to the Mercury prize, but her latest collection is a winner. By Sarah Crown
-
365 Stories by James Robertson review – a tale for every day of the yearRecounted dreams, rants, ghost stories and memories, this collection invites you to read pieces for their dates. What’s your birthday story like? Today’s story? By Jane Housham
-
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice review – blood drinkers with iPhonesRice’s vampires take on the digital age but have they bitten off more than they can chew, asks Louise Welsh
-
Amnesia by Peter Carey review – turbo-charged, hyperenergeticA novel about internet hacking and 1970s Australian history – few writers mix farce with ferocity to such engaging effect, writes Andrew Motion
-
Horror Stories edited by Darryl Jones – reviewThis collection of classic ghost stories from ETA Hoffman to William Hope Hodgson is a perfectly gruesome anthology for Halloween, says Nicholas Daly
-
Lamentation review – CJ Sansom’s new Tudor mysteryAs grim as Horrible Histories and darker than Hilary Mantel’s novels – the sixth in the Shardlake series. By Alfred Hickling
-
Bedouin of the London Evening review – Rosemary Tonks’s lost poemsInfluenced by Baudelaire and Rimbaud, the late poet made her name in the 60s then disappeared from the world of literature – thankfully, her poems are back, writes Kate Kellaway
-
The New World review – Andrew Motion’s Treasure Island sequel is masterfully drawnThe further exploits of Long John Silver’s daughter and Jim Hawkins’s son are more of a western than a buccaneering adventure, writes Ben East
-
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber review – the story of Jesus goes intergalactic
Science fiction The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber review – the story of Jesus goes intergalactic
A Christian pastor is sent to work with aliens in a neighbouring galaxy in Michel Faber’s powerful examination of humanity, writes Stephanie Merritt -
Tribute by Ellen Renner review – spellbinding YA fantasyIn a richly imagined world ruled by a magical elite, teenage heroine Zara searches for a hidden truth that will blow her privileged society apart, writes SF Said
new non-fiction
-
In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow – review
History In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815 by Jenny Uglow – review
How were the lives of ordinary people changed by the French wars? This is anecdote-rich descriptive history at its best. By Vic Gatrell -
-
How I Stopped Being a Jew by Shlomo Sand and Unchosen: The Memoirs of a Philo-Semite by Julie Burchill – review
Religion How I Stopped Being a Jew by Shlomo Sand and Unchosen: The Memoirs of a Philo-Semite by Julie Burchill – review
What does it mean to be Jewish today? Two books offer very different perspectives. By Will Self -
The Edge of the World: How the North Sea Made Us What We Are by Michael Pye – reviewThe traffic on a cold grey sea that created the modern world – from fashion to feminism, money to marriage customs. By Tom Holland
-
Ukraine Crisis: What It Means for the West by Andrew Wilson – reviewThis is a vivid study of Russian expansionism and civil insurrection. Has the turmoil reached its peak? How much further will Putin go? By Luke Harding
-
Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts by Jonathan Powell – reviewTerrorist organisations have often been regarded as too awful to talk to – until we realised we had to talk to them. This ‘guide for negotiators’ shows that dialogue is essential, writes Oliver Miles
-
The Churchill Factor review – Boris Johnson’s flawed but fascinating take on his heroThe mayor of London’s paean to Churchill is self-serving but spirited, writes John Kampfner
-
-
Being Mortal review – a surgeon’s view of how we should end our daysDoctor and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande argues that we should focus less on prolonging life and more on making it meaningful, writes Geraldine Bedell
-
Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923 review – a rich evocationAs the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising nears, this richly detailed account of its lesser-known players, many of them women, is timely, says Sean O’Hagan
-
In Your Prime: Older, Wiser, Happier by India Knight review – sharp, slanted and bracingly unbothered
Autobiography and memoir In Your Prime: Older, Wiser, Happier by India Knight review – sharp, slanted and bracingly unbothered
All about me – yes, but these tips on ageing are also full of wit and style, writes Kathryn Hughes -
Greater London: The Story of the Suburbs by Nick Barratt – reviewBarratt brilliantly tells the stories of the capital’s historical communities in this appropriately massive history, writes PD Smith
-
Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I – reviewThis high-octane story of Roundheads and revenge, heroes and villains, is rather cavalier with its sources, writes John Gallagher
-
The Yellow Peril: Dr Fu Manchu & the Rise of Chinaphobia by Christopher Frayling – reviewThis history of racism shows how scaremongering cliches about the Chinese have prevailed from Dickens to today, writes Julia Lovell
-
Joan of Arc by Helen Castor review – a triumph of historyThere have been many lives of the saint, but none quite like this masterly narrative, writes Janet Nelson
-
Lamentation review – CJ Sansom’s new Tudor mysteryAs grim as Horrible Histories and darker than Hilary Mantel’s novels – the sixth in the Shardlake series. By Alfred Hickling
-
Scientists outshine arts students with experiments in creative writingWith no publication angst and a killer work ethic, science students easily match their peers in the humanities in the art of creative writing. It even makes them better scientists, says novelist and teacher Aifric Campbell
-
Gunpowder, treason and plot: literary conspiracy theories for bonfire nightDid Charlotte Brontë kill her sisters? Was Hunter S Thompson murdered? And were Shakespeare’s plays actually written by Queen Elizabeth? It’s a fine night to burn your convictions, writes Ema O’Connor
-
-
Tom Hanks beware: typewriters spawned rubbish as well as great novelsYes, they sound workmanlike, and their keys are more satisfying to pound than a computer. But merely using a typewriter cannot magic anyone – even a Hollywood great – into an author, writes Nicholas Lezard
-
November’s Reading group: Nineteen Eighty-four by George OrwellSam Jordison: Orwell’s modern classic about totalitarianism is a perfect choice to mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – and to kick off the discussion we’ve got 10 copies to give away
-
Bookies name Helen Macdonald favourite to win Samuel Johnson prizeMacdonald’s H Is for Hawk could become the first memoir after 15 years to win the prestigious prize, writes John Dugdale
-
Baddies in books: Medea, the magnificent monsterEuripides’ Medea is a woman of fabulous vengefulness, who murders her own children to wrest power from a faithless husband, writes Charlotte Higgins
-
-
Baddies in books: Captain Ahab, the obsessive, revenge-driven nihilistHerman Melville’s baleful creation is the most dangerous of villains, foreshadowing the dictators of the 20th century, says Chris Power
-
Bring up the bodies: digging up the dead in literatureYou don’t need zombies or ghosts to chill the blood. Moira Redmond digs up some of literature’s most gruesome graveyard scenes
-
True histories: the renaissance of Arab Jews in Arabic novelsMarcia Lynx Qualey: From Ali Bader to Mohammad al-Ahmed, Middle Eastern writers have brought Arab Jews back into Arabic literature
-
Baddies in books: Humbert Humbert, the most seductive villain in fictionThe scariest beast in Nabokov’s Lolita isn’t the perverted Jimmy Savile figure Quilty, writes Claire Armitstead, but the evasive, smug Humbert
-
Award for the Australian books that fly under the radarA Melbourne book chain has established an award for new writers. Martin Shaw explains why the award exists and the novels awarded this year
-
Cultural shame: what’s your worst bad literature day?France’s culture minister has drawn fire for not knowing the latest Nobel prizewinner’s novels. But surely everybody has shameful reading memories, suggests Alison Flood
-
Quiz: can you identify these classic horror books by their covers?
It's a spooky time of year, so get into the Halloween spirit with our latest book cover quiz. How many of these horror classics can you guess from their jacket designs?
-
Tips, links and suggestions: what are you reading this week?Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of them
-
Filthy first pages: do they make you want to read on?Christos Tsiolkas has opened his new short story collection with a bang. But, Johanna Leggatt asks, is an explicit first page likely to turn off readers?
-
George RR Martin: 'Drogon could never beat Smaug in a fight'Alan Yuhas: The Games of Thrones author gave an exuberant talk in New York about The World of Ice and Fire – including whether his dragon would beat Tolkien’s Smaug in a fight
interviews
-
Christine Kenneally: I was thrilled to find out I'm a convict princessAuthor who blends DNA research with personal stories to examine how people inherit their family’s experiences says understanding how history has shaped you is empowering, writes Johanna Leggatt
-
Helen Macdonald: a bird’s eye view of love and lossHelen Macdonald’s obsession with falconry got her bullied at school. It has also just won her the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction. She talks to Stephen Moss about grief, Wordsworth – and training hawks with Bedouins in Abu Dhabi
-
-
Mallory Ortberg: 'If men show up that's great, but we don't need them'In a new series interviewing women who write on the web and shape its discussions, we speak to Mallory Ortberg, founder of the Toast, a general interest site for women of a literary bent
-
Novelist Richard Ford on Ireland, lost friends and his accidental careerEvery summer the quintessential American novelist heads to Connemara to shoot woodcock. Robert McCrum joins him on the Irish coast
-
Rose Tremain: ‘The fear, when I was teaching, was that I would wind up not being able to write anything’The novelist tells Kate Kellaway why she was happy to abandon teaching in favour of writing and talks about her new collection of short stories
-
-
David Mitchell interview: ‘I do find myself on the same side as some terrible people’After six years of writing a weekly Observer column, David Mitchell answers Tim Lewis’s questions about finding ideas, talking shop with his wife and saying farewell to Peep Show
-
Chuck Palahniuk: ‘I’m fascinated by low fiction that disgusts the reader or makes them sexually aroused'The author, 52, on blue-collar jobs, pornography and his father’s murder. By Ed Cumming
-
Nick Hornby: ‘The journeys of young women are more moving’All the work feels worth it when you’ve got a hardback in your hand or you’re going to see a movie that you’re proud of
-
Guy Gavriel Kay: ‘I learned a lot about false starts from JRR Tolkien’Thirty years ago, the first in Kay’s bestselling Fionovar Tapestry fantasy trilogy was published – but before that, a stint helping Christopher Tolkien assemble The Silmarillion showed him the ‘drudgery and mistakes’ that lie behind every great work. He talks to Alison Flood
-
Jane Smiley: ‘All you need is for one reader to love your book’The novelist talks to Robert McCrum about literary heavyweights, why she doesn’t like to complain, and how her current and former husbands helped her write her new book
-
Azar Nafisi: ‘Books are representative of the most democratic way of living’The US-based Iranian writer Azar Nafisi talks to Viv Groskop about freedom, imagination and inequality – in Islam and the west
-
Jared Diamond: ‘Humans, 150,000 years ago, wouldn’t figure on a list of the five most interesting species on Earth’The bestselling biogeographer talks to Oliver Burkeman about dealing with the critics who condemn him as a cultural imperialist
-
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein: ‘Science is our best answer, but it takes a philosophical argument to prove that’Scientists and philosophers have long disagreed over life’s big questions. Now a novelist with a foot in each camp wants to get Plato involved, writes Andrew Anthony
-
Peter Carey: 'Privacy should be a human right, but we've been tricked out of it – it's easy to give information away. It is sort of evil'The Australian author talks to Luke Harding about surveillance and Julian Assange
-
Paulo Scott: ‘literature is not an easy truth’Brazil’s indigenous people are rarely portrayed in literature. But they are at the heart of former lawyer and activist Paulo Scott’s innovative novel, Nowhere People. He spoke to Richard Lea
-
Richard Flanagan: ‘I lit the barbie with old drafts’Charlotte Higgins: The Man Booker prize winner on how he wrote The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the inspiration for the love story in it – and the human need for hope
-
Atul Gawande: 'If I haven't succeeded in making you itchy, disgusted or cry I haven't done my job'The books interview: The surgeon-author talks to Sukhdev Sandhu about the limits of medicine, our view of death, and battles over taste with the editor of the New Yorker
-
Kate Tempest: 'Rapping changed my life'
The books interview: She is a Next Generation poet, has been Mercury-nominated for her music and called the laureate of south-east London for her plays. Kate Tempest talks to Nicholas Wroe about going down a storm
-
Anne Sinclair: ‘It was a sort of violence… but I’ve rebuilt my life’Anne Sinclair is best known in the UK as the ex-wife of disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Here she talks to Elizabeth Day about her own extraordinary life story – starting from her refusal to let Picasso paint her portrait
-
Carol Ann Duffy on five years as poet laureate: 'It has been a joy'Carol Ann Duffy talks to Nicholas Wroe about turning the spotlight on poetry, writing verse for the Queen and why she won't be appearing on I'm a Celebrity
lists and favourites
-
Calculus Cat by Hunt Emerson review – a new collection for our timesNicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: This comic strip about a suffering feline is an imaginative tour de force
-
Poem of the week: Three Harps by Vernon WatkinsThis lyrical work by the Welsh poet is a fine elegy on the death of his close friend Dylan Thomas, writes Carol Rumens
-
-
Nick Hornby: ‘The journeys of young women are more moving’All the work feels worth it when you’ve got a hardback in your hand or you’re going to see a movie that you’re proud of
-
My hero: Robert Wyatt by Jonathan CoeOblique and eccentric, Wyatt’s songs provide the voice of sanity during insane times, writes Jonathan Coe
-
Michael Hofmann Q&A – as it happenedMichael Hofmann is an essayist, poet and translator of over 70 books. Answering your questions on countless topics: poetry, writing, the politics of translating, Kafka... read what he had to share
-
The top 10 vampire booksFrom the eternally enthralling tale of Dracula, to femmes fatales spooking in the name of feminine sexuality, horror author Lauren Owen selects her favourite vampiric tales
-
-
Jared Diamond: ‘Humans, 150,000 years ago, wouldn’t figure on a list of the five most interesting species on Earth’The bestselling biogeographer talks to Oliver Burkeman about dealing with the critics who condemn him as a cultural imperialist
-
My hero: Walter Potter by Kate MosseWhether guinea pigs playing a cricket match or kittens dressed in black tie at a wedding, Walter Potter had a wonderful way of telling stories with his taxidermy, writes Kate Mosse
-
Reading group: choose a book to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall in NovemberSam Jordison: It’s a quarter of a century since the Berlin Wall came down – so how best to explore that divided world in fiction?
-
Transrealism: the first major literary movement of the 21st century?It’s not science fiction, it’s not realism, but hovers in the unsettling zone in between. From Philip K Dick to Stephen King, Damien Walter takes a tour through transrealism, the emerging genre aiming to kill off ‘consensus reality’
-
The top 10 civil war novelsFrom Roman legions to medieval mayhem, Cavaliers and Roundheads to the crushing of ideals in the 20th century, there is fertile ground for drama in civil war, writes Robert Wilton
-
Reading group: searching for meaning in KafkaWriting so slippery is hard to define - but it also demonstrates a chilling truth about us, the readers, writes Sam Jordison
-
A Modern Don Juan: Cantos for These Times by Divers Hands review – a fun Byron updateNicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: Rhyming ‘Minerva’s Owl’ with ‘Simon Cowell’, 15 poets have fun hauling Byron’s hero into the modern age
-
Poem of the week: Lament for Stinie Morrison by Kit WrightThe British poet tells the tale of a Russian-Jewish immigrant sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an unpopular landlord in 1911, writes Carol Rumens
-
My hero: Mary Shelley by Neil GaimanGothic fiction had been all the rage for some time, but Shelley's Frankenstein still changed everything. By Neil Gaiman
-
Peter Carey: 'Privacy should be a human right, but we've been tricked out of it – it's easy to give information away. It is sort of evil'The Australian author talks to Luke Harding about surveillance and Julian Assange
-
Sally Gardner: Dyslexia and meIn Dyslexia Awareness Week, Sally Gardner explains how her dyslexia didn’t (in the end) get in the way of becoming an award-winning children’s writer – and it shouldn’t stop you fulfilling your dreams either
-
Top 10 monkey books for childrenAlison Brown takes a swing through the trees to share 10 of her favourite books about monkeys and primates of all kinds
-
50 Paddington Bear sculptures unveiled in London – galleryStephen Fry, Julie Walters, Emma Watson, David Beckham and Liam Gallagher are some of the celebrities who have designed 50 Paddington statues which are popping up all over London from tomorrow until the end of the year. Here’s a sneak preview of some of the cutest – which do you like best?
-
Russell Brand: why I wrote the Pied Piper of HamelinThe comedian Russell Brand aims to make children think and ask questions when they read his first book for children – and hopefully grow up wanting a revolution
-
Oliver Jeffers: How I made How to Catch a Star – in picturesIt’s the tenth anniversary of How to Catch a Star, the story of a boy who loves stars so much he decides to catch one of his own. Here author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers gives us a fascinating insight into how he made it
-
Benjamin Zephaniah: people all over the world are living in fear and to me all those people are being terrorisedIn the second part of an interview by group members DG Readers, the Terror Kid author talks about terrorism, governments, why it’s really important to be an activist and how the revolution starts with chocolate cake
-
Halloween habits: the rise of horror in children's booksPeople need to be scared sometimes – it’s a dark craving right at core level – and a book is only as scary as your imagination… Jennifer Ridyard, author of Conquest, explains why scary books are so much better than scary films and suggests where to start. Read it if you dare!
-
The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson - review
ShazzSharingan: 'The story includes so many twists and turns, not to mention random amusing events that will have you laughing for hours'
-
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - review
laura,thespecialone: 'Ever since he was little, David wanted to be a girl. He wants to start the transition before his body becomes even more manly, but is too afraid to tell his parents'
-
The Giver by Lois Lowry - review
lifeissweetinbooks: 'One of the most interesting things about this book is that although it was written in 1993, it has the elements which you would find in a modern YA dystopian book today'
-
The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare - review
imaginaryunicorn: 'The Iron Trial has a few totally unpredictable plot twists that are, in my opinion, it's greatest redeeming factor'
-
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff - review
ellathebookworm: 'The plot of Fiendish was irresistibly unique and balanced with the perfect amount of adventure, magic, friendship and romance'
-
Family book reviews – in picturesOur family reviewers settle down for winter with wild tigers, dreaming bears, lost bumblebees and books about the changing seasons
-
Yolo by Lauren Myracle - review
TMandy: 'Although the story is told through text messages it hooks you in from the very beginning'
-
What are you reading with your child this month? NovemberReview the picture book you’re currently reading with your child – and show us a photo – and we’ll choose the best for a gallery on the Guardian children’s books site
-
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - review
TheBookThief: 'It takes guts, to write this kind of book. In this accepting, liberal day and age, it still takes some gumption to write a book about trans teenagers'
-
Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman - review
LucyLOVESbooks<3: 'This book, to me, single-handedly proves that she deserves to be the Children's Laureate'
-
The Worst Thing about my Sister by Jacqueline Wilson – review
Mya C: 'It was very funny, and sad in some places'
-
The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Fitzgerald - review
jboo1698: 'Aside from the fact that I think that the apple tarts were pointless, they were quirky, and it added a lighter side to an otherwise miserable plot'
-
Noggin by John Corey Whaley - review
Carly and Becky, Bathtub Readers: 'John Corey Whaley turned a creative and unusual idea into a gripping page turner'
-
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – review
XoXo, BOOKWORM_98: 'From the very first word, Lockhart will have you ensnared you in her trap of words that are mystical, painful and beautiful'
-
Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis – review
XoXo, BOOK WORM_98: 'NOTHING like I expected to be, but EVERYTHING you would look for in a paranormal/ fantasy book'
-
Michael Bond: the 10 things I never knew about PaddingtonMichael Bond reveals the 10 things even he didn’t know about Paddington Bear!
video and audio
-
-
Horror fiction from Charles Dickens to Charlie Higson – books podcast
We unearth the origins of the uncanny with Darryl Jones and explore the links between terror and comedy with Charlie Higson and Robin Ince
-
-
Going, going, gone: So Full of Shapes by John Burnside
The second in a series of sound stories designed to lull you into sleep
-
Robert Macfarlane on The Old Ways – books podcast
Travel writer Robert Macfarlane came to the Guardian book club to discuss his exploration of the ancient tracks that crisscross the globe
-
Going, going, gone: Lullaby by Will Self - podcast
The first in a sponsored series of five sound stories designed to lull you into sleep
-
-
Space talk: Ann Leckie and Caleb Scharf – books podcast
We turn our gaze to the stars, with multiple award-winning science fiction writer Ann Leckie and astrobiologist Caleb Scharf
-
Richard Flanagan wins Man Booker prize 2014 – video
Australian writer Richard Flanagan accepts his Man Booker literature prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North
-
Peter Carey: Man Booker prize will lose its 'particular cultural flavour' - video
Celebrated Australian novelist explains why he is against the criticises decision to expand the Man Booker prize to include US writers
-
Literary dystopias with Emily St John Mandel and Clemens J Setz – podcast
We look to a troubling future with novels from Emily St John Mandel and Clemens J Setz
-
Poetry: an artform in flux – books podcast
We go in search of poetry's rising stars with Kei Miller, Kate Tempest and a brand-new generation of contemporary poets
-
David Mitchell on The Bone Clocks – books podcast
The novelist David Mitchell unwinds his latest novel, The Bone Clocks
-
Colm Tóibín on how the loss of his father informed his most personal novel, Nora Webster – video
Video: Colm Tóibín speaks in his Dublin flat and reflects on how his mother coped with the loss of his father, the phases of grief and the challenges of transforming family trauma into fiction
-
The Bush author Don Watson on the jolly swagman – exclusive video
Reading from his new book The Bush: Travels in the Heart of Australia, Don Watson profiles the jolly swagman of fact, fiction and song
-
Political literature with Andrew Marr and Roger Scruton – books podcast
Andrew Marr turns from fact to fiction, while Roger Scruton examines the roots of conservatism
-
Man Booker prize 2014: players and predictions – podcast
We assess the 2014 Booker shortlist and hear readings from Howard Jacobson, Ali Smith and Neel Mukherjee
-
Ian McEwan on religion in the 21st-century – video
The novelist reflects on the rise of religion in the modern world
-
Ian McEwan on The Children Act - books podcast
The novelist talks to Jonathan Freedland and a Guardian audience about the moral dilemmas at the heart of his latest novel, The Children Act
-
Ian McEwan on Ashya King: 'I'm glad I kept my mouth shut' – video
The novelist talks about the chaotic series of events that left five-year-old Ashya King alone in a Spanish hospital
-
Will Self interviews … Will Self - video
The novelist asks himself whether he is wilfully obscure, what it's like living with the same character for 25 years – and how come he's only just noticed how tall he is
-
Ali Smith on How to Be Both: nonsense, science and frescoes - books podcast
The Guardian Books Podcast Ali Smith on How to Be Both: nonsense, science and frescoes - books podcast
The novelist discusses her new, Booker-longlisted novel with critic Gillian Beer
Anzac and Gallipoli are the novelist's terrain as much as the historian's