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Books

Book reviews, author interviews and literary news.

87,337 stories · Page 1 of 4159

Two children’s laureates to give royalties to Sally Rooney after her UK sales halted

Irish and Welsh authors Chris Haughton and Nicola Davies show solidarity after Rooney’s support for Palestine Action

Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent13h ago

Zadie Smith tells Dua Lipa inequality has made culture clashes feel ‘existential’

Novelist says demise of Britain’s ‘incredible’ welfare system and housing struggles have led to deeper divisions

Ella Creamer18h ago

‘Our third date was at Buckingham Palace’: Marlon James and Nicholas Boggs on life as a literary power couple

Shortlisted for the Booker and Baillie Gifford prizes respectively, the novelist and biographer talk about working and living together – and giving a voice to Black queer history

Emma Loffhagen1d ago

Delving into the subtext of Winnie-the-Pooh

Letters: Ian Arnott recommends the joyous spoofs in The Pooh Perplex, while Dr Peter Glanvill recalls Mary Plain

2d ago

More stories

Ryu Murakami, cult Japanese author, dies aged 74

The bestselling writer, known as Japan’s enfant terrible, explored the dark underbelly of Japanese society in more than 40 works of subversive fiction including Audition, later made into a landmark indie horror movie

Ella Creamer2d ago

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels

A sumptuous collection of fairytales; a dreamy Minotaur retelling; the explosive finale of the YA Torch Trilogy and more

Imogen Russell Williams2d ago

Jane Brown obituary

Garden historian whose books on figures such as Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens helped revive interest in the subject

Victoria Summerley2d ago

Under Fire by Humza Yousaf – a deeply affecting story of being stranded in Gaza

The former Scottish first minister writes of his in-laws’ plight and the tragedy of those who weren’t so lucky

Fiona Sturges2d ago

Inter Alia by Suzie Miller review – an urgent play about rape and justice is undermined by its novelisation

Bogged down by extra padding and a poorly crafted narrator, Miller’s book dilutes the potency of the original and diminishes its scope

Catriona Menzies-Pike3d ago

Black Bag by Luke Kennard audiobook review – brilliant Booker-shortlisted campus comedy

The author reveals his mastery of comic timing in his narration of this novel about a cash-strapped actor paid to live inside a black leather bag

Fiona Sturges3d ago

‘Jane Austen is for everyone’: novelist Diana Reid on adapting Sense and Sensibility – and surprising Brits with her accent

The Australian author of Love and Virtue says her nationality didn’t give her pause when she wrote the script, but Ang Lee’s ‘perfect’ 1995 film did

Katie Cunningham3d ago

Helen Fielding launches Bridget Jones prize for northern comedy writing

The Yorkshire-born author says that the 1,000 word competition is for people ‘just living their lives being quietly hilarious’

Emma Loffhagen3d ago

Female Life on Planet Earth by Laleh Khadivi review – a mother’s secret past in the Iranian revolution

A woman living in California discovers her mother may have been a merciless enforcer of the Islamic revolution, in an intriguing novel of inheritance and identity

Shahidha Bari3d ago

‘It feels quite frightening’: readers rush to snap up Sally Rooney books as stocks dwindle amid Palestine Action ban

Booksellers have reported selling out of the Irish novelist’s works after it was announced that her books would be withdrawn from sale in the UK

Emma Loffhagen4d ago

New prize launches for books co-written with AI

After months of controversy over the possible use of AI by winners of prestigious awards, the Prix Pascal de Littérature IA is rewarding fiction written with the help of LLMs

Ella Creamer4d ago

The Mystery of What Befell in the Ditch by Thure Erik Lund review – is this the greatest living Norwegian writer?

Translated into English at last, this portrait of a man appalled by modernity and desperate to get back to nature is brimming with Nordic weltschmerz

Sukhdev Sandhu4d ago

On Another Planet They Can Save Me by Lieke Marsman review – an astonishing memoir of terminal illness

Published four months after her death, the poet’s reflections on mortality are both agonising and profoundly life-affirming

Edward Posnett4d ago

‘It speaks very poorly of us as a society’: Lawrence Wright on his book on death row and redemption

The Pulitzer prize-winning writer’s new book looks at the women on death row in Texas and the nuns who have been trying to help them

Martin Pengelly5d ago

Alone With a Book by Tessa Hadley review – an acclaimed writer’s cultural prescription

This collection of essays from the beloved novelist is full of gem-like insights on art and books

Chloë Ashby5d ago

Gilgamesh by Simon Armitage review – an ancient epic is brilliantly translated for our times

The poet laureate’s visceral take on the legendary Mesopotamian hero’s wild adventures is a tour de force

Philip Terry5d ago

Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger review – does this sequel measure up to The Time Traveler’s Wife?

More than two decades on, the passion that ignited Niffenegger’s debut has all but evaporated from this confused follow-up

Beejay Silcox6d ago