books
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The Man Booker prize winner is happy to discuss his identity as a gay Jamaican, but doesn’t see why it should limit the scope of his writing
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The novelist and poet on snobbery towards genre fiction, bringing Hercule Poirot back from the dead and how Mother Goose got her hooked on rhyme
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What was Lolita’s surname? Which wine did Hannibal Lecter really enjoy with his liver and fava beans? Test your literary knowledge with these brainteasers set by writers like Ian Rankin, Sarah Waters and William Boyd
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As a version of Fungus the Bogeyman is about to hit our TV screens, the author explains why he hates the festive period
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A Christmas poem The Wren-Boys
Carol Ann DuffyA new Christmas poem by Carol Ann Duffy -
Which books did well, which were left on the shelves, and which made them green with envy?
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books of the year
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Fiction, food, biographies, sport... the best books of the year as selected by critics and authors for the Guardian and the Observer
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After authors and reviewers chose their favourite books of the year, it’s time to let Guardian readers speak – here are your most-beloved books of 2015
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A story of strange enchantment and adventure told with winningly irreverent humour, this is perfect bedtime storytelling
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The author of the controversial New Zealand teen book Into the River (which was banned then unbanned this year) on why it’s wrong to try and keep books with sexual content away from teenagers if they want to read them
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regulars
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Top 10sTop 10sTop 10 books about justice and redemptionFrom Marilynne Robinson’s pensive Christian drama to Seamus Heaney’s blood-soaked Beowulf, here are the best books about restoring the cosmic balance
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Reading groupReading groupAndrea Levy's The Long Song gives the silent majority a compelling voiceThe funny and fierce narrator at the heart of Levy’s novel about slavery in 19th-century Jamaica – December’s reading group choice – flies in the face of narrative convention and gives the silent, black majority a chance to speak out
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PodcastPodcast2015 in books – books podcastHarper Lee stuns the world, Marlon James puts Jamaica on the Booker map and Michel Houellebecq imagines a Muslim France – our critics wrap up the year
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Book of the dayBook of the dayRules for Werewolves by Kirk Lynn review – a formidable debut with biteA pack of feral teenagers raise hell as they pursue their wildest visions of utopia
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Kpow! Blam! Take That! … a graphic autobiography by the man behind Marvel is all spandex and certainty
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The first world war was part of a much longer period of conflict in the east – and its consequences are still with us
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From helicopters to a human cell, a fascinating illustrated guide to the science and technology of everyday life
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From Isis to Uber, Charlie Hebdo to Jeremy Corbyn: an engaging guide to a challenging year
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In the late 1930s a group of young idealists documented working-class life in Bolton. Their work laid the foundations for the welfare state
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Book of the day Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting & The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees by Robert Penn
A simple, elegant book about how to fell trees is this year’s most surprising bestseller. In the age of mediated reality, wood is back in fashion
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A pack of feral teenagers raise hell as they pursue their wildest visions of utopia
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Book of the day Death By Water by Kenzaburo Oe – Japan’s Nobel laureate muses on memory
Steven PooleOe’s literary alter ego guides the reader through a dense forest of stories and competing recollections -
With its gothic motifs, this dark portrait of a ‘fairytale’ marriage is full of mystery and suspense
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Brilliantly mixing sci-fi with politics, this gripping comic strip is an institution in Latin America
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Karine Tuil’s promising tale of identity theft is let down by racial and sexual stereotyping
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It’s the fine detail that enthrals in this tale of small lapses that lead to escalating calamity
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Based on the true story of an ill-fated ocean voyage, Naomi Williams’s debut novel gets lost along the way
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The award-winning young adult novelist on how he helped to raise $1m for the Syrian refugee crisis with one tweet
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Britain’s queen of lust-filled ballrooms and sudden engagements, Jane Austen was born on this day in 1775. But how well do you know her novels? Take our quiz to find out if you know your Wickham from your Willoughby
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Award-winning author able to conjure up new worlds in his adventure-packed children’s novels
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The bestselling novelist has given an interview in which he gives spectacularly short shrift to his nearest and less than dearest
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Check out this brand new, original story by Cliff McNish and gorgeously illustrated by Trish Phillips and Michael McNish.
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One of the greatest pleasures in life is to read Christmas books together, ideally by a roaring fire. All of author Jane Ray’s books seem to have a festive feel to them somehow, and she takes us on a tour of why
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From Keats to Harry Potter to Christina Rossetti to Wind in the Willows, we have mouthwatering quotes from the greatest literary feasts to whet your appetite for Christmas indulgences
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Sometimes your favourite books paint pictures so vividly in your head that you’ve got to actually get them down on paper. Here’s some of the most gorgeous fan art we’ve seen by Guardian children’s books site members and beyond
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The Lockwood & Co author explains why he’s wild about fan art produced by his fans, and why he makes it himself
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The Last Star, the final book in Rick Yancey’s award-winning The 5th Wave trilogy, isn’t published until May 2016, but we’ve got an exclusive sneak peak at the opening chapter… Take a look here
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Pierre the Maze Detective has a new case! In Hiro Kamigaki’s beautifully illustrated book of intricate, magical mazes, Pierre must take a trip through a fantastic world of underground cities, hot air balloon rides, tree top towns and haunted houses to recover the stolen maze stone. Follow some of Pierre’s epic journey through the mazes
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
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The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféFood in books: the marshmallows from Tomorrow, When the War BeganMarshmallows symbolise carefree childhood holidays in Australian campsites for Kate Young. As she remembers their prominence in a favourite young adult series, she shares a recipe apt equally for summer barbecues and winter nights
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Translation Tuesdays by AsymptoteTranslation Tuesdays by AsymptoteTranslation Tuesday: Venus by Chen XueA transgender woman and man consider their bodies one quiet, warm night, in this short story exploring physicality and beauty
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pictures, video & audio
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Harper Lee stuns the world, Marlon James puts Jamaica on the Booker map and Michel Houellebecq imagines a Muslim France – our critics wrap up the year
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Pottermore have revealed exciting brand new covers for the ebook versions of Harry Potter, now available – what do you think of them, and how do they compare to Jonny Duddle’s new jacket designs?
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Kanye West and Susan Sontag, Darth Vader and Hilary Mantel: after years of running a popular Tumblr mixing literature and pop culture, Maris Kreizman’s new book presents a carefully and provocatively selected mash of pop cultrature. Here are some extracts, with her commentary
you may have missed
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The absence of any black, Asian or minority ethnic writers on next year’s World Book Night list provoked a Twitterstorm
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Short story My Christmas in New York
Harper LeeOne midwinter in 1950s New York, Harper Lee went to stay with friends. Little did she know she was about to be given the gift of a lifetime… -
A new survey of bestsellers and critics’ picks has concluded that the average book is now 25% bigger than 15 years ago. But not everyone reads things this way
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Middlemarch is No 1, according to a sometimes surprising top 100 ranking by books writers from around the world – excluding the UK. Could this be the definitive verdict?
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Digested read Those Were the Days by Terry Wogan