Books
Elena Ferrante: The mysterious Italian writer talks about her acclaimed novels
Jennifer Levasseur 12:15am In an exclusive Australian interview, Elena Ferrante discusses her acclaimed Neapolitan novels and why she felt the need to publish under a pseudonym.
Letters to Nauru: child penpals bond in Befriend A Child In Detention project
Dewi Cooke 12:15am Letters written by Preston schoolchildren to children in detention on Nauru have mysteriously disappeared.
What we read and watched from Libraries ACT in 2015
MEGAN DOHERTY 11:30pm We wanted to be thrilled, we wanted to declutter, we wanted to read about the "real" Julia.
Quantum Physics for Babies: Mark Zuckerberg reads his daughter a book by Sydney author Dr Chris Ferrie
KIM ARLINGTON Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook post featuring "Quantum Physics for Babies" delighted the book's Sydney author.
Bookmarks: News and views from the book world
JASON STEGER The night some of the book world turned off Malcolm Turnbull.
Battle Ground review: Insights into Abbott's character that led to his downfall
Dennis Altman Do we need a quickie analysing Tony Abbott's failures? Yes, if only because they illuminate one of the striking failures of the past two decades, namely the inability of party rooms to choose their leaders wisely.
Best Australian Stories review: Some are a revelation, some really are the best
ELLY VARRENTI Editing a collection of short stories, like the writing of good ones, is knowing what to keep and what to kill, and this year's Black Inc. offering edited again by Amanda Lohrey, is stronger overall than last year's.
Children's books of the year: Something for everyone, plus a few more beauties
Frances Atkinson If you're looking for books for younger readers stop right now. Here are some of the outstanding ones that appeared in 2015.
Freeman's Arrivals review: An anthology that stresses originality of content
Helen Elliott John Freeman's biennial magazine, or anthology, is themed and most suitably for a first issue it begins with A - for Arrival. It will not be the arrival you expect.
Turning Pages: The curse of the big advance for literary novels
Jane Sullivan The day of the $2 million deal for a literary novel is upon us.
Short reviews of fiction from Australia and overseas
Kerryn Goldsworthy Alexander McCall Smith has yet another book out, beautiful short stories sparking off old photographs.
Short reviews of non-fiction from Australia and overseas
Steven Carroll In Laura Tingle's latest Quarterly Essay, she argues that politicians have forgotten how to govern, Steven Carroll writes.
The Spectacle of Skill review: The genius of Robert Hughes as critic and writer
Peter Craven This anthology of writing by Robert Hughes is for anyone who cares about the culture of Australia and the world. And it includes a chunk of his unpublished second memoir.
Merchants of Menace review: What really went on with the Nugan Hand Bank swindle
Wayne Grogan What really went on in the Nugan Hand Bank scandal? Peter Butt's new book provides some answers.
Boyhoodlum review: Anson Cameron recalls rascal's life in country in 1960s
TONY WRIGHT Anson Cameron is a sophisticated, acute observer of both contemporary Australia and its history. He has chosen in Boyhoodlum to leave his attitudes as a child so unvarnished they leave an indelible, sometimes quite shocking imprint.
Paul Vallely: Clarification
A clarification about an error in the review of Paul Vallely's Pope Francis: Untying the Knots.
Express Media names fellowship after Melbourne writer Kat Muscat
ALANA SCHETZER The late writer Kat Muscat has been honoured with a fellowship in her name.
PM Prize Winners
Joan London wins the PM's Literary Award for Fiction
LINDA MORRIS A novel set in a polio ward in Perth has won this year's Prime Minister's Literary Fiction Prize.
Australia's bestselling books: The Wimpy Kid stays at the top
Jeff Kinney's mischievous Wimpy Kid keeps his perch on top of the bestseller list.
Malcolm Turnbull opens a new chapter on the PM's Literary Awards
JASON STEGER Malcolm Turnbull will hand out tax-free prizes worth $600,000 at tonight's PM's Literary Awards ceremony.
Action-packed
Australian crime author teams up with James Patterson
Leonie Thorne Candice Fox received over 200 rejection letters in the first decade of her crime writing career.
Honesty the best policy for Brisbane's 24-hour book shop
CAMERON ATFIELD Anybody who has spent time in the country would be familiar with the honesty system of buying fresh produce.
From Bob Brown to recipes from asylum seekers and grieving the loss of a cat
Thuy On The not-so-hidden agenda in Bob Brown's glorious panoramas is helping the wilds and wildlife of Australia.
Dictator by Robert Harris book review: Rome's fall retold in gory glory
Peter Craven If you're the kind of person who thrills at togas and legions and massacres, Dictator is going to be your chalice of poisoned wine.
Richie Benaud: the face of reassuring continuity as he fostered the new
Daniel Herborn Two new collections flesh out Benaud's varied career.
Books that changed me: Nicole Trilivas
Nicole Trilivas Elizabeth Gilbert taught me to get over myself and just write how I speak.
Tony Park heads to Namibia in An Empty Coast
KAREN HARDY After more than 20 years in Africa Tony Park is still surprised by the country he has adopted as his home.
Book review: Cara Carissima, by Geoff Page; Lakeland, by Maureen O'Shaughnessy
Reviewer: Peter Pierce By happy coincidence, two daring and experimental new narratives have recently been published.
A year of reading wonderfully: What writers recommend for the holidays
As the season of gift-giving and relaxing days for reading looms we asked various Australian writers which books had made their mark in the past year.
Keating review: Kerry O'Brien's essential account of the man who made us
Guy Rundle Keating sees his role as bringing capital, prosperity and opportunity to those who'd been denied it. He did, and it's an achievement but a lot of things were lost along the way.
Turning Pages: The surprising inspirations of Stephen King
Jane Sullivan Stephen King is a great communicator when it comes to explaining how he writes, but he can't quite answer that question all writers dread – "Where do your ideas come from?".
Resurrection Bay and Detective Work reviews: Breaking the mould on Australia's mean streets
Sue Turnbull There is much to admire in Emma Viskic's Resurrection Bay, as there is in the latest novel by Sydney writer and academic John Dale, who oscillates between true crime and crime fiction while maintaining a steady gaze on the history of corruption in the police.
Book reviews: George Macdonald Fraser, Piers Paul Read, Alyssa Palombo and James Phelan
Cameron Woodhead Fans of George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels can now sample his first, previously unpublished novel.
Short reviews of non-fiction from Australia and overseas
Fiona Capp Andrea Wulf brings the 19th-century early environmentalist Alexander Von Humboldt vividly back to life
Wordplay: What have Nazis really got to do with spelling and grammar?
David Astle How much of a kerfuffle should there be if someone gets their grammar or spelling incorrect? And does it really matter?
Worst Words review: Don Watson fires up on howlers, expressions and bad language
Owen Richardson Worst Words and its predecessors might seem light-hearted enough, but these are also very depressing books. For Watson, bad language isn't simply an editor's or writing teacher's problem - it's a political problem.
20 British Films review: Brian McFarlane's gentlemanly pick of his favourites
JAKE WILSON Film critic and historian Brian McFarlane picks his favourite British films - and gives you plenty to agree and disagree about.
JK Rowling
Harry Potter author JK Rowling says Donald Trump is worse than Voldemort
JOSEPHINE TOVEY The outspoken author says comparing the two is 'horrible', because 'Voldemort was nowhere as bad'.
British poet and rapper Kate Tempest returns to Australia in 2016
DEBBIE CUTHBERTSON Kate Tempest's first visit to Australia, for the 2013 Sydney Writers' Festival, was largely unheralded.
Victorian Premier's Literary Award 2016 shortlist announced
Dewi Cooke A novel that has gone from award-winning unpublished manuscript to critically acclaimed published book is one of 21 new titles vying for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award.
Industry at crossroads but book sales are booming
MARC MONCRIEF Booksellers are already counting on a bumper Christmas season, but it comes before a new year that promises changes feared by many in the industry.
The Dismissal: Australian politics' most dramatic moment dissected
Peter Craven Paul Kelly has maintained his rage about the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's government.
Book reviews in brief
Thuy On The whole anti-stress adult colouring craze has reached saturation point so maybe dot-to-dot is the next big publishing craze.
Author and Ortolan director Chloe Quigley talks about the books that changed her
Chloe Quigley Chloe Quigley loved the concept of The Time Traveller's Wife.
Sweet Caress review: Adventure behind the lens
Daniel Herborn The daughter of a short story writer finds her niche as something between an artist and documentarian.
Why Jackie French writes about wombats
Marc McEvoy Jackie French writes about wombats. Marc McEvoy finds out why.
Book reviews
Takethree: Michael Popple reviews historical fiction
Michael Popple Michael Popple delves into the world of historical fiction.
Books for Christmas
The best books for Christmas gifts in Canberra: Colin Steele's suggestions
Colin Steele If you're looking for a Christmas book gift, there are some delightfully varied offerings available across a wide range of subjects, writes Colin Steele.
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