books
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Wonder Woman gets back to her BDSM rootsA new Wonder Woman comic book by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette has had prudish reviewers complaining – but bondage is part of the character’s DNA -
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer – swash and swoonAll hail the queen of the Regency romance, whose glorious romps demand to be shared with new generations of readers, writes Alison Flood
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The Underground Is Massive by Michaelangelo Matos – dancing away from utopiaWhy, after three decades, is rave culture suddenly big business in America? A history of the scene links its rise to the internet -
Ed Victor – an honoured literary agentAs one of the books industry’s most glamorous figures is awarded a New Year’s honour, David Barnett looks back at Ed Victor’s star-studded literary career
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Tom Gauld's year in literary cartoonsHarper Lee published a new novel, Alice in Wonderland turned 150 and the world of science fiction saw off an attempt to hijack the Hugo awards
2015 in books
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All the best books of 2015Fiction, 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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Writers and readers on the best books we read this yearIt’s been a wonderful year for literature so here are the reads we’ve enjoyed the most in 2015, new or not. From poetry to psychoanalysis, fiction to biography, Guardian writers and readers look back
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Literary quiz of the year, as set by authors: part oneWhat 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
news
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Mark Millar announces winners of comic book talent searchAuthor of Kick-Ass and Kingsman comics handpicks 13 new writers and artists, who will use his characters for a charity comic book
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Leading authors join drive to help flood-hit Yorkshire bookshopWriters including Ian Rankin and Jon Ronson are among those helping fundraising efforts in wake of severe damage to Hebden Bridge shop
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Poetry used as 'a perfect weapon' for recruiting violent jihadis, study findsArab cultural traditions have made poetry a potent tool for promoting extremism, according to research by Oxford academic
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Challenge to plans to redevelop Arthur Conan Doyle house failsGrade II-listed Victorian house where Scot wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles is to be redeveloped for use as a school
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Modern medieval talesFrom George RR Martin to Umberto Eco, many writers have been inspired by stories of the middle ages. Here are some of the best, writes Carolyne Larrington
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Picture books for an older audienceIllustrated books for an audience beyond the youngest readers are a welcome growth area in publishing, renewing the worth of paper books
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regulars
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Top 10sTop 10sTop 10 modern medieval talesFrom George RR Martin to Umberto Eco, many writers have been inspired by stories of the middle ages. Here are some of the best, writes Carolyne Larrington
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Reading groupReading groupJamaica Journal gives a genteel view of slaveryThe reflections of Lady Nugent, wife to the island’s governor in the first years of the 19th century, provide a fascinating window on the colonial mindset, writes Sam Jordison
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PodcastPodcastEL James: black and blue and read all over? – books podcastJohn Crace whips through the lastest instalment of EL James’s sado-masochistic bestseller, Grey, and asks if it’s time to apply the safe word
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Book of the dayBook of the dayBeyond Zero and One: Machines, Psychedelics, and Consciousness by Andrew Smart review – inside the minds of computersHow can we stop superintelligent computers from taking over the world? Feed them a digital dose of LSD, suggests this mind-bending book
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Beyond Zero and One: Machines, Psychedelics, and Consciousness by Andrew Smart – inside the minds of computersHow can we stop superintelligent computers from taking over the world? Feed them a digital dose of LSD, suggests this mind-bending book
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Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists by David Aaronovitch – dark memories of MarxismThis account of a tormented family helps to explain its author’s political journey from Young Communist to Times columnist
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Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir by Carrie Brownstein – a riot grrrl remembersA complex and moving portrait of a coming of age in America
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Beckett’s Friendship by André Bernold – a bizarrely charming memoirNicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: an unconventional portrait is translated into English at last
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And Yet by Christopher Hitchens – a last blast from the wayward noncomformistHis final collected essays show Christopher Hitchens in dazzling form, dampening festive spirits and eviscerating Hillary Clinton
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How to Watch a Movie – expert advice, and a touch of condescensionDavid Thomson sets his readers a low bar in this slight echo of his earlier, weightier volumes
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The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer – a study in loss and loveThis gripping tale of the abduction of a young girl paints a complex picture of pain and loss
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The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa al-Aswany – a country on the brink of violent changeThe Arab world’s bestselling author is currently being silenced by his country’s authorities, so this translation could hardly be more urgent
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The Long Room by Francesca Kay – state surveillance leads to romantic snoopingIn Kay’s intriguing novel, a weak, manipulative protagonist develops a self-induced passion while transcribing phone-tapping tapes
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Rules for Werewolves by Kirk Lynn – a formidable debut with biteA pack of feral teenagers raise hell as they pursue their wildest visions of utopia
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Death By Water by Kenzaburo Oe – Japan’s Nobel laureate muses on memoryOe’s literary alter ego guides the reader through a dense forest of stories and competing recollections
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The Book Collector by Alice Thompson – elegant and shocking entertainmentWith its gothic motifs, this dark portrait of a ‘fairytale’ marriage is full of mystery and suspense
people
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Sir Terry Pratchett remembered by his daughter, Rhianna PratchettThe script writer for games, comics and film remembers her father’s gift for observation and his love of nature
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Jackie Collins remembered by her sister, JoanThe bestselling novelist was a generous champion of equality, whose raunchy, page-turning books gave readers access to life in Hollywood
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The man who exposed the lie of the war on drugsRoberto Saviano is determined to uncover capitalism’s complicity with the narco-lords of South America
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Blackness in the white imagination has nothing to do with black peopleThe award-winning poet on Serena Williams, her emotional book signings and why racism is inescapable
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What are the best books to make children feel positive about the world this new year?Reading is a time to escape and enjoy, and the beginning of a new year is a good time to be reminded of that. But hope and optimism often come after overcoming difficulties
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Why I wrote a book about having a disabled siblingNicola Davies’ new book Perfect (gloriously illustrated by Cathy Fisher) explores a boy dealing with the birth of a disabled sister, and how watching swifts helps transform his initial shock and grief into acceptance and delight
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Greatest quotes everTo celebrate the dark, surreal world of Lemony Snicket, we compile A Series of Unfortunate Sayings - some of our favourite quotes from his work
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Political books to inspire actionFrom The Hunger Games to To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s easy to think about how fictional reads can be catalysts for change – yet there are also many mesmerising true stories that can inspire action. Here are non-fiction books to get you up from the sofa and out on the streets
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How to...make a book and fill it with stuffSophy Henn is here to rouse you out of the post-Christmas slump with her amazing guide to making your very own book and turning it into something cool - think sketchbook or scrapbook or ‘zine!
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How to draw... a whopperDid you know that little lies can turn into big WHOPPERS? Here’s Rebecca Ashdown, author of The Whopper, to show you how to draw your own whopper - just be careful it doesn’t gobble you up!
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
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The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféFood in books: boeuf en daube from To the Lighthouse by Virginia WoolfTake time out of your festive schedule to make a beef stew that will reward you with enough flavour to inspire a masterpiece of modernism
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Translation Tuesdays by AsymptoteTranslation Tuesdays by AsymptoteTranslation Tuesday: Hedgehogs by Amanda MichalopoulouA troubled couple see hedgehogs as a metaphor for their sexual problems, in this short story by Greek writer Amanda Michalopoulou, the latest in our translated fiction series
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pictures, video & audio
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Michel Houellebecq: profane or prophetic?John Crace squashes Houellebecq’s Submission and asks whether the sacred monster of French fiction is just making trouble for its own sake
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TS Eliot: beyond commentary?John Crace puts the annotated editon of the Nobel laureate’s poetical works through the wringer and assesses the stature of the modernist master
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Kazuo Ishiguro: roaring giant or sleeping dragon?John Crace boils down The Buried Giant and asks whether this genre-bending quest novel is destined for the halls of glory or the mists of forgetfulness
you may have missed
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The rise of the Girl that could be any of usThe blockbuster successes of Girl On a Train and Gone Girl before it underline a desire among female readers for stories that speak to their experiences
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2015 in books – how closely were you reading?Who found the manuscript for Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman? Which taunt did Martin Amis level at Jeremy Corbyn? And who hasn’t had an adult colouring book devoted to them (yet)? Test your knowledge of this year’s books here
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Japanese bookshop stocks only one book at a timeOwner of Morioka Shoten in Tokyo says the strategy adds up to a dedicated exhibition for each volume it sells
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I’ve been threatening to write a Viking novel for almost 10 yearsThe 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
Food in books Boeuf en daube from To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf