books
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Judges hail daring use of form in a collection that examines poet’s joint British and Chinese heritage
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Slate survey of US titles published last year shows overwhelming bias towards male historians and subjects – with a similar picture emerging in the UK
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Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of them – plus our favourite literary links
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Inspired by ‘hardcore’ chemistry, the poetry of Met Office scientist Rachel McCarthy has been called mesmerising by British laureate Carol Ann Duffy
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Bestselling thriller writer gives £5,000 each to the Book Case in Hebden Bridge and the New Bookshop in Cockermouth
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Inspiration can come in many different shapes – poet Jay Deshpande shows and tells everything that was behind the writing of his latest book, including René Magritte’s paintings, merciless edits – and a woodchuck
news
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Jack Kerouac, Spike Milligan and Sarah Waters among star's favourite authors, revealed at exhibition in Ontario
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This fictionalised showbiz memoir contains all the juicy Shakespearean tropes of ambition, greed and revenge, expressed with a breathtaking lyricism
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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Reading groupReading groupWhy we still don't know what to make of KiplingIs he hopelessly outdated, a standard-bearer for a discredited part of British history, or a writer with a profound understanding for all humanity?
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PodcastPodcastBill Bryson on Notes from a Small Island – books podcastAs Bill Bryson returns to travel writing after 15 years with The Road to Little Dribbling, he joins John Mullan to discuss his voyages around the United Kingdom
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Book of the dayBook of the dayHidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes review – the killer who plays it by the bookPsychotic bibliophile Joe Goldberg returns in this carnal follow-up to You
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Anjan Sundaram’s exposé of Paul Kagame’s network of fear in Rwanda is required reading – not least by donors in the west
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A memoir of years as a London bike messenger evoke a love affair with the city from the frontline of the road wars
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An enlightening book examines the forces that shape our eating habits
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Pope Francis appears to have given the Catholic church a more forgiving face – but at its core, little has changed, as this Q&A reveals
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Tom Blass proves a compelling guide as he travels through the myth and history of northern Europe’s marginal waters
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The truth about book prizes, why Amazon is like an old-fashioned library and how much famous writers really earned from their journalism …
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In her first new collection in a decade, the US writer wrongfoots the reader with understated power
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Observer journalist Jamie Doward’s second novel links murder, terrorism and big tobacco in a winning globe-spanning, quickfire plot
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Jonass Karlsson’s novella takes a wry, Orwellian look at materialism, debt and happiness
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A daring debut brings a colourful cast of characters to life in seedy, recession-torn Cork
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The ‘sexy suffering’ of shattered Hollywood dreams inform a long-awaited collection from the Scottish poet
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A bemusing tale about a young girl alone during the war in Poland, who travels for years with a kindly fugitive
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A self-destructive young waitress unravels in a fierce and elegant first novel that takes working-class life seriously
people
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Argument-loving columnist David Aaronovitch talks about his raw, revealing memoir of his obsessive communist parents
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As Bill Bryson returns to travel writing after 15 years with The Road to Little Dribbling, he joins John Mullan to discuss his voyages around the United Kingdom
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The books interview: The prolific author on the unreality of romance, the fickle memory of Americans and how tweeting has got her into trouble
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Juno Dawson, the transgender author formerly known as James, shares a very personal story about her anxiety attack at Hay festival for the very first time, and explains why she wrote her new teen advice guide Mind your Head
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Malorie Blackman’s racial roles reversing Noughts and Crosses made a huge impact on many readers. The book doctor searches for other books that explore stereotypes and prejudice, from Sally Green’s Half Bad to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter to Joan Lingard’s Kevin and Sadie novels
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Author Alyssa Sheinmel’s research into face transplants for her new book Faceless helped her realise how the one constant in life is change – and question how much of who we are is tied to what we look like
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With the riot grrrl movement leading the way, the zine has always offered an outlet of self expression for young people – so which are the best ones to start reading?
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A step-by-step guide to the art of printing with just about anything by Liz Anelli
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Site member Mars Bar27 met Robin Stevens at the Books on Tyne festival and got inside info on the fourth Murder Most Unladylike book, Jolly Foul Play, which comes out in March
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Got the back to school blues this week? Reassure yourself with the thought that it could be much, much worse…if you had one of these horrible headmasters or ghastly governesses
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Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the word we proudly place beside society is ‘multicultural’, not ‘multicoloured’ – writing more religious and ethnic minority characters in itself is not enough, argues teen blogger Safah
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
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The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféFood in books: raisin bread from The Book of Strange New ThingsKate Young finds inspiration in Michel Faber’s sci-fi novel and solace in its comfort food, apt for those away from home – or light years from planet Earth
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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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Following the new BBC adaptation of And Then There Were None, Tom detects the perilous endings that await modern-day murder mystery victims
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The book, originally published in 1984, introduced New York City’s graffiti to the world. A new edition is available 11 January
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At a Guardian Live event in Manchester, the multi-award winning crime writer, Ian Rankin, discussed his sabbatical from writing and bringing much loved detective John Rebus out of retirement for his 20th novel, Even Dogs in the Wild
you may have missed
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Digested read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
John CraceWe’re going to speak Frussian, join the army, fall in love, fall out of love, get very cold, and then die -
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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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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Earning a living as a writer is as likely as winning the lottery. Instead of writing books and persuading others to buy them, find out what people want to write, then do it for them
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David Bowie's top 100 must-read books
This article is 2 years old -
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The 100 greatest novels of all time: The list
This article is 12 years old
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Book of the day Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes – the killer who plays it by the book