books
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Fragilities of language and identity feature in edgy new works from two debut novelists and ‘the rock star of modern poetry’
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From 2001 to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, these awesome structures loom large over the genre, loaded with inscrutable significance
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What Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s fox taught me about love, pain and loss
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The prizewinning poet on myths, gardening and why her work is getting darker
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From Dickens to Du Maurier and beyond, monomanias drive as many novels as they do real lives. These have fixated me – how about you?
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Book of the day Rethink by Steven Poole – zombie ideas and the return of the old
David ShariatmadariFrom smartphones to maggots to CBT, a dazzling book uncovers the unexpected heritage of cutting-edge thought. Set off on a magic carpet ride
news
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I Let You Go, the former police officer’s mystery, sees off shortlist including JK Rowling and Mark Billingham
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We need your help in finding the year’s best fiction. Please declare your favourites below, and sign up to a democracy you can enjoy
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Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of them
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'Inspiration in dark times': books to make sense of Brexit
Caroline Lucas, Paul Mason, James Meek, Susie Orbach and others
summer reading
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From Essex serpents to chimpanzees, political satire to the best new thrillers … leading writers reveal which books they will be taking to the beach
regulars
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Top 10sTop 10sTop 10 books about gardensFrom theatres of social snobbery to fiery manifestos for rewilding, these volumes show that gardening can be sexy, scary and sometimes scandalous
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Reading groupReading groupIs JD Salinger's Franny and Zooey posturing or profound?Stagey and self-indulgent, the book’s prolix dialogue has left many critics far from impressed, but there is a moving human story here as well
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100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time100 Best Nonfiction Books of All TimeThe 100 best nonfiction books: No 25 – The Uses of Literacy: Aspects of Working-Class Life (1957)This influential cultural study of postwar Britain offers pertinent truths on mass communication and the interaction between ordinary people and the elites
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PodcastPodcastCatching the zeitgeist with Eileen Myles, Martin MacInnes and Idra NoveyFragilities of language and identity feature in edgy new works from two debut novelists and ‘the rock star of modern poetry’
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To thinkers on the right and in tech, Hari Kunzru writes, Donald Trump, the salesman politician, opens dizzying possibilities. For the rest, the future looks dark
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This compelling history, from courtship to Tinder and hook-up culture, shows how each transition in dating has produced a scandalised condemnation of increased promiscuity
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Nicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: These essays by the Romanian intellectual Benjamin Fondane look at the limitations of reason
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Democracy may be failing but this optimistic book sadly provides no answers
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Jon Hotten’s collected musings on cricket have the quality of a short story collection
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The story of GPS and its impact on our natural homing instinct is both fascinating and unsettling
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A childless couple, a troubled inner-city kid and a volatile horse are the ingredients in a complex story of love, guilt and attachment
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Fiction The Allegations by Mark Lawson – an apposite satire
Alfred HicklingCareless talk costs livelihoods: false accusations drive a novel born from bitter experience -
Thrillers The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Alison FloodThe tale of a child stolen from its cot is full of suspense but promises more than it delivers
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Smoke by Dan Vyleta Fantasy with a powerful whiff of reality
Hannah BeckermanA mesmerising fantasy set in an England divided by biblical notions of sin feels both historical and steeped in the modern word -
A teenaged ‘sister-wife’ dreams of fleeing a polygamous community in this atmospheric novel set in 1970s Idaho
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Asking for It by Louise O’Neill Timely exploration of sexual consent in the Instagram era
Anita SethiWhen photos of her gang rape go viral, an Irish teenager descends into depression in this book about sexism and social media abuse -
This story of a woman fleeing the woes of modern American life is rich with feeling
people
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Inspired by the Naked Lunch author’s narcotic adventures, neuroscientist Andrew Lees followed his example, furthering his work on Parkinson’s disease
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The Egyptian artist reveals how The Solar Grid draws on his fears for the country’s future, his admiration of Edward Snowden and his own experience of fleeing repression
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As the Republican convention begins in Cleveland, we delve into the rich abundance of zingers writers have delivered about Donald Trump. Who said what?
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The Lancastrian novelist on her Mormon upbringing, the dangers of Morecambe Bay, and the importance of her dressing gown
children's books
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We announce the eight wonderful authors and books that have been longlisted for our prize, this year judged by David Almond, SF Said and Kate Saunders
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Review one of the Guardian children’s fiction prize 2016 longlisted books as an individual or a school book group and be in with a chance of winning books, national book tokens and an invite to meet authors at our award ceremony – enter here!
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The Guardian is changing how it covers children’s books – here we look back at some of the highlights of the Guardian children’s books site since 2011
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
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The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféStrawberry and peanut butter ice cream from Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsAs the UK sizzles in a heatwave, Kate Young conjures up a sweet, cold treat enjoyed by Harry Potter himself
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Interview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore: Bunch of Grapes in Martha's VineyardSelling books on the Massachusetts island for more than 50 years, Martha’s Vineyard is a legendary bookstore – so good, customers hide so they can be locked in overnight...
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pictures, video & audio
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American photojournalist Lee Lockwood’s remarkable access to the revolutionary leader in the first years of his rule – including a seven-day marathon interview – provides a unique record of historic times
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Novels from Colombia and Mexico explore how our lives are shaped by history
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Twenty years after it was first published, the novelist has revisited his much-loved novel about an alternate London beneath the real city, teaming up with Chris Riddell to produce an edition with drawings by the children’s laureate
you may have missed
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From theatres of social snobbery to fiery manifestos for rewilding, these volumes show that gardening can be sexy, scary and sometimes scandalous
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The Scottish lawyer talks about her forthcoming book recalling her time as a 23-year-old working on death-row cases in Pakistan
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As Conrad’s 1907 novel screens, Mark Lawson hails a prescient masterpiece that has shaped depictions of terrorism and espionage
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All émigré writers have a story to tell about finding a home in a new, foreign language
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Dalí, Duchamp and Dr Caligari The surrealism that inspired David Bowie