World Book Day: Page-turners we just can't help returning to time and time again 

Lee Henry asks some Northern Ireland personalities about the tomes they've turned to again and again.

Dunlop racing dynasty's Michael to release thrilling story from fast lane 

Road racing legend Michael Dunlop will release his autobiography in May.

Cat owners' appeal after anti-freeze kills four pets 

A heartbroken cat-lover has tearfully described how her pet died in her arms after being poisoned by anti-freeze.

'Being a teen mum didn't stop me from pursuing my dreams - now I hope my new book will... 

I'm a self-confessed list maker and I love it. I enjoy making big lists, little lists, important and not so important lists and ticking off what I've done as I go along. In fact, if truth be told, I'm guilty of adding little achievements (even if it's just a housework or shopping list), that...

Richard Adams dies: Watership Down author passes away aged 96 

Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, has died aged 96.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield to appear at book-signing in Belfast 

Astronaut and author Chris Hadfield will be appearing in Eason’s store in Belfast on Tuesday, December 13, to sign copies of his new book, The Darkest Dark.

Jeffrey Archer: 'I admit, the thought of life without Mary really frightens me' 

Jeffrey Archer likes to think he has just made a 102-year-old Irish woman very happy. Last month, he sent her an advance copy of This Was A Man, the final book in his seven-volume series The Clifton Chronicles. Her family had emailed to tell him she was completely...

Ghost stories: When things go bump in the night Northern Ireland style 

Northern Ireland is a hotbed for all sorts of unearthly creatures - and not just ghosts, according to a new book on our most-haunted locations.

Stephen Nolan: 'The truth is I don't like books, I can't get past first page' 

He's a compelling broadcaster who wins huge ratings for the BBC and 5 Live, but Stephen Nolan must be a bit of a headache for his press officers.

'What drives me? It was being that little girl who had to get up and fight every single... 

There are two moments in conversation when Jo Malone's demeanour changes. One is when she describes a new scent she has created for her brand, Jo Loves. It's called Smoked Plum and Leather, and she gets the faraway look in her eyes of someone in the first flush of love.

Young gardeners get food for thought 

The Northern Ireland woman responsible for edible gardens at some of the region's top hotels and restaurants has launched a book to encourage children to 'sow, grow and munch' their way through food here.

Ex-soldier's book Charlie One flying off shelves in Belfast 

A book the Ministry of Defence had attempted to stop from hitting shop shelves is already on sale in Belfast.

Dealing with bereavement on daily basis helped Tanya fulfil lifelong dream of publishing... 

As a child brought up in a home where storytelling round the table was a family pastime, it is hardly surprising that Tanya Ravensworth grew up with a love for reading and creative writing. Like most authors though she initially pursued a traditional career following her mother...

Seamus Heaney’s widow Marie commended for poignant interview about life after his death 

The widow of esteemed poet Seamus Heaney has said reading his words is the most difficult thing to do following his death in 2013.

Anguish of Omagh bomb victims something I'll never forget, says author of new book on... 

The impact of meeting the victims of the Omagh bomb "has never left me", former Policing Board chair Sir Desmond Rea revealed as he launched a new book on the atrocity.

'I went public about my drinking because there was a stigma about it... now I don't miss it... 

At 90, Dick Van Dyke has not lost an ounce of the charm, humour and joie de vivre that propelled him to global stardom in 1964's Mary Poppins. Neither does he seem to have tired of discussing his character Bert - the all-singing, all-dancing chimney sweep - and his rather...

James Bourke: Irish superspy who seduced a Spanish queen and changed history 

In 1807, an elegant stranger appeared at the Escorial, the vast palace outside Madrid that was home to the Spanish royal family.

'My novels don't spook me as I'm in control ... but I woke screaming after reading one book' 

Dubbed the queen of psychological thrillers, Val McDermid may have spent years making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, yet she insists that she and her crime writer pals are actually quite a jovial lot.

'If I'm under pressure it will take me back to when I was in the SAS...that's when the... 

As his latest novel, Bad Soldier, is published, former SAS soldier Chris Ryan opens up to Hannah Stephenson about his move to Florida, how post-traumatic stress affected him and why he doesn't rate survival shows.

'In my 20s I used to get blackout-drunk and I'm also a binge-eater... I had a self-destruct... 

Witty and intelligent, Iranian-born, UK-raised comedian Shappi Khorsandi will be a familiar face to many who've seen her on BBC's Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child biggest seller of decade so far 

The book of the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has disappeared off shelves in the biggest single week of sales in the UK this decade.

Harry Potter spellbound fans wait up late for Cursed Child 

Hundreds of Harry Potter fans queued until midnight on Saturday to get their hands on the latest instalment in the phenomenally popular series.

Lessons in literature have the write stuff 

It didn't seem likely a few years ago that a lot of people would want to spend their summer holidays at school.

Man Tests: Adrenalin junkie Graham Little's enduring love of extreme sports 

When Graham Little became addicted to the adrenalin rush of extreme sports six years, ago, the inquiring journalist in him had to get to the bottom of why he needed to push himself to such limits.

'I don't know how I coped with all the attention ... it made me anxious and worried, which... 

Jessie Burton was blown away by the mammoth success of her debut novel, the Miniaturist. The actress-turned-author talks to Hannah Stephenson about juggling the joys and angst of success, and the influence behind her second book, The Muse.

Bear Grylls: 'I really should have died a zillion times, but I'm still alive and I'm lucky to be... 

Adventurer Bear Grylls, from Co Down, is happy to admit that parenthood and age have brought about a new sense of fragility. As his latest novel is published, he tells Hannah Stephenson why, more than ever, it's all about getting the balance right.

Carol Ann Duffy: 'I've written more for kids than for adults as I was totally inspired by my... 

She believes poetry is our national art form - and now Dame Carol Ann Duffy is travelling the length of Britain with a group of fellow bards, on a mission to bring contemporary poetry to the masses and celebrate Independent Bookshop Week (June 18-25).

Susan Faludi: The feminist whose violent dad told her he'd never been that macho and was... 

In early 2004, Susan Faludi, author of the feminist manifesto Backlash, received an email from her father, Steven, revealing that "he" was now a "she", having undergone gender reassignment surgery in Thailand. The news didn't come as a total surprise. Faludi had heard...

Lisa McInerney wins Bailey's Prize with debut novel 

Irish author Lisa McInerney has claimed the prestigious Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction for her debut novel.

Author David Park: 'I thought it would be easier to write short stories than a novel, but... 

There's a cinematic sweep in several of David Park's new short stories that could make for viewing as compelling as the recent dramatisation of his masterful novel, The Truth Commissioner.

From erotica to the Great War... perfect holiday reading that really pack a punch 

One of the biggest dilemmas when packing for summer holidays is which books to bring to pass the time by the pool.

Northern Ireland mum Julieanne Lynch hopeful novel approach to adult fiction will break... 

Move over EL James... a Northern Ireland author has entered the realms of raunchy fiction with a book she wrote in just 11 days.

Jan Carson: 'The best advice I was given was to learn to write tired' 

The 36-year-old author lives in Belfast and her most recent collection of short stories, Children's Children, was published in February. She will be appearing at the Belfast Book Festival in June.

'The book started on a road trip to Spain...when we get together for fun we... 

Family clearly means everything to musical and TV star John Barrowman and his older sister Carole. They look alike, share the same confidence and infectious enthusiasm, finish each other's sentences and constantly make fun of each other - sometimes caustically but never with malice.

'I didn't like the IRA... I couldn't stand them as people so I became a unionist by default' 

Lionel Shriver doesn't mince her words. We're chatting by phone as she heads towards the BBC studios in London during rush-hour traffic when she realises that the cab driver has taken an unfamiliar route.

Video: Belfast Book festival set to offer a magical and inspiring programme for 2016 

Now a firm fixture on the literary circuit, the Belfast Book Festival is getting ready to ‘open-up’ its unique and magical experience in venues across the City from 9 -19 June.

All the best: Author Tony MacAuley on his favourite things 

The 52-year-old is the best-selling author of Paperboy in which he recounts his days delivering this newspaper. He is married to Lesley and they have two children, Beth (22) and Hope (20).

Nazi Titanic reveals Goebbels' big budget bid to create blockbuster propaganda movie 

A new book sheds fresh light on the Nazis’ disastrous attempt to produce the ultimate propaganda movie about the sinking of the Titanic.

Game of Thrones: George RR Martin releases a new chapter from The Winds of Winter 

George RR Martin really is taking his time over the sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter.

Rita Coolidge: 'The ashes of the man who killed my sister and then himself were delivered to... 

Rita Coolidge, daughter of a Cherokee Baptist minister and Cherokee-Scottish mother, was catapulted into the music industry in the late-Sixties during a time of huge creativity, becoming one of the most sought-after backing singers in the business, touring and recording...

'Trolls have called me fat and ugly... my mum has cried at stuff that she has read about... 

She's known for her searing and hilarious one-liners on Channel 4's Gogglebox - but lately, Scarlett Moffatt has found herself the butt of some acerbic comments.

Author Carlo Gebler's inside stories of prison life may be fiction, but shed fresh light on an... 

Sometime in 1991 I was asked if I was interested in going into HMP Maze (Long Kesh to republicans) and working with prisoners on their writing. It would have to be even-handed. I'd have to see loyalists and republicans.

'It's really awful talking to women who'd rather burn themselves alive than marry an old man' 

As Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is set for cinema, former war reporter Kim Barker, whose memoir inspired the film, tells Hannah Stephenson about Afghanistan, the allure of danger, and humour amid conflict.

Horrors of Belfast Blitz brought to life in new publication 

The Belfast Blitz has been remembered on the other side of the globe, thanks to the son of an Ulster woman who survived the ordeal and who wrote a book from her memories.

Tobias Wolff: 'We're all made up of the past...it's inescapable' 

Tobias Wolff trod an unlikely path to becoming a writer. His early life was marred by a cruel stepfather, who was violent to his mother, and even tried to strangle her. The marriage ended badly and Wolff was separated from his brother for years at a time.

Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh on the long-awaited sequel, life in America and Twitter... 

News that filming is finally under way on the long-awaited Trainspotting 2 couldn't have come soon enough for fans. But did Irvine Welsh - who wrote the novel the first film was based on, and whose follow-up, Porno, has again been adapted for the movie sequel - worry that it'd...

'Women want to have baby girls, not boys, as their lot in life is much better' 

She may be a literary heavyweight, but Fay Weldon admits that she enjoys the MailOnline 'sidebar of shame' as much as the next person. She talks to Hannah Stephenson about modern feminism, side-boobs and the trouble with wanting to have it all.

Belfast Telegraph's Ruth Dudley Edwards turns her pen on the seven leaders of the 1916... 

Author, historian, political commentator and Belfast Telegraph columnist Ruth Dudley Edwards launched her latest book in Belfast last night.

Former soldier David begins new chapter with hit novel at age of 77 

A Northern Ireland man is planning to be a best-selling author - at the age of 77.

A republican bete noire Dudley Edwards targets her pen at sacred cows of 1916 

Her suffragette grandmother Bridget idolised Patrick Pearse (and later Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin), but Belfast Telegraph columnist Ruth Dudley Edwards wanted to dig more deeply into the background of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The result...