The Latest Breaking News on Books

'Right to be human': Scotland's storytellers explore modern rights in modern ways

THIS year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival theme is “Right to be Human”.

The National (Scotland) · Oct 1, 2023

Exploring the magical world of Roald Dahl through his writing style

If there's one author whose books have left an enduring mark on the hearts of both children and adults, it's Roald Dahl. With a magical touch that weaves whimsy, adventure, and life lessons into every tale, Dahl's writing style is as fascinating as it is accessible. Let's hop on a…

The Times of India · Oct 1, 2023

Revealed: UK government keeping files on education critics’ social media activity

An Observer investigation finds DfE tried to cancel conference with ‘unsuitable’ speakers – and experts who criticised state education policy had files kept on online posts

The Guardian - UK · Sep 30, 2023

Wednesday’s Child by Yiyun Li review – motherhood as loss

These bruising, beautiful short stories explore the pain of lost children, along with parenthood’s more usual sacrifices – youth, romantic love and a sense of self

The Guardian - UK · Sep 30, 2023

Sebastian Faulks on his futuristic 16th novel and rewriting 007: ‘I stopped watching Bond when Sean Connery left’

The ‘Birdsong’ author has struggled to shake off the ‘historical fiction’ label, but his latest novel, ‘The Seventh Son’, is set in a futuristic fertility clinic. He tells Claire Allfree about human evolution, his former life as the Indy’s first literary editor, and what he borrowed from Bond author Ian…

The Independent UK · Sep 30, 2023

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts’s prized book and music collection ensnared for thousands

After decades of being under Charlie Watts’s thumb, prized works belonging to the late Rolling Stones drummer have now been placed under the hammer at a London auction.

The Independent UK · Sep 29, 2023

Of Mice and Men first-draft fragment torn up by Steinbeck’s dog goes to auction

John Steinbeck’s pet ‘made confetti’ of the manuscript in 1936, but a surviving piece will go on sale alongside personal journals, first editions and a wrought-iron sword owned by the author

The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2023

Sci-fi books are rare in school even though they help kids better understand science

Science fiction can lead people to be more cautious about the potential consequences of innovations. It can help people think critically about the ethics of science. Researchers have also found that sci-fi serves as a positive influence on how people view science. Science fiction scholar Istvan Csicsery-Ronay calls this “science-fictional…

The Conversation · Sep 29, 2023

Where to start with: JM Coetzee

For 50 years the Nobel laureate and double Booker prize winner has been dividing opinion with his novels on power, humanity, war, the death of ‘Jesus’ and dogs – many dogs

The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2023

‘Motherhood is a cult, to a degree’: Anne Heltzel on her horror novel about parenthood

The author explains how Just Like Mother, her gothic horror tale of a cult fixated on childbearing, is uncomfortably close to reality

The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2023