AK Blakemore: ‘The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt was extremely silly and bad’
The poet and author on F Scott Fitzgerald’s perfect novel, losing faith in Ernest Hemingway – and the recent debut that blew her awayMy earliest reading memory Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy – where an assortment of…
Anne Carson wins Nobel prize in literature 2026
Most prestigious literature prize goes to Canadian known for genre-crossing works such as Autobiography of Red‘Delights await!’: Margaret Atwood and other writers on Nobel winner Anne CarsonWhere to start with: Anne CarsonThe Nobel prize in literature…
Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood audiobook review – a dryly funny memoir
The Handmaid’s Tale author reflects on her loves, losses and literary achievements in a memoir that showcases her wisdom and witMargaret Atwood had to be persuaded to write a memoir. The thought of writing about herself initially seemed “dead boring. Who…
Agate Head / Stone Soup by Patricia Lockwood review – a gem of a collection
Inspired by stones and metals, the memoirist and novelist’s first poetry collection for more than a decade is charming, whimsical and intimateIn the introduction to her first book of poetry in 12 years, Patricia Lockwood states that, “For almost a decade…
Anne Carson and Can Xue favourites to win Nobel prize in literature
The Canadian poet and Chinese experimental writer are the bookmakers’ favourites to win, with Haruki Murakami, Gerald Murnane and Margaret Atwood also in the mixCanadian poet Anne Carson and Chinese experimental writer Can Xue are the bookies’ favourites…
Tents, night-vision goggles, bear tracking kits – and even books: America’s first nature library opens
As well as books, the new facility in Colorado offers hundreds of kits to connect people with the natural world. We asked five of the first visitors what they thought of itMark Fink knows exactly why he opened the first public nature library in the US.…
Other Worlds Than These by Stephen King and Peter Straub review – a self-indulgent finale to the Talisman trilogy
There are moments of shivering joy as the protagonist of two enduring classics, Jack Sawyer, returns – but this time his journey feels endlessly repetitiveBear with me, because there is some backstory to get through before we can talk about the book I am…
Blockers by Michael Lewis review – the quiet heroes who tried to stop Doge
The author of Moneyball brings his exceptional narrative skills to bear on Musk’s anti-government crusadeDonald Trump’s catastrophic errors get so much attention that his systemic ones can easily be missed. While the world looks on in dismay at his…
Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare obituary
Bestselling author and Conservative politician whose scandal-ridden career ended with a prison sentenceJeffrey Archer, who has died aged 86, was irrepressible, though not necessarily in a good way. Ordinary humans would be sunk by the allegations of…
Partita By Barbara Kingsolver review – a midlife follow-up to Demon Copperhead
The sex writing threatens to throw the novel off-kilter, but there are rich rewards in this tale of music and middle-aged compromisesWhat is the role of art in an artist’s life? Should you commit everything to honing your talent in the hope of becoming a…