So Fancy Yourself as a Good Speller?

Try this little quizz:

Guardian Unlimited Books | Quizzes (books)

Inaugural Frank O'Connor short story award goes to debut author

Guardian Unlimited Books | News | Inaugural short story award goes to debut author

The books they tried (and try) to ban...

Next week is American Libraries banned books week- when US libraries compile a list of books which, someone has tried to have removed from school, university or bookshop shelves-
The list contains some interesting names...


Books - reviews and literary news from The Times and The Sunday Times

Literary Festivals- Rock concerts of the book world.

Tickets for festivals such as Hay book out as fast as the tickets for the hottest bands, giving celebrity authors a brief taste of rock-star like adulation. And book festivals are spreading:


Books - reviews and literary news from The Times and The Sunday Times

Twelve Books that Changed the World.

But the list includes the first rule book of the Football Association???


Scotsman.com Entertainment - the complete entertainment, culture and arts guide to Scotland

Google's project to digitise the content of major libraries may run into trouble

The Authors Guild in the US, acting on behalf of a group representing more than 8,000 US writers is taking an action against the search engine and it's plan to digitise the book collections of several major libraries. The action claims that this is a massive infringement of copyright.
Read more:


Guardian Unlimited Books: Writers sue Google for copyright infringement

Two Irish writers make the Booker Short list

John Banville and Sebastien Barry have both made it onto this year's Booker short list. To see all the books see:

RTE.ie Entertainment - Banville and Barry Booker nominees

Hello, would you like a free book? Not if you're a 'bloke' it seems.

Ian Mc Ewan recently gave away some books. That's right, he took a walk in his local park and gave away about 30 books, a full set of the recently chosen Vintage classics, topped up by some of his own books. While women were enthusiastic and accepted the offerings with thanks, men were suspicious, and even when they were told it wouldn't cost them anything, didn't want a free novel. (He only succeeded in giving one novel away to a male reader!)
Now alot has been written, disparagingly it must be said, about the 'feminisation' of the modern fiction market. But who can blame publishers given the result of this, admittedly limited, sample?

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Ian McEwan: Hello, would you like a free book?

Tales from Finucane Show published

Any one who listened to the great 'Tales from the Life' series- a series of shorts by listeners to the Marian Finnucane Morning show, will be thrilled to hear that the book will be in their shops soon with royalties from the sales going to the Irish Hospice Foundation.


RTE.ie Entertainment - Tales from Finucane Show published

They'll sell everything but diversity

In your supermarket, you may be able to choose between ten different brands of baked beans, so you feel you are in an emporium of choice. Wander into the book or music aisle, and your choice may be similar - as in ten titles! For a supermarket to offer books, it must first cut down on the range. Sure it's quicker, it's cheaper - but where's the fun? Don't you just love to browse in a music shop or bookshop? And how are they affecting the choice available in more traditional outlets?

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | They'll sell everything but diversity