After a fairly quiet summer, the shelves of the bookshops are filling up with promising new fare.

The world is divided between surfers and those uninterested in being drowned, pulverised, eaten by great whites, or having straw hair. Yes, I know, I know ...

The Year Of The Hare, originally published in 1975, has gone on to sell millions of copies in 18 languages and as two feature films.

How do authors come up with a pen name?

Geraldine Johns asks six of our top chefs what their favourite cookbooks are — the ones that really inspire them — and why.

Novelist Jojo Moyes was intrigued by the story of Daniel James, a young man who made headlines when he persuaded his parents to take him to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland for an assisted suicide.

These books skip the boring details about where to find the bus depot and concentrate on things that kids love.

John Walsh reckons the perfect knocking review should be more like an execution than a fist fight - simple and judicious

You too could have a rear end like Pippa Middleton's, thanks to a new book by her pilates coach, released in New Zealand this week.

Kiwis love browsing bookstores for a good read.

The Mad Butcher's favourite things.

Here, the British author of War Horse talks about working with animals and children, gives his recommendations for reluctant young readers, and tells us what he thinks of the movie.

When American Brianna Karp was kicked out of home and lost her job she became that most stigmatised of people - a homeless woman.

Top publishers share their tips for holiday reading with Nicky Pellegrino.

Another new year, another bunch of resolutions. Kilos to lose, bad habits to cut back, exercise regimes to start and maintain, or even some audacious personal or creative goals, like running a marathon, or writing and publishing a first novel.

Looking for something absorbing to read over New Year? You’ve come to the right blog.