Man Booker: who decides what makes a good book, the experts or the readers?
The shortlist is out, but who wins? You decide.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Books
Displaying 1 - 20 of 467 articles
Worth reading: Tried and true manuals for success
Practical reads to propel you to professional success.
Friday essay: why libraries can and must change
The history of the library is replete with mechanical marvels. More than collections of books, libraries are social, cultural and technological institutions that house the very idea of a society.
Disadvantaged Indonesians defy the perception that they’re not interested in reading
Indonesian politicians and public figures say Indonesians have a low interest in reading. But people in disadvantaged areas defy this perception; they always welcome new books with joy.
We need to consider the social implications of bots writing books about instant chocolate milk
The mass generation of customised content may have very real social implications.
Should authors’ unfinished works be completed?
Terry Pratchett opted to have his crushed by a steamroller.
Worth reading: Bananas, dwarves, salt and love
A fly scientist ponders the genetics of bananas and dwarves, women and love in reviews of his favourite fiction and non-fiction books.
The rise in personalised story books and what it means for children’s privacy
Why are parents increasingly inserting their child's name into stories?
Worth reading: Bitcoin, BlackBerry, time travel and other outcomes
The future and the past, money, technology and politics documented and imagined in fact and fiction, in an economist's recommended reading.
The withdrawal of the Mandela book was nothing short of censorship
Some have suggested that the publisher and author of 'Mandela's Last Years' were simply attempting to cash in on the Mandela legacy. This is not a basis for the withdrawal of a book.
Love of bookshops in a time of Amazon and populism
Despite dire predictions, bookstores are doing well: they are curators of taste and community hubs. But their challenges are many – from the arrival of Amazon Down Under to a 'post-truth' climate that devalues knowledge.
Worth reading: Future visions of women, war, time and space
Astronomer Bryan Gaensler picks five speculative and science fiction novels worth reading, including Omar El Akkad's _American War_.
Put Muslim characters who don’t need to be ‘saved’ on school reading lists
Book publishing is starting to take note of calls for inclusivity and diversity. A new imprint, Salaam Reads, may finally help educators round out their inadequate classroom reading lists.
The enduring power and tragedy of Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano, 70 years on
How has Malcolm Lowry's novel stood the test of time?
The Library of Congress opened its catalogs to the world. Here’s why it matters
Catalog data are a library's most important map to knowledge. What does it mean that
the Library of Congress just released 25 million records to the public?
From The Secret Garden to Thirteen Reasons Why, death is getting darker in children’s books
Death used to happen off the page in kids' books, but not anymore. They kill each other in The Hunger Games, and 13 Reasons Why graphically describes the impact of teen suicide.
Cultural appropriation and the whiteness of book publishing
A recent flurry of tweets about cultural appropriation from members of the Canadian media elite show their ignorance the publishing industry remains overwhelming white
Creative country: 98% of Australians engage with the arts
New survey from the Australia Council shows pretty much all Australians engage with the arts, and 8-in-10 do so online. However more people are ambivalent about public arts funding, and more people think the arts are too expensive.
Twenty years on from the first book, Harry Potter continues to cast a spell on readers
Harry Potter has taught us so much about life, love, and learning.
Women writers’ work is getting lost in translation
British readers are missing out on a wealth of literature written by non-English women writers.
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