Santa chose the perfect present for a penguin fan like me when he put Planet Penguin in my stocking at Christmas.

Ayad Akhtar's debut novel American Dervish concerns seldom-explored territory in American literature: What does it mean to be both Muslim and American? Here's our chat with Akhtar.

The person who is not religious reading this former believer's journey to a lack of faith can be tempted to ask: "What took you so long?"

Photographer talks of bloodbath in Sicily 20 years after murder of anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone

It would be hard to imagine a more downbeat heroine for an historical novel than Minnie Dean.

The memoir can be a difficult genre to deal with, for author and reader alike.

There are some 500 items in this fascinating selection of Frank Sargeson’s letters — a number that nevertheless represents only about a quarter of the more than 6000 which survive.

A year in Italy inspires a book, but it's not all praise, notes Nicky Pellegrino.

Not really a travel book, I know, but surely one of the best reasons for visiting Italy is the fantastic food.

At first sight, Lysander Rief, standing on the corner of the Augustiner Strasse in 1913 Vienna, looks like a hero.

Although the incident occurred nearly 50 years ago, "it won't leave my mind," Theroux writes in one of the most chilling stories in this disparate collection from writers well-known and new.

From Beijing to Los Angeles, books from New Zealand are helping children learn English.

Coming-of-age debut novel has strengths that impress Nicky Pellegrino.

The actress from Top Girls welcomes you into the inner sanctum of her world as a book worm.

New Zealander Christopher Bruerton is the new baritone on the block with King's Singers.