Commonplace books are literary scrapbooks - "salads of many herbs" as one compiler put it. They are eclectic, idiosyncratic repositories of bits and pieces that have taken a person's fancy.

Edna O'Brien turned 80 last year. The energy and immediacy of these 11 stories makes that hard to believe.

H.G. Wells? Wasn’t he the guy who wrote that Tom Cruise movie?

Britain-based Anna Hansen's star is on the rise, with a new cookbook out and plans for a new London cafe.

Actor James Franco has delayed the opening of his James Dean-inspired art exhibition in Venice, Italy because he needs more time to "fully realise" his vision for the project.

Jeanette Aplin lives with her husband on remote D'Urville Island in the Marlborough Sounds, and has recently written about raising kune kune pigs there in The Price of Bacon (Cape Catley).

A good cookbook can open up a world of possibilities for a passionate foodie - and can document their culinary history.

Stephen Jewell talks to comic book artist and writer Roger Langridge about taking on cult superhero Thor.

What a great read. Frances Walsh's book is a fascinating work of New Zealand social history written with wit, intelligence and a refreshing lack of condescension towards the ideas and attitudes of the last century.

Te Kohe Tuhaka is an actor who has appeared in Shortland Street and Go Girls.

For the magic of a novel two things are required: beautiful writing and brilliant storytelling.

Thriller writer Gregg Hurwitz talks to Craig Sisterson about shifting from Shakespeare to crime and comics.

Taking a sharp look at humanity's foibles.

The earlier books which saw Colin Thubron hailed as one of the great travel writers were notable for their sparse writing style, keen observation of telling detail and insightful exploration of grand geographic themes.

The fact that a reality television show features in Camilla Lackberg's mesmerising new novel will mean little to New Zealand readers of this best-selling Nordic writer, but her fellow Swedes might discern a little score-settling.

A witty, irreverent and gutsy heroine carries this new novel.

Lindsey Dawson is the host of Let's Talk, a weekly women's issues show on Stratos TV. She was also the founding editor of Next magazine and has authored seven books.

The best thing to come out of Auckland's Super City amalgamation is that you can borrow 3.5 million items from 55 libraries from Wellsford to Waiuku. Here we choose our favourite handful.

UK journalist James Fergusson tackled questions on the Taleban at the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival.