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Book Review: Narcopolis
If you were to write a story set in Bombay, as the poet Jeet Thayil prefers to call the city now known as Mumbai in his outstanding debut novel, you don't have to work too hard.

Book Review: Out Of It
Tumbling tresses, midnight-pool eyes, alabaster brow. None of these features in the debut novelist's publicity photo should be held against her.

Book Review: Perlmann's Silence
Those who are nervous about speaking in public usually have the perfect way out. They simply don't do it.

Fiction Addiction: What's wrong with NZ novels?
Bronwyn Sell likes to give her books away, and usually it's not a hard sell. But any mention of a New Zealand author sparks a doubt in her friends.

Travel book: <I>Planet Penguin</I>
Santa chose the perfect present for a penguin fan like me when he put Planet Penguin in my stocking at Christmas.

Fiction Addiction: A Muslim in America: the debut novel rocking the US (Q&A)
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.

Book Review: Leaving Alexandria
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?"

Book Review: The Day She Cradled Me
It would be hard to imagine a more downbeat heroine for an historical novel than Minnie Dean.

Book Review: England is Perfectly Still
The memoir can be a difficult genre to deal with, for author and reader alike.

Book Review: Letters of Frank Sargeson
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.

Book lover: Sophie Hannah
UK best-selling author Sophie Hannah welcomes you into the inner sanctum of her world as a book worm.

A book about la dolce vita doesn't suit all tastes
A year in Italy inspires a book, but it's not all praise, notes Nicky Pellegrino.