Stephen Jewell talks to director-turned-writer Guillermo Del Toro about his life post Middle-earth and the newly released second part of his spine-chilling vampire trilogy.

Jonathan Franzen, Tony Blair and Ken Follett are all guilty of crimes against brevity, writes Robert McCrum.

Set in Mumbai, Saraswati Park is a vivid portrait of intergenerational family dynamics in an ever-changing, modern day India.

Maeve Binchy does it again. After more than 20 novels, novellas and short story collections, and at an age when some writers have trouble staying current, Binchy has pulled off yet another thoughtful yet undemanding story that will delight.

This is the first full biography written since the publication of the two-volume edition of Mansfield's Notebooks (2002), transcribed by Margaret Scott, and the final (fifth) volume in 2008 of her Collected Letters.

Theme-based anthologies serve several purposes. They explore and represent particular subjects from a thousand vantage points and they assemble diverse voices, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Way back in the 1980s I was addicted to Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels.

Jock McLean is sticking to his claim that his late father - sportswriter Sir Terry McLean - had an affair with a South African MP.

Making teachers' lives easier is the mantra for Invercargill company.

Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo shares his recipes of Italian food like Mama used to make in his new book.

New Zealander Henry Hargreaves is an ex-model making a name for himself in the Big Apple with a book celebrating breasts.

The hype over the publication of a royal wedding biography nearly matches the fervour accompanying the event itself.

Nicki Greenberg loves Shakespeare, she "gets" Shakespeare, and she has done something wondrous with him, a thing I have never seen done before.

The most ambitious history project of the year — the British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objects — is now a book. Boyd Tonkin talks to its creator and author and finds out that how the world looks depends on where you stand.

Wellington chef Martin Bosley's new book is a work of art. He explains to Kerri Jackson why he couldn't have done it five years ago.

Move over Bridget, it's the blokes' turn.

David Hill reviews two new Australian novels depicting two very different sides of modern life.

Israeli David Grossman tells Helen Brown how writing helps him cope with grief.

Melbourne restaurant Red Spice Road has released a cookbook modernising age-old Asian dishes.

The book that has everything, Kehua! offers murder, adultery, incest (and plenty of it), redemption and ghosts.

With this review I want to declare two biases. I am a big fan of Laurence Fearnley’s writing and particularly loved Edwin + Matilda.

Simon Rich published his first short story collection three years ago. Now, aged just 26, his first novel has won critical acclaim. He talks to Stephen Jewell.

Moose were released in Westland in 1900 and in Fiordland in 1910 but unlike other such introductions they were not a success.

Simon Pegg had no plans to become a movie star. In fact he had no plans at all. So just how did the geek from Gloucester catch the eye of the world's best film-makers? It's all down to 'quantum attraction', discovers Tom Lamont.