Winning the Man Booker prize was like being "plunged into a bath of ice", Eleanor Catton said.

She was raised in NZ, but our Man Booker prize-winning author suddenly found herself being claimed yesterday by her birth country of Canada.

Eleanor Catton's Man Booker Prize win puts New Zealand on the "literary map", according to colleagues and students who watched live as the 28-year-old author received the award.

Some of New Zealand's finest authors have congratulated Eleanor Catton on her Man Booker Prize success.

New Zealander Eleanor Catton says she is "absolutely over the moon" after winning the prestigious Man Booker Prize in London this morning.

Thank you. When I began writing The Luminaries, I was very much in the thrall of Lewis Hyde's wonderful book, The Gift, as I still am.

New Zealander Eleanor Catton has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize this morning. At 28, she becomes the youngest author to ever win the award.

She might not be the bookies' favourite, but New Zealand author Eleanor Catton has been singled out as one of the likely winners of this year's Man Booker Prize.

From rubbing watercress on the gums to stuffing bread into the ear, there is a cure for virtually any ailment.

This Mr Darcy fan says Helen Fielding's latest offering is annoying and fails to offer any depth or relevance.

A major British retailer has shut down its website after finding hardcore pornographic ebooks being sold through the company's online store.

Bryan and Jo Guy are about to bare their souls over the murder of their farmer son Scott, with the release this week of a heartfelt book.

Ladbrokes and Paddy Power report that betting on the Man Booker Prize is at a record level with New Zealander Catton's novel The Luminaries sitting equal second favourite with most bookmakers.

Bill Bryson tells Stephen Jewell he is drawn to American subjects in his writing.

Brain expert Jenni Ogden was one of handful of specialists granted access to the most studied patient in medical history.

"Toe-curling, clunking disappointment": New Bridget Jones reviews are in, and they're not good.

Simon Schama's beginning is Egypt. But it is not the beginning of patriarchs and prophets.

Sales of ebooks in New Zealand have exploded in the past six months, industry experts say, but the future of Kiwi books may lie with small, independent publishers.

Iranian-American writer Reza Aslan’s latest release offers a fresh perspective on Jesus of Nazareth, writes Stephen Jewell.

British writer Margaret Drabble is beloved by generations of readers, especially women.

Tom Clancy, whose high-tech, Cold War thrillers such as 'The Hunt for Red October' made him the most widely read military novelist of his time, has died.

Sharon Osbourne hurled a hot cup of coffee at husband Ozzy, pulled his hair and demanded a divorce after discovering his recent drink and drugs relapse.

Spoiler alert for Bridget Jones fans and tissues at the ready...

Muskan Devta admits she sometimes talks too much. She also writes a lot and can often be found hunkered down with a good book at the library.