Book News & Reviews - Stuff.co.nz - entertainment

Books

Tintin does not break racism law

The colonial-era book Tintin in the Congo is not breaching Belgium racism laws.

Author, 12, gives proceeds to cancer research

MICHELLE DUFF - © Fairfax NZ News

Schoolgirl Hana Olds doesn't want proceeds from her book – instead she'd like a cure for cancer.

The life of a romance writer

Australian author Christina Brooke knows a thing or two about romance.

The Twilight diary

Moata's blog: One of my goals for the festive season just gone was to finally read Twilight. I kept a diary as I read...

World marks Dickens anniversary

Prince Charles led global celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens.

DC reveals Watchmen prequels

DC Comics will soon launch seven prequels to Alan Moore's seminal work, Watchmen.

Heartbreak in the rubble

Book features the stories of those who made it out

Police and members of the public help rescue people from the collapsed CTV building on Madras St.

Christchurch would have hoped for many more survivors from February 22's collapsed buildings than it got. The stories of some of the few who did make it out alive feature in a new book Trapped.

Is the 'Poe Toaster' nevermore?

For decades, a mysterious man left three roses and cognac on Edgar Allan Poe's grave to mark the anniversary of the writer's birth.

Elton John to pen book about Aids

Elton John will write a personal account of his life during the Aids epidemic, including his friendship with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury who died of an Aids-related illness in 1991 aged 45.

Fashioning a fine, fair portrait

REVIEW: Only rarely does a proper book on Britain's royal family appear, one that is worth reading and keeping.

Bright literary sparks on the rise

Up-and-coming writers to watch in 2012

Profiles of the up-and-coming Kiwis in the literary world you should keep your eye on in 2012.

Blair Witch star's green thumb

Reuters

Heather Donahue is best known for 1999 horror film "The Blair Witch Project" that showed her hyperventilating and weeping in the forest.

'Inferior' writing cost Tolkien Nobel prize

KERRY MCBRIDE - © Fairfax NZ News

JRR Tolkien was rejected for the Nobel prize because his storytelling was not up to scratch.

Karam book to 'put to rest' Bain case

Joe Karam's latest book on the Bain family murders is due for release next month.

Companion backing Maori literature

SOPHIE SPEER - © Fairfax NZ News

Robyn Bargh hopes the next two decades will bring more international recognition for Maori authors.

James Franco to release novel

Actor James Franco has sold his debut novel to Amazon Publishing.

Author makes magic with wood

Addicted to words, wool and wood

She's published 60 novels and picture books, so it's hardly surprising acclaimed children's author Joy Cowley has acquired yet another skill - woodworking.

A literary history of word processing

A new book tells the literary history of word processing, one casual deletion at a time.

Author Hitchens always a humanist

Cancer weakened but did not soften Christopher Hitchens. He did not repent or forgive or ask for pity.

Season's eatings: A history of Christmas cake

Kim Knight gives us the surprisingly complicated history of the common Christmas cake. By Kim Knight.

Author Christopher Hitchens dies

American author Christopher Hitchens has died of cancer at the age of 62.

Book reimagines key time in Steve Jobs' life

Reuters

A new graphic novel about Steve Job explores the Apple innovator's spiritual side.

The best books of 2011

Whether you're looking for something for the stocking or a book for the bach, we've rustled up the choicest reads for adults, teenagers and children.

50 Cent releasing fitness book

50 Cent has rapped about getting rich. Now he's focusing on getting fit.

Real-life forensics

REVIEWED BY JILLIAN ALLISON-AITKEN - © Fairfax NZ News

With programmes such as Bones and CSI, we all feel familiar with the inner workings of forensic investigations.

Amanda Knox hires literary agent

Amanda Knox says she's hired a Washington, DC, lawyer to help her land a book deal after an Italian court cleared her and her ex-boyfriend in the killing of her British roommate.

Henry Rollins tours New Zealand

Provocative spoken-word artist Henry Rollins is bringing his one-man show to NZ next year.

Superman comic sells for US$2.16m

A rare and pristine copy of the first issue of Action Comics, famed for the first appearance of Superman, has set a record for the most money paid for a single comic book: US$2.16 million (NZ$2.78 million).

Fahrenheit 451 finally out as an e-book

HILLEL ITALIE - AP

At age 91, Ray Bradbury is making peace with the future he helped predict.

Gift ideas: Books for cooks

LUCY CORRY - © Fairfax NZ News

Nothing holds more promise as a Christmas gift (for giver and recipient) than a delicious new cookbook.

Cannabis book for kids

It's Just a Plant is a children's book about cannabis.

Auckland: A city waiting to erupt

A book on Auckland's volcanic history says the next eruption could be a month or thousands of years away.

Book soothed me - Manolo Blahnik

Cover Media

Manolo Blahnik says creating a new book with Camilla Morton was "like a tonic".

The novelisation of video games

MIKE WILCOX - © Fairfax NZ News

The novelisation of video games has steadily picked up pace in the past few years.

Banned book seized from Wellington shop

An "indecent” book banned in 1971 has been seized from a Wellington bookstore by government officials.

Atlas offers giant window on the world

PAUL EASTON - © Fairfax NZ News

A New Zealand company has helped create the world's biggest atlas.

Love of red part of Peta's recipe for life

Wear red to show independence, beat egg whites till stiff and never, ever, strangle your mother.

How I became a Twilight fan

Catherine Woulfe experiences love at first bite and finds something she can sink her teeth into.

Where the heart is

Two new books capitalise on our love of looking at other people's houses.

Beneath the covers

A documentary discovers surprising truths about the writers – and readers – of romantic fiction.

Jane Austen would love social media

Dear reader, if Jane Austen lived today, she'd be an avid blogger, she'd be on Facebook, and of course she'd also be tweeting away -- but mostly about other people, not herself.