Zadie Smith doesn’t do social media. Earlier this week, she explained why.
In today’s Harry Potter news, a first edition copy has sold for a record £60,000.
Essex libraries have launched a checklist to help parents and children get the most out of their local library.
The Sport Book of the Year longlist is out, with the most women on it in its history, including Judy Murray for her book Knowing the Score.
Following in the footsteps of Hachette and Penguin Random House, Faber & Faber has unveiled a raft of initiatives to address under-representation of minority groups in the company.
Indie publisher And Other Stories has launched a £5,000 book prize to find “the next great writer” in the North.
Victoria Hislop has received four Specsavers Bestseller awards, celebrating the most successful books in Britain based on actual sales.
Ann O’Loughlin has withdrawn her book The Ludlow Ladies Society from the 2017 Not the Booker prize.
The Hobbit is 80, and its ideas shape fantasy to this day.
Martin Amis’ The Rub of Time is brilliant, except when it’s not, argues The Guardian.
The Pool continues to dive into poetry, this week looking at Sea Church by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author most recently of the collection Lucky Fish and the forthcoming Oceanic.
The I Love Dick author Chris Kraus has written a biography of Kathy Acker. Grace Banks considers how Acker paved the way for women writing about their own experiences.
Podcasts
On the Spectator Books podcast, Sam Leith talks to Anne Appelbaum about her book Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine.
On Book Shambles, Poet Lemm Sissay joins Robin and Josie to talk about his first major acting role, his early inspirations and the rise of great young poets.
The TLS podcast discusses various aspects of fashion in literature.
Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret
is out today, and its author Craig Brown is the guest on the New Statesman podcast.
On Front Row, Benedict Cumberbatch talks about bringing Ian McEwan’s novel The Child In Time to life.
The Brit Lit Blog 