With six weeks of the year left, it’s time for the Best Books of the Year lists to begin in earnest. First up, contributors to the TLS and the Spectator weigh in. Refinery 29 has a list of the best 116.
WH Smith’s Fiction Book of the Year is the delightful Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman. In non-fiction, the title belongs to Henry Fraser for The Little Big Things.
One writer has a roundup of the best cookbooks out this year.
Red advises us to read these books before they become films in 2018.
Book Riot has a first look at Jude Law as Dumbledore in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts.
Lit Hub reminds us of what George Orwell wrote about the dangers of nationalism.
Red’s literary editor discusses A Room of One’s Own, the book that made her write.
Shangai has recognised UK translator Helen Wang’s special contribution to literature.
Memoirs of a Polar Bear written by Yoko Tawada and translated by Susan Bernofsky has been announced as the winner of the inaugural Warwick Prize.
Man Booker longlistee Nicola Barker has won the 2017 Goldsmiths Prize with her “experimental” and “defiant” novel H(a)ppy.
Podcasts
The new episode of The Brit Lit podcast is out. I spoke to Lindsey Kelk, bestselling author of rom com novels including the I Heart series, about the inappropriate books she read as a child, what books on a man’s bookshelf are giant warning signs, and our shared appreciation of John Green.
On Book Shambles, Robin and Josie talk to Robert Fraser, the founder of the iconic group The Go Betweens, to talk about his new book Grant & I. They also talk about the work of Alan Bennett, Jack Kerouac, and T S Eliot, as well as Elena Ferrante.
Insta-poet Nikita Gill has over 300,000 fans across social media. Her new anthology Wild Embers explores themes of femininity, empowerment and love. She joined Jenni Murray on Woman’s Hour.
On the Spectator Books podcast, Melvyn Bragg talks about William Tyndale.
