A couple of years ago, Chris Finlayson, then culture minister, tooted his bugle and heralded "a golden age for the arts in New Zealand". It doesn't feel very golden today, writes Toby Manhire.

Stephen Jewell talks to reporter, critic and former stand-up comedian Natalie Haynes about her debut novel, set in Edinburgh, a city she knows so well

The themes of murders in Paris, religious fundamentalism and a threat to multiculturalism might seem all too topical after recent grim events in the French capital.

Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie says he was 'only fooling around' when he rated To Kill a Mockingbird 3/10 on a public forum he believed was private.

The No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling books on Amazon right now are colouring books for adults.

For younger readers, Sambo's story may need some introduction, writes Peter Calder. Published in 1899, it was the first book of Edinburgh-born Helen Bannerman, who spent much of her life in southern India.

Is it a good book that leaves you wanting to know more?

Lavish descriptions of food saved Laura Freeman from anorexia. But, even at Easter, she still denies herself one treat.

Bridget van der Zijpp’s new novel explores the fleeting, dangerous side of fame.

The most popular biographies are those that embrace the subject’s life while assuming little prior historical knowledge on the part of the reader.

Is the unhappiness of beautiful people more significant than that of real people?

Journalist Nick Davies pulled at a thread and everything unravelled, exposing the British tabloid phone-hacking scandal. Next month he is in NZ for the Auckland Writers Festival.

Margaret Atwood says Kate hasn’t lived up to the fashion icon reputation of her husband’s late mother, Princess Diana

What if some unfit, unthinking parent considers this advice credible? What local authority would want to be associated with that potential parenting disaster?

On a tropical break, Steve Braunias muses about how it's always worth finding something horrifying to read on your holiday.

Auckland Council will not be removing a controversial book from its libraries, despite a growing petition claiming it "advocates child abuse".

Australian writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a homage to her mother Nance, an ‘ordinary’ woman who decided she wasn’t going to follow in her own mother’s footsteps. She talks to Linda Herrick.

At the time, the dramatic move was a bid to save their relationship after Scott had a vasectomy, but now he's spoken out to say that he never wanted to see other people.

In the Nineties, when The X-Files was still good, 9/11, broadband and WikiLeaks had not happened.

Authors including Robert Harris, Joanne Harris and Jilly Cooper have condemned an app which allows users to cover up swear words in eBooks.

Author Amanda Craig explores how Alice's Adventures in Wonderland changed the way we see children's books forever.

I really like the actress Celia Imrie, one of the stars of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies. So I wanted to like her debut novel, but I struggled at times.

Realising her bookshelves were a bit on the parochial side, Ann Morgan embarked on a quest to read a book from every country over the course of a year, and blog about it. The response from bibliophiles around the globe was a story in itself.

There's nothing like a little local knowledge - someone who can point a visitor in the direction of the best pub or offer the inside word on where to find the least crowded beach spot and how to get a good price on tickets for the museum or gallery.