Books - The Malaysian Insider

Chile reopens investigation into poet Neruda’s death

Chile will reopen an investigation into the death of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda to determine if the poet was poisoned more than 40 years ago by a military dictatorship, after tests on his...

James Patterson to launch explosive ‘Private Vegas’

James Patterson, already among the world's best-selling authors, plans to shake up the publishing industry with the launch of his new novel, “Private Vegas”, which will self-destruct within 24...

Britons cry foul over pigs ban in children’s books

British politicians on Thursday criticised publisher Oxford University Press over its advice to omit pigs and sausages from books for children sold abroad in order not to offend the Jewish or...

David Mitchell’s Twitter novel coming in October

It started life as a short story on social media, but "Slade House" is now set for publication in October 2015, the month in which its fictional conclusion takes place. Mitchell had originally...

‘Gone Girl’ sequel not written off, says author

Gillian Flynn's 2012 thriller could yet see an on-screen sequel, but only if her dream team agrees to it too. Flynn would want lead actors Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck to return, along with...

Haruki Murakami to be online agony uncle

Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is to offer advice to troubled readers in an agony uncle column on his website, his publisher said Tuesday. The website, named "Murakami-san no tokoro" or "Mr...

Ali Smith’s ‘How to be Both’ takes Costa novel award

Scottish writer Ali Smith's inventive "How to be Both", which is divided into two parts, each starting with a different character, was named as the winner in the novel category on Monday for...

Explained: the enigmatic death of Mrs Oscar Wilde

For decades, historians of literature have mulled the untimely death that met Constance, the wife of the exuberant, scandalous writer Oscar Wilde. An early pioneer for women's rights and a...

John Grisham’s ‘Gray Mountain’ tops US best-seller list

John Grisham's "Gray Mountain" topped all fiction titles heading into the Christmas holiday, claiming the No. 1 spot on the US best-seller list for the second consecutive week on...

Lat’s ‘Kampung Boy’ wins Japanese award

The Japanese version of “Kampung Boy” won second place in Japan's Gaiman Award for the overseas comic category. According to a statement, the comic by Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, popularly known as...

War on Afghan frontline, by a female soldier

Chantelle Taylor is a former combat medic who fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles in Afghanistan and wrote about her experience as a rare woman on the front line. Written in a neutral...

Sequel to Mandela’s autobiography to be published in 2015

A sequel to the late Nelson's Mandela's autobiography "The Long Walk to Freedom" is to be published in South Africa next year, the former president's foundation said Wednesday. The book titled...

Folio Prize publishes 80-name longlist

The English-language literature prize heads into its second year with an 80-strong list of considerations that includes titles from Dave Eggers and Margaret Atwood to debutant Sarah...

‘Culture’ gets nod as Merriam-Webster’s 2014 word of the year

Whether popular, corporate or entitled, "culture" was named word of the year by US dictionary Merriam-Webster yesterday as a flexible catch-all that can easily identify a subject, idea or...

The best-selling books of 2014 according to Amazon

"The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd was Amazon's best-selling book in 2014, the online retail giant has revealed. Meanwhile "The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus" by Rick...

James Patterson’s ‘Hope to Die’ stays atop US best-seller list

James Patterson's "Hope to Die" topped the U.S. best-seller list on Thursday for the second consecutive week, ahead of John Grisham's "Gray Mountain." Data from independent and chain...

Another J.K. Rowling novel headed to BBC

The BBC will air a drama series adapted from “The Cuckoo's Calling”, a novel published in 2013 under J.K. Rowling's pen name Robert Galbraith. The book, the first in a new series, follows...

Winnie-the-Pooh illustration sells for record price

The original drawing of an iconic literary illustration depicting Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends playing "poohsticks" sold at auction in London on Tuesday for a record-breaking £314,500 (RM1.7...

Rowling unveils Christmas gift for Harry Potter fans

British author J.K. Rowling will publish new Harry Potter material every day from December 12 to 23 on her website Pottermore.com as a gift to fans. The author made the announcement on Facebook...

Original ‘Little Prince’ illustration to go under hammer

An original watercolour illustration from Antoine de Saint-Exupery's timeless classic "The Little Prince", one of the world's best-ever selling books, is to be auctioned in Paris next week. The...