One critic dubbed it "Bend it Like Beckham in a burka." A feel-good read that carries with it romance, humour and suspense, with a sinister twist.

When we last saw Thomas Cromwell, in the Booker prize-winning Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel's unlikely hero was at the height of his powers.

Today's romantic comedies and louche celebrities set a poor example for the modern woman. So should we take lessons from a literary great instead? Emily Jupp tries Jane Austen's morals and values for size.

Margaret Rhodes, a self-confessed "publishing sensation", takes the cake for what must be one of the worst book covers ever

Shelley Harris' remarkably assured debut novel is rooted in the Silver Jubilee celebrations of June 1977.

Gigi Fenster has made a standout debut with her novel, The Intentions Book. The writing is tight, the protagonist memorable and the revelations stitched with a subtle finesse.

Anything by John Irving is going to be memorable. And powerful. And provocative. So it is with his 13th novel, the story of five decades in the life of bisexual Billy.

Nicky Pellegrino is left uninvolved by Kiwi writer's Booker Prize favourite.

I have to confess a prejudice against novels where the characters are continually lighting cigarettes and lifting drinks, and where the author continually tells you they're doing so.

April 25 may be a public holiday on both sides of the Tasman, but a batch of new picture books and novels will ensure its meaning is not forgotten for another generation of young readers.

Sadie Jones’ highly entertaining third novel seems perfectly conceived to appeal to two popular tastes — fascination with the Edwardian country house and the revival of the English ghost story.

Georgina Harding's Painter of Silence is set in Dumbraveni in Romania, and spans the period from the onset of World War II, through the war's ongoing impact, to the imposition of Communism.

We're stuck in the past this month, or so it would seem from our selection of hot new novels.

Nick Duerden’s daughters are hooked on Enid Blyton. But, 70 years on, why is the writing of the Noddy and Famous Five author still so compelling?

Lurid yarn fails to score a favourable impression with Nicky Pellegrino.

Dear Heart takes its title from a poem by Michele Leggott addressed to her dead mother and is a pointer to what makes Green's collection different from its predecessors.

Tanveer Ahmed has written a memoir that entertains but also gives you something to think about. The Exotic Rissole explores mixed cultural relations.