Dominic Corry went behind the scenes on Baz Luhrmann's extravagant film adaptation of classic novel The Great Gatsby.

New Zealand nature expert Gerard Hutching has pulled together some of the quirkiest Kiwi questions in his new book, Why can't Kiwis fly? Here's five of our favourite head-scratchers:

The 25-year-old former porn superstar has reinvented herself as a novelist, and her first book, The Juliette Society, revolves around a woman's introduction to a highly secretive sex club.

Nicky Pellegrino delves into a harrowing tale of survival that's also a story about love.

Peter Hayden - nature history filmmaker and author, and actor.

A running regime that would defy most of us is soul food to Malcolm Law, writes Andy Kenworthy.

The master of historical sagas, Edward Rutherfurd, talks to David Larsen about the symmetry of his writing.

A few years ago I visited the charming English port town of Whitby and was intrigued to discover its crucial role in the lives of two very different men whose names continue to echo down the centuries: Count Dracula and Captain James Cook.

If the adage "you are what you eat" rings true then I'm some sort of pickled mollusc given my penchant for clams, mussels, oysters and a crisp chardonnay. But I suspect "you are what you read" is more to the point.

Meet just-turned-105-years-old romance novelist Ida Pollock, the world's oldest producer of bodice rippers.

Nicky Pellegrino bones up on the damage fast food does.

Stephen Jewell talks to esteemed British author Max Hastings about battles won and lost.

A previously unpublished novel by Janet Frame, In the Memorial Room was written in 1974 and comes out of her experience as a Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton, France.

“Houses have their own ways of dying,” wrote E.M. Forster, “some with a tragic roar, some quietly.” Ashenden Park, the honey-stoned Palladian villa at the heart of Elizabeth Wilhide’s debut novel.

Nicky Pellegrino praises the author's skilful blend of human characters with the folklore of two cultures.

Lauraine Jacobs' new cookbook celebrates a lifetime in the industry, writes Grant Allen.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt Everest, a new book published this week collects photographs from the other New Zealander in the 1953 British Everest Expedition.

Stephen Jewell talks to American writer Hugh Howey about why his post-apocalyptic tale is more grounded than its contemporaries.

As the number of living New Zealanders who have actually fought in a war declines, attendance at Anzac Day ceremonies continues to rise and ever more books about military history are published. Jim Eagles looks at the latest offerings.

Seat-of-the-pants expedition filmmaker Brian Armstrong has an eye for weird and wonderful alcoholic concoctions.

When Ben Crawford and sister Libby renovated the winning house in the first series of The Block NZ, one of the most distinctive features was the weatherboard wall in the living room.

Oldies reveal a rich, ripe vein of charm for Nicky Pellegrino.