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Travel books for kids
Alex Robertson reviews two Lonely Planet titles aimed at the younger members of the family.

Best books of the year (+infographic)
Books editor Linda Herrick and her team of reviewers reveal their top reads for all ages and tastes.

Readers become the authors
A novel approach to reading has kids blogging and commenting online about what should happen next in books - and authors follow the instructions.

Paws for thought
British writer Tom Cox has attracted an avid following through his blogs and books about living in the Norfolk countryside with a gang of cats. He talks to Linda Herrick

Morrissey fans confused at no mention of male lover
Morrissey has left fans in the US baffled after his best-selling memoir was released Stateside minus the details of his relationship with a male photographer.

Asterix family legacy battle
Albert Uderzo, co-creator of the Gallic comic book hero Asterix, is suing his daughter and son-in-law for "psychological violence" to stop them "getting their hands" on his legacy.

Bad Sex in Fiction awards
An ecstatic bisexual orgy, which climaxes against a backdrop of imminent nuclear annihilation, has secured the prized Bad Sex in Fiction award for Manil Suri and his novel, The City of Devi.

The Hunger Games: A quiver full of genius
Without the culture and conflicts of the 2000s, The Hunger Games might never have come into being, writes Tim Walker.

Love in the face of death
Former TV host Helena McAlpine and boyfriend Chris Barton share their extraordinary love story with Suzanne McFadden.

How Dotcom wooed his wife
In this exclusive extract from a new book written by David Fisher, Kim Dotcom relates how he met his future wife Mona - and the efforts to woo her.

'Selfie' named as word of year
Australia can now take credit for the term "selfie" - Oxford Dictionaries' international word of the year for 2013.

NZ's best wine buys (+WIN!)
The red and white wines that will give you the best bang for your buck have been revealed in the 22nd edition of a Kiwi vino guide.

Sitting on a time bomb
By November 18, 2010, there was just enough progress at Pike to reassure some workers that the operation could yet be a success, but not enough to ease the dark fears held by others.

How I got two top Kiwi stars together
It's been a week since a tweeted picture of Lorde and Eleanor Catton reading in bed together in New York became a world-wide hit.

Pike River: Expose talks of failures
The Pike River coal mine should have been shut down well before the devastating explosion, says the author of a new book on the tragedy.

New literary prize for Eleanor Catton
New Zealand author Eleanor Catton has picked up another trophy for her Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries.

Bad sex in fiction shortlist
The shortlist for the dreaded Bad Sex in Fiction award has been revealed, with the late American folk singer Woody Guthrie's posthumously published novel leading the nominees.

Literary star planning a decent break
She's now a literary luminary, but Eleanor Catton doesn't want any "homecoming fuss" when she finally jets back to New Zealand.

Book review: Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914
Like one of Field Marshal Haig's family whiskies, Max Hastings is a dram that steadily improves with age.

Read: New Hairy Maclary
It’s 30 years since one of our most famous children’s books was first published. Hairy Maclary has been read and loved by millions in its three decades.