Jes Battis has a love of Buffy and Angel, he released Blood Relations: Chosen Families in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” in 2005 and elements of this can be found within his story. I read Night Child while travelling to and from work and the journey passed by very quickly, this is a sign that the book you are reading is gripping and involving - short, snappy paragraphs make for an energetic feel and the humour really helps the story from taking itself too seriously. Full ... read more

THE revamped theatre at Calder High School has been officially opened in memory of Mytholmroyd’s most famous son - former poet laureate Ted Hughes. His widow, Carol Hughes, was guest of honour at the opening, which also signalled the start of a festival to mark the 10th anniversary of the poet’s death. The Calderdale Readers and Writers Festival began today with events that will eventually extend to every Calderdale library. The Iron Man book review The Ted Hughes Young Poets ... read more

Ursula Le Guin has found herself sitting comfortably in a place of honour amongst some of the most distinguished authors of all time. The University Press of Mississippi is publishing Conversations with Ursula K. Le Guin, adding to a distinguished series that in the past has featured Ernest Hemingway, Gore Vidal, Isaac Asimov, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, Salman Rushdie and William S. Burroughs. Complete list of The University Press of Mississippi’s Conversations/Interviews series Purchase ... read more

September 30, 2008 Graveyard Book US Tour: New York Tuesday, 7:00pm Publication Day! Teachers College at Columbia University Horace Mann Auditorium 525 W. 120th Street New York, NY 10027 908-991-2153 Hosted by Barnes & Noble College. Event is free and open to the public, no tickets needed. Pre-signed books will be available for purchase. October 1, 2008 Graveyard Book US Tour: Philadelphia Wednesday, 6:00pm Levitt Auditorium in the Gershman Y 401 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA ... read more

Award-winning author Philip Pullman has given an Oxford theatre a £100,000 cash injection which means a £6.3m revamp can start next year. Mr Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, is patron of the Pegasus Theatre, in Magdalen Road, and his support was the biggest private donation to the fundraising campaign. Plans to demolish the buildings surrounding the theatre have been in the pipeline for more than 10 years and work had originally been planned to start in April 2008. But ... read more

Perennial favourites, from American novelist Philip Roth to Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, top the list of hopefuls for this year’s Nobel Prize in literature. British betting agency Ladbrokes gives Italian scholar and journalist Claudio Magris the edge with 3-1 odds, followed by Israel’s Amos Oz and American author Joyce Carol Oates. Bottom of the Ladbrokes list with odds of 150-1 is singer-lyricist Bob Dylan. But such secrecy shrouds the Nobel committee’s deliberations ... read more

Former Jane’s Addiction frontman says ‘Go All the Way’ captures Edward and Bella’s ‘intense emotions.’ Twilight fans around the world are finally beginning to hear details about the soundtrack that will accompany their beloved film. Now, a big name is joining Stephenie Meyer’s beloved franchise: former Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. The Lollapalooza founder has written a brand-new song called “Go All the Way,” which will ... read more

Bath’s second children’s literature festival has come to an end with organisers celebrating record ticket sales. The Bath Children’s Literature Festival saw events taking place across the city, giving young people from teenagers to toddlers the chance to meet their literary heroes. Organisers of the 10-day event said this year’s festival had been bigger and better than the last, with 32 sell-out shows. It began with a visit from Children’s Laureate Michael ... read more

Florence Vilén has published her first novel in Swedish; Tungelblodet (”Blood of the Moon”) is high fantasy, set in a northern archipelago where wind-witches help fishermen to make good catches. Florence cites JRR Tolkien, Ursula Le Guin and Ende as her favourite fantasists (and I concur). The book can be had from Litenupplaga.se (SEK 173) and Adlibris (SEK 177). ... read more

LANCASHIRE County Council has officially launched a countywide reading challenge at a special event at Pendle Heritage Centre as part of the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign. Between September and November, the county council’s Library and Information Service is inviting young and old alike to get reading and talking about the same book – ‘The Spook’s Apprentice’ by local author Joseph Delaney. The launch of Lancashire Reads was attended by a number of county ... read more