6 h. ago Venice Film Festival writer holds up ‘We are all an audience to genocide’ poster on red carpet

A writer at Venice Film Festival held up a sign which read “we are all an audience to genocide" whilst walking down the red carpet.

Events

9 h. ago Tainted love: how Ukrainians are ridding themselves of Russian

Putin’s invasion has seen Ukrainian book lovers recoil from Russian literary dominance, by a range of meansOne day this summer, the Ukrainian artist Stanislav Turina took two of his books to his garden near Kyiv. One was a volume of poems by Alexander Pushkin.But Turina – a voracious reader, never without a couple of books in his backpack – had no plans to pick it up again. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in August

Writers and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the commentsOne of my favourite reads recently has been Childish Literature by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra, translated by Megan McDowell. It’s a mixed-genre book of memoir, short fiction and poetry on the theme of parenting and new fatherhood, with lots of lucidity, humour and humility throughout. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Hailstones Fell without Rain by Natalia Figueroa Barroso review – a funny and tender debut

This exuberant novel, set in western Sydney and Uruguay, celebrates matrilineal connection over three generations of one familyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailGraciela María Ferreira – or “Grachu” to her loved ones – is late with the rent again, and she needs the money now. Unfortunately, she’s spent her last dollars on a plush couch and her landlord is waiting on her doorstep. Grachu isn’t always a believer but today “she needs God to find her a new job”.So begins Hailstones Fell Without Rain – Natalia Figueroa Barroso’s debut, and the second published novel by a Uruguayan-Australian writer.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningHailstones Fell without Rain by Natalia Figueroa Barroso is out through UQP ($34.99) Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Beavers were welcomed back to the Netherlands. Until they started digging 17m

Reintroduced for environmental reasons, beavers are now in danger of causing serious flooding. Should there be more culls?The beaver has made an amazing comeback in the Netherlands. Extinct in the early 19th century, it was reintroduced in 1988, and now there are an estimated 7,000 beavers roaming around. Compared with England, where the beaver population is estimated at 500, that’s quite a feat.But there’s a significant downside to the booming Dutch beaver population. Beavers are increasingly digging burrows and tunnels under roads, railways and – even more worrying – in dykes. For a country where a quarter of the land sits below sea level, this is not a minor problem – especially as beavers are not exactly holding back when digging.Renate van der Zee is a Dutch writer and journalist Continue reading...

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1 week ago When my birth mother rejected me, another woman’s words helped me heal | Corin Hirsch

I struggled to cope with her refusal to meet me, until a straight-talking judge gave me a new perspectiveSometimes we learn the deepest truths in the most quotidian moments. One afternoon when I was six, I watched a character give birth in an army tent in the sitcom M*A*S*H. I immediately rushed from the den into the kitchen with a very important question for my mother. “Did you give birth to me in a tent like that?” I blurted out, hoping to learn my origin story.Unexpectedly, my mother dashed from the room in tears. When she returned, she sat me down and broke the news I had somehow always known. “Your Uncle Ana brought you home from the hospital to Mommy and Daddy,” she said. “You’re adopted, which means we chose you.”Corin Hirsch is a writer who covers food, drink and travel Continue reading...

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1 week ago 'I'm an avid reader and these are my top bookish accessory buys'

If you fancy upping your bookish accessory game, then look no further, because The Bookish Drop's Danielle Kate Wroe has shared her top picks and they're all amazing

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1 week ago ‘Richard Osman makes me feel better’: Meet the Thursday Murder Club’s Gen

Think the bestselling mystery books – now adapted into a new Netflix film – are exclusively for readers as old as their crime-busting OAP heroes? Think again. Helen Coffey speaks to the twentysomething BookTokkers who can’t get enough of them

Events

1 week ago Why is the New Zealand government cutting Māori words from some school books?

Changes to readers for young children have sparked criticism from academics, authors and teachers, who have called it ‘an assault’ on Māori identityA shake-up of New Zealand’s curriculum has resulted in Māori words being scrapped from a selection of books used to teach five-year-olds and a decision not to reprint a well-loved book for young readers because it contained too many Māori words.The changes have sparked widespread criticism from academics, teachers and authors, who have called it “an assault” on Māori identity and the latest in the coalition government’s efforts to prioritise English over the Indigenous language – criticisms the education minister has strongly rejected. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Readers' letters: Deluded gender activists need to be brought to book

A reader hits out at the National Library of Scotland’s decision to pull The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht from its ‘Dear Library’ centenary exhibition

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2 w. ago Next manuscript by Amitav Ghosh to be kept sealed for 89 years

The Indian author is the next Future Library writer, set to submit a secret work to be locked in a library until 2114The next manuscript by Indian writer Amitav Ghosh will not be read for 89 years, as he becomes the 12th author to contribute to the Future Library project.Ghosh joins Margaret Atwood, Han Kang, Ocean Vuong and other prominent authors who have written secret manuscripts, which are locked away until 2114. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Tiny Bookshop review – a truly cosy escape made with readers in mind

PC; Neoludic GamesReal titles from Shakespeare to John Green line the shelves of your seaside shop in a rhythmic, mellow management simulator worth relaxing intoIt is a rare thing in my experience that a resource management simulator, set in a retail or service environment, can strike the precise tone and pace that manages to evoke both interest and relaxation. As a player who previously worked as a bookseller, and currently is a novelist, I am poised to be extremely stressed out by a game set in a mobile bookshop. However, Tiny Bookshop is crafted with such care and balance that I found myself losing hours to the gentle pace and tiny puzzles and sheer escapism of the world it presents.The setup is simple, and one that is common to many games in the post Stardew Valley era of “cosy” games. You throw in your old life and open a shop selling tiny things you are passionate about to a bustling little community full of interesting characters who you progressively develop relationships wi...

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3 w. ago Exact date and time you can watch Red Arrows fly over Scotland's skies

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo runs from August 1 to 23, and even without tickets, crowds can enjoy the flyovers from spots around Edinburgh

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4 w. ago ‘No one could compete’: readers remember the magic of Allan Ahlberg’s stories

A godsend to teachers winning children over to books, they have also provided precious shared family fun and ‘jolts of warmth and home’Allan Ahlberg, beloved children’s author, dies aged 87‘I worked with kids who struggled – this one boy would listen with rapture’ Continue reading...

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