All posts tagged: Books

How one Hollywood star challenged the myth that life ends at 40

How one Hollywood star challenged the myth that life ends at 40

Published by Daniella Wilson

When former actress Robinne Lee turned 40 she got frustrated at only being offered downtrodden female roles that didn’t reflect her own version of midlife. “I was turning 40 in Hollywood, at the time where they kind of believe that at 40 you lost it, It’s over. You’re no longer viable. Thank you for your service. Goodbye,” the 51-year-old, who starred opposite Will Smith in Hitch, told Ateh Jewel in this week’s HELLO! Second Act podcast. “I had fewer auditions, first of all. And the description of the character that you’re auditioning for changes.  “Suddenly it’s like ‘was once beautiful, has seen better days’ or ‘42, attractive but tired’. “It tells you what they think when you’re 40. It’s like you could have been attractive once, you’re not attractive now, it’s disgusting.” So she ‘fought back’ writing a bestselling debut novel The Idea Of You, about a 40-year-old mother embarking on a hot affair with a 20 something boyband singer. She took tips from Fifty Shades author EL James when the book was adapted into …

Why is India vetting books in Kashmir in search of ‘anti-national’ content? | Censorship News

Why is India vetting books in Kashmir in search of ‘anti-national’ content? | Censorship News

Published by Sam Flores

Authorities in India-administered Kashmir are conducting a mass filtering of books at the region’s prominent libraries and educational institutions over allegations that they carry “objectionable” content, including extolling leaders associated with Kashmir’s pro-freedom movement. All educational institutions in the region have been ordered to vet books, journals, dissertations, doctoral theses and digital resources to “prevent the procurement, circulation or retention of any publication containing misleading, factually incorrect, distorted, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable material, including any content which directly or indirectly promotes, glorifies, legitimises or justifies terrorism, violent extremism, secessionism, radicalisation, communal disharmony or any activity prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity, integrity and security of nation,” according to an order issued by the government on July 9. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Authorities have also ordered an investigation to determine how books with “seditious content” made their way into public libraries and educational institutions in the disputed region. The inquiry, initially ordered only for school libraries, was broadened last week to include not just books, but also research publications, dissertations, journals, and content …

Beach-ready books to take on holiday, as recommended by your favourite authors

Beach-ready books to take on holiday, as recommended by your favourite authors

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Perhaps the only thing better than a great book recommendation is a great book recommendation to take with you on holiday. A summer read just hits different, as the kids say. Something that would typically be an annoyance like, say, your pages getting stuck together isn’t so annoying when the cause isn’t the leftovers of a sad desk lunch but sea salt or the juice of a ripe nectarine. And while there is a certain type of book that comes to mind when you hear “summer read”, really it’s a term as loose and free-floating as a kaftan in the breeze. From sexy romantasy to hard-hitting polemics and witty travelogues, anything goes. That said, not all book recommendations are created equal and I myself have been burned by a bad one or two (cut to me in a rural bookstore-less town …

Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Director Explain

Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Director Explain

Published by Daniella Wilson

Some stories refuse to stay on the page. The Hollywood Reporter’s Beyond the Book column explores what happens when books make the leap to screen and beyond — unpacking what changed, how it was done and why it matters with the creatives who made it.  *** [This story contains major spoilers for Heartstopper Forever.]  Over the last year, writer and artist Alice Oseman has had the privilege of saying goodbye to Heartstopper three times. There’s the July release of the final graphic novel, Heartstopper Volume Six, and the April publication of the webcomics’ last pages online. But their first goodbye came out of order for an adaptation, taking place nine months earlier when filming concluded on Heartstopper Forever.  In the Wash Westmoreland-directed movie conclusion to the Netflix adaptation, the newly elected (and confident) Truham Grammar School head boy, Charlie (Joe Locke), is facing an increasingly closed-off boyfriend. Also in the midst of deciding about university, Nick (Kit Connor) is withdrawing amid his anxieties and questioning whether he’ll take his next steps with or without Charlie. The duo’s friend group shares …

The Biggest Science Fiction Books of 2026

The Biggest Science Fiction Books of 2026

Published by Jenni Sidey

Every month, Book Riot does a round-up of the most exciting new sci-fi and fantasy releases of the year. But let’s be honest, science fiction is often drowned out by fantasy in the SFF space. So, we’ve gone through all those new releases round-ups to highlight just the science fiction titles in this collection: The Biggest Science Fiction Books of 2026. Click through to see the full list Anyone can browse Book Riot collections and click the covers to find the publisher’s description, the Book Riot recommendation, and links for where to purchase the title. All Access members can create their own private and public collections, so if you want to keep track of the new sci-fi books on your TBR, that’s the best way to do it! Check out our guide on how to use collections, and join All Access for $6 a month to get started. All Access members also get access to our New Release Index and members-only content! Source link

All the Biggest New LGBTQ Books of 2026 (So Far)

All the Biggest New LGBTQ Books of 2026 (So Far)

Published by Jenni Sidey

Every month, Our Queerest Shelves has a roundup of the best queer books out that month. Now that we’re halfway through the year, I’ve combined all of those picks into a collection: The Best Queer Books Out in 2026. There are currently just over 100 books on the list, and I will be updating it throughout the year. Anyone can browse Book Riot collections and click the covers to find the publisher’s description, the Book Riot recommendation, and links for where to purchase the title. All Access members can create their own private and public collections, so if you want to keep track of the new queer releases on your TBR, that’s the best way to do it! Check out our guide on how to use collections, and join All Access for $6 a month to get started. All Access members also get access to our New Release Index and member-only content! Source link

Best Apps for Reading Books for Every Type of Reader

Best Apps for Reading Books for Every Type of Reader

Published by Jenni Sidey

Readers now move between print, ebooks, digital summaries, and audiobooks, depending on the day. Print still reached more readers than either ebooks or audiobooks, so digital formats have expanded the available choices without displacing paper. The best apps for reading books are tailored to different reading habits. Some sell full ebooks, and some connect to public libraries. Others can track reading or condense nonfiction. For example, if you are trying to find ways to catalog what you finish or care more about reviews and book discussions, you may also want to explore dedicated Goodreads alternatives. There is no single app that solves every reader’s needs, so finding your match means looking at how you actually spend your time. Let’s now compare the options below to find one that fits your preferred format and available reading time! 1. Headway App: Learning Key Ideas During Short Breaks Headway suits readers who want the main ideas from nonfiction books before committing to a full edition. Its library contains more than 2,500+ text and audio summaries, with most taking …

Vick Hope: Books gave me the tools to understand my world — today’s children need that gift

Vick Hope: Books gave me the tools to understand my world — today’s children need that gift

Published by Sam Flores

Growing up, my mother always taught us the importance of giving back where we can. Along with working, she would always spend a day a week at a local hospice, and she’s now volunteering in a local primary school. It’s therefore always been engrained in me that if we’re in a position where we’re safe, we have food and we’re happy; then we should pay it forward. When I found the opportunity to volunteer at the after-school reading programme with the Literacy Pirates charity, it really clicked for me. As a person who loves reading, I’m passionate about helping children discover the joy that comes when you get lost in a book. While new research from the National Literacy Trust shows a modest upturn in children’s enjoyment of reading (from 32.7 per cent to 36.1 per cent) and daily reading habits (from 18.7 per cent to 20.3 per cent) after hitting a 20-year low in 2025, engagement levels remain significantly lower than a decade ago (when each was 58.6 and 32 per cent respectively). There …

Natalie Portman May Be Dark Portrait in Rachel Cusk’s New Novel

Natalie Portman May Be Dark Portrait in Rachel Cusk’s New Novel

Published by Daniella Wilson

Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan. She may experience the same queasy sensation if Unherd writer Valerie Stivers is to be believed, as she suggests in a July 17 column that Cusk’s upcoming novel, Life of M, is a thinly-veiled portrait of Portman. And Portman, despite apparently being friends with Cusk and a cheerleader for her novels, may not be flattered with what she sees in the literary mirror. “Chatter in New York literary circles says that Cusk’s upcoming novel, Life of M, is based on Cusk’s relationship with Portman,” Stivers reveals in her Unherd column, entitled A Novelist’s Dark Portrait of Natalie Portman — Rachel Cusk’s New Book Mines the Actress’s Life. The novel, set for an Aug. 25, 2026 release and available for pre-order, centers on a famous actress, M, and a writer tapped to chronicle her life amid the glamor of olive groves, beaches and from behind the tinted windows of limousines. “The movie star …

The Books Briefing: A Pulitzer Winner Who Keeps Pushing Himself

The Books Briefing: A Pulitzer Winner Who Keeps Pushing Himself

Published by Daniella Wilson

This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. Many novelists—including some great ones—circle one subject and style for much of their career. Colson Whitehead isn’t among them. He has written a zombie novel, a fantastical escape-from-slavery narrative, a supernatural elevator-inspector thriller, and, most recently, a trilogy of heist capers that concludes with Cool Machine, which comes out on Tuesday. The critic David Hajdu, in a new Atlantic article, describes the book as “crime fiction without apology” that entertains “for the sake of a moral imperative.” Don’t mistake Whitehead’s restlessness for aimlessness; his knack for pinballing among genres has marked out an instructive path for adventurous authors—he’s taken a joyously circuitous journey toward literary mastery. First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic’s Books section: This mastery took decades to achieve. Whitehead’s first three novels earned him a reputation as a deft satirist of the transactional cultural ecosystem of the aughts—but one who could fall into the glibness he was sending …