Delivering this year's Orwell Memorial Lecture to a packed house at Birkbeck College, Hilary Mantel understandably chose to talk about Thomas Crom-well, the hero of her Man Booker-winning novel Wolf Hall. Full Article at The Independent

The body of a Lynnfield mother of two lies in limbo while her family - troubled by her husband’s claim she hanged herself in their U.S. Virgin Islands hotel room one month after confronting him about an alleged affair - implores a judge to bar her... Full Article at Boston Herald

One of the joys of having a job like mine is that not only do I get to read lots of books for "work", I also get the chance to meet and interview most of the authors who are doing the rounds with their latest tomes. Full Article at Irish Independent

Now Alan Whicker, a true national treasure, has retraced his past journeys and reflects on then and now. Full Article at Daily Express

INTERVIEW: On tour for his novel set during the Roman empire, former political journalist and best-selling author Robert Harris talks frankly about Tony Blair, almost draws a complete blank on Brian Cowen and defends his old friend Roman Polanski,... Full Article at Irish Times

The historical novel has never been so popular. Full Article at The National Newspaper

1. What spooky coinage was the work of the philosopher Gilbert Ryle in his 1949 book The Concept of Mind? 2. In Robert Harris's The Ghost, what is the name of the character widely regarded as modelled on Tony Blair? 3. Full Article at The Independent

I’m currently reading Imperium, by Robert Harris, on my Kindle and so I tried it out on that. It found the book available on 14 different sites ranging in price from $8.87 to $16.99. Full Article at TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

A novel development – one of Robert Harris’ – the column puts a tentative toe into Lustrum Beck. Full Article at The Northern Echo