Polari book prize cancelled after row over gender-critical novelist

Organisers of the award for LGBTQ+ writers have paused the prize this year, after controversy over the longlisting of John Boyne meant it was ‘overshadowed by hurt and anger’

Alex Salmond’s niece criticises Nicola Sturgeon over claims in memoir

Christina Hendry says book tarnishes uncle’s reputation and he would have defended himself if alive

‘Skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’ among words added to Cambridge Dictionary

Lexicographers give nod to TikTok generation’s enduring influence on English language with latest additions

Waterstones opens 10 new stores a year as younger adults embrace reading

Bookshop chain says people are keen to escape their screens and says rise in sales is partly down to BookTok

Why I withdrew my book from an LGBTQ+ literary prize

The Polari first book prize claims to promote trans rights and trans voices. But when I saw the longlist, I had to act, says Guardian writer Jason Okundaye

Digested week: Tales of royal tantrums and hostilities in the House of Beckham

If a biography of Prince Andrew doesn’t cut it, go to Insta where the UK’s second royal family is waging a cold war

John Boyne says LGBTQ+ fiction prize backlash brought him ‘close to the edge’

Gender-critical novelist urges writers to re-enter prize they boycotted and may ask judges not to shortlist his novella

Nicola Sturgeon’s immense political talent is undeniable. The nationalism was the problem

Many of her admirers gloss over her desire to break up the UK as Scotland’s first minister. But in her memoir, it plays a starring role, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

Salmond, independence strategy and sexism: what we’ve learned from Nicola Sturgeon’s book

Former Scottish first minister also reflects on gender recognition and the Covid crisis in new memoir

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wanted to ‘bid farewell’ to writing at 22, letter reveals

Young poet details low mood and disappointment in love in 1795 letter, written not long before he met Wordsworth

Stella Rimington, first female MI5 chief, dies aged 90

Former director general died on Sunday night ‘surrounded by her beloved family and dogs’

Allan Ahlberg, beloved children’s author, dies aged 87

Working first with his wife Janet, and later with illustrators including Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman, he wrote more than 150 books

‘I’ve got my own theory’: Val McDermid play investigates death of Christopher Marlowe

Crime writer says her conclusion on the circumstances of the 16th-century playwright’s killing ‘will surprise people’

Sarah Jessica Parker in possible conflict of interest over Booker longlisted author

Actor and book prize judge’s production company in process of developing novel by Claire Adam

Nick Cave fans swarm charity bookshop in UK after musician donates thousands of books

‘It’s an incredibly varied donation. He clearly held on to his books, some of them are quite old,’ says bookshop worker