Romantic fiction writers creating a more diverse happily ever after

How book-loving communities on social media are helping authors break barriers to become bestsellers

Dismay as UK’s first specialist black bookshop forced to close

New Beacon Books in north London announces it will close and move online only after more than 55 years Dismay at decision to shut UK’s first specialist black bookshop

Alan Bennett dedicates Kipling poem A Dead Statesman to Boris Johnson

The playwright’s annual diary excerpt criticises the prime minister and Donald Trump and recalls an encounter with Philip Roth

Roman Abramovich settles libel claim over Putin biography

Russian oligarch ends his case against journalist Catherine Belton over her book Putin’s People

Pinch of Nom narrowly beats Richard Osman to top Christmas book chart

The food bloggers’ fourth book Comfort Food outsold Osman’s second cosy crime novel by just over 1,000 copies

Cripes! Spotty becomes Scotty as the Beano reflects modern thought

New name for James Scott Cameron of the Bash Street Kids follows Fatty’s name change to Freddy in May

Rescued library of literary treasures evokes closeness to authors

Analysis: Honresfield library brings Brontës, Austen and others to life, as characters leap from handwritten pages

‘Extremely rare’ photograph of the Rossettis taken by Lewis Carroll up for auction

The Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author captured the famous siblings Christina and Dante Gabriel in 1863

Memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes to be published in March 2022

The beloved Guardian writer finished Holding Tight, Letting Go before she died of cancer earlier this year

The green-eyed monster syndrome doth mock Othello

It’s unfair to name a jealousy disorder after Shakespeare’s tricked hero. Who might be more apt?

Grace Nichols’ ‘pioneering voice’ wins her Queen’s gold medal for poetry

Poet laureate Simon Armitage, who chaired this year’s award committee, said the Guyanese writer’s works ‘echo with the rhymes and rhythms of her family and ancestors’

Mary, Queen of Scots ‘locked’ final letter using paper-folding, research finds

On the eve of her execution, Mary wrote a last message to French king, which scholars believe she used elaborate skill to secure

Christmas parties that never happened: the best festive revels in literature

With ‘fictional’ Christmas parties in the news, it seemed only right to pick out for Boris Johnson some other festive shindigs that were figments of the imagination

‘Help! I’ve been spotted!’ Terry Pratchett on Thief, his favourite video game

In the early 2000s, the Discworld author frequented a forum dedicated to the Thief series of stealth games. His posts provide a fascinating insight into his fondness for gaming

Library audio and ebook loans in 2021 reveal unexpected stars

Alongside Richard Osman and JK Rowling, figures record huge successes for relative unknowns Ellery Adams and Brenda Chapman