Richard Blanco’s inaugural poem for Obama is a valiant flop
Carol Rumens: 'One Today' has some fine lines, but writing good poetry for a grand national celebration is an impossible feat
American presidents in literature – quiz
On the day of president Obama's second inauguration, there are many important questions to ask. Chief among them, of course, is how much do you know about White House residents in literature?Cast your votes now
Australian library’s Lance Armstrong ‘fiction’ notice revealed as a hoax
Sign put up in Sydney library saying disgraced cyclist's books would be moved to fiction section was not officially sanctioned
Pow! by Mo Yan – review
Mo Yan's Pow! may not be politically engaged but it is a highly enjoyable, absurdist romp of a novel, writes Chris Cox
Meet the real Jane Austen, the prototype Guardian gal
Hannah Betts: 'Austen month' is a good time to ditch the wilful misogynist misreadings of the revolutionary novelist's life and work
Why can’t we read the Scientology book Going Clear in the UK?
Lawrence Wright's book Going Clear reveals the depths of the weirdness of L Ron Hubbard's sci-fi religion. Or so we are told
Emile Durkheim: religion – the very idea, part 6: do we need the sacred?
Gordon Lynch: How to believe: Modern societies are no longer tribes organised around a sacred vision but the sacred and the profane are still relevant
Spotlight on Walter Tull, hero who fought prejudice on the pitch and in the trenches
New play explores the life of Walter Tull, one of the first black footballers in England who also became an officer in the first world war
Classified: Secrecy and the State in Modern Britain by Christopher Moran – review
What role has elite arrogance played in government secrecy? This book provides a valuable if limited answer, writes Bernard Porter
Emile Durkheim: religion – the very idea, part 5: humanity and the nation
Gordon Lynch: How to believe: The blending of nationalist and humanitarian moral sensibilities was not merely a quirk of Durkheim's personality
Inspiring tale of dying Florida woman’s adventures to hit bestsellers list
Film and book will tell story of Susan Spencer-Wendel's battle to live a full life as disease took its toll
The Most Despised Science Book of 2012 is … worth reading
Mark Vernon: Philosophers that break scientistic taboos, such as Thomas Nagel with Mind and Cosmos, risk much, but we need them
Emerging wave of Iraq fiction examines America’s role in ‘bullshit war’
Flood of books with 'elegiac feel running through them' tackle eight-year conflict and help US to understand the folly of war. Paul Harris reports
A plaque, a Hobbit hotel and a JRR Tolkien trail that’s petered out …
Welcome to Bloemfontein, South African birthplace of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author
New year’s resolutions: can you really change your life?
The conversation: Millions of resolutions will be made – and quickly broken – next week. Agony aunt Irma Kurtz and philosopher Jules Evans debate the art of self-improvement