Peter Jackson close to sealing deal to direct The Hobbit

Lord of the Rings director set to return to Middle Earth for two-part film adaptation of JRR Tolkien's novel

Why Adonis should win the Nobel

Gerard Russell: The Syrian poet is proof that, despite what the history of Nobel winners may imply, literary talent isn't a European preserve

My Scientology personality test

Adam Boult: I was intrigued by the invitation to 'discover my true potential' on the Scientology website – but I just felt nagged and exposed

The Book of Common Prayer, part 6: Fencing the table

Alan Wilson: The BCP's approach to eucharistic access was informed by seeing holy communion as the supreme instrument of inclusion

Even Silence Has an End by Ingrid Betancourt

Ingrid Betancourt spent six years as a prisoner of Farc in the Colombian jungle. Her memoir is not for the faint-hearted, says Janine di Giovanni

3,096 Days by Natascha Kampusch

Natascha Kampusch's autobiography is testament to the power of the imagination in the face of a most terrifying predicament, writes Vanessa Thorpe

MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1909-1949 by Keith Jeffery

MI6's official history is surprisingly light on drama and intrigue, discovers Robert McCrum

Howard Zinn’s last testament to the immorality of war

Ben Dandelion: The American writer and activist had many critics, but his final book, The Bomb, is a timely reminder of his political relevance

Barack Obama’s bitter divisions with generals revealed in new book

Ferocious infighting was punctuated by snide and bitter remarks during Afghan policy review according to author

Barack Obama’s battle to get out of Afghanistan

The devastating new book by a veteran Washington Post reporter reveals rifts, egos and insubordination at the top as the president tried to form an exit plan