Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was subjected to torture by the his home country's government while detained last year, has been named the International Writer of Courage at the PEN Pinter Prize ceremony.
Books in the Media: le Carré’s last dominates reviews to close career in style
John le Carré's final novel Silverview (Viking) dominated the review pages this week, picking up mentions from the Sunday Times, Times, Guardian, Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph, the i and the Scotsman.
How Somali women are breaking tradition to write novels
Oct 11 2021 For centuries, Somalia has been known as the "nation of poets" but this tradition has largely been the preserve of men. It is unusual for Somali women to be the primary storytellers, yet they are now the ones taking on that mantle in the diaspora... And what is more, their freedom to write comes from the fact that they are finding their voice in colonial languages such as Italian and English that they have made their own... Source: BBC News More News Stories
Connection issues
It was the most inauspicious of moments but maybe that is why it happened. I was sitting in front of a recently demolished breakfast, across from two friends resuming the thread of a conversation I had stepped back from, while I observed two kids wrestling over a soft toy as a group of adults behind them pored over the bill. There were the sounds of the kitchen to the right of me, the crash of cutlery and plates; the authoritative voices of servers and I realised: it was just like before. Except, it kind of wasn’t.
Missing apostrophe in Facebook post lands a man in defamation court
Oct 11 2021 A missing apostrophe in a Facebook post could cost a real estate agent in Australia tens of thousands of dollars after a court ruled a defamation case against him could proceed. At issue is the word “employees” in the post, which read: “Oh Stuart Gan!! Selling multi million $ homes in Pearl Beach but can’t pay his employees superannuation,” referring to Australia’s retirement system, in which money is paid by employers into super accounts for employees. “Shame on you Stuart!!! 2 yrs and still waiting!!!” Less than 12 hours after the post was published, Mr. Zadravic deleted...
BBC and 9 Story Media Group bring A Kind of Spark to UK screens
Elle McNicoll's A Kind of Spark (Knights Of) will be brought to UK screens in a live action series, following a partnership with BBC Children's and 9 Story Media.
Book Riot’s Mystery Deals of the Day for October 11, 2021

Rosen wins CLiPPA children’s poetry prize
Michael Rosen’s "timely" poetry collection about migration, illustrated by Quentin Blake, is the winner of this year’s CLPE Children’s Poetry Award (CLiPPA).
Duo open Next Page, an inclusive bookshop in North Hertfordshire
A new children’s bookshop in Hitchin is specialising in inclusive titles, including books that celebrate neurodiversity.
Pan Mac signs ‘masterful’ Riley crime novel written before her death
Pan Macmillan has signed The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley, a standalone crime novel the author wrote before her death earlier this year.