Published today in The Guardian:

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot: There was once a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely for his neighbours. But then he died and he left his lucky cooking pot to his son. His son was a meanie who didn’t like Muggles and refused to help anyone. The pot got very angry about this and grew warts and hopped around the village chasing him, until he changed his mind. The End.

J.K. Rowling’s remaining three stories receive a similar treatment. You can view the full article here.

Scotsman.com put up a review of the 1,000+ page epic World Without End:

It’s fair to say that you won’t read this tome in one or even a half-dozen sittings, but reading it won’t seem as long as it is. Follett takes you to a time long past and does so with brio and razor-sharp storytelling skills. He has crafted an epic tale in which you will willingly lose yourself for quite a spell.

Full review here.

The New York Sun today released it’s annual list of the Year’s Best Mystery fiction.  The list of ten titles includes offerings from Michael Connelly and Nelson DeMille.

See full article here

It’s that time of year again, and people’s minds are turning to Christmas presents. And, just in time, the NYT and Guardian have come out with two lists of recommended titles published over the past year:

• NYT: The 10 best books of 2006
• Guardian: Best fiction of 2006

Looking for holiday gift ideas?  Check out the New York Times’ list of notable books reviewed in their paper over the past year.  It includes both fiction, poetry and nonfiction books.

Link