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Raymond Briggs: 'rewriting The Snowman would be idiotic' Raymond Briggs talks to Tim Auld about life, death and Fungus the Bogeyman










Stick Man: the tale of an unlikely hero A new Julia Donaldson animation celebrates the joy of outdoor play and family love, says Julia Llewellyn Smith










Hipster guide to being a husband tops Christmas book charts A 2015 spoof update to the classic Ladybird children's books, How it Works: The Husband, sold 52,900 copies in the week leading up to Christmas










Casting a black actor as Harry Potter's Hermione is not PC, but who cares either way? Going to the theatre is about magic and suspension of disbelief - perfect for the boy wizard










The story of Winnie the Pooh laid bare Anna Tyzack reveals real-life family saga - and the chance meeting between a soldier and a bear cub - that inspired one of the greatest children's books










National Portrait Gallery to reveal mysteries of shadowy Bronte brother A self-portrait of Branwell Bronte is being put through latest scientific tests, showing how he painted a pillar over his own face










The best TV detectives and sleuths Martin Chilton picks his 40 favourite TV cops and sleuths










100 funny jokes by 100 comedians Martin Chilton picks 100 great jokes by 100 great comedians, from Tony Hancock to Peter Kay










US Presidents: 30 great one-liners As the race for the 2016 presidency hots up, we look at the great quotes from White House incumbents










The true story of the Mutiny on the Bounty A 2003 review of Caroline Alexander's groundbreaking book on the events of 1789 when a crew led by Fletcher Christian seized control of the ship from Captain Bligh










30 great one-liners Martin Chilton picks out some sparkling one-liners










Christmas books 2015: the best for the armchair traveller Michael Kerr rates this year's travel books to find the perfect Christmas gifts










Woody Allen's 30 best one-liners Martin Chilton selects 30 great one-liners from the comedian and film star Woody Allen, who was 80 on December 1










35 great quotes about Scotland and the Scots The best of Scottish wit and wisdom










Agatha Christie's dark side comes out for Christmas BBC One's new Christmas production of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None is more Scandi Noir than Hercule Poirot










The nine circles of hell from Dante's Inferno recreated in Lego by Mihai Mihu In pics: The nine circles of hell from Dante's Inferno recreated in Lego










Bear who inspired Winnie the Pooh had tooth decay because 'Christopher Robin' fed it honey The skull of the bear who inspired Winnie the Pooh has been discovered by the Royal College of Surgeons and is to go on display










New York Times












Books of The Times: Review: Ian Doescher’s ‘William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of the Sith’s Revenge’ In the sixth work in Mr. Doescher’s series of best-selling “Star Wars” and Shakespeare mash-ups, even R2-D2’s digital chatter scans in iambic pentameter.










Bookshelf: The City Is Our Oyster: Books About New York’s Favorite Foods Andrew F. Smith delivers an encyclopedia of the city’s greatest food hits, and five young men spend years documenting authentic pizzerias.










Anne Boyer’s ‘Garments Against Women’ Boyer’s poetry honors the quotidian.










‘I Must Be Living Twice,’ by Eileen Myles A collection captures the various energies of a provocative voice.










‘Selected Later Poems,’ by C. K. Williams Mortality looms in selections from the final two decades of Williams’s life.










James Tate’s ‘Dome of the Hidden Pavilion’ Stylized narratives conjure a small-town world of traumatized war veterans and exploding cows.










‘Let’s Let That Are Not Yet: Inferno,’ by Ed Pavlic Poems addressing the gulfs that race and privilege impose.










‘Prodigal,’ by Linda Gregerson A new-and-selected volume fuses art, science and the everyday.










‘Bright Scythe: Selected Poems,’ by Tomas Tran­stromer A career-spanning survey of the Swedish Nobelist who died in March.










‘Emblems of the Passing World,’ by Adam Kirsch Pairings of new verse with stark photographic portraits of Germans between the wars.










‘Roll Deep,’ by Major Jackson An international traveler reveals strands of his aesthetic fiber.










New York Times Sunday book review

Peggy Noonan: By the Book The author, most recently, of “The Time of Our Lives” isn’t impressed with recent books by presidential contenders: “They were mostly unreal and insincere.”










Children’s Books: A Place to Learn A picture book offers a look at a home-schooling family’s day.










‘Memory Theater,’ by Simon Critchley Critchley imagines a structure for memories in a novel filled with philosophy references.










The Novel’s Evil Tongue To live without gossip is to scorn storytelling, and thus literature.










Ivory Tower: All Things Being Unequal New books ask whether economic inequality is the real problem — or whether our preoccupation with it distracts us from more fundamental issues.










Author’s Note: The King and I If literary fiction is Brooklyn, the historical novel is Queens.










‘Lactivism,’ by Courtney Jung Breast-feeding has become a question with social, political, medical and moral implications.










‘Nut Country’ and ‘Right Out of California’ Two books explore the origins — in California in the 1930s and Texas in the 1950s — of today’s far right.










The Shortlist: Fiction in Translation New books by Marianne Fritz, Hasan Ali Toptas, Ronit Matalon, Antonio Tabucchi and Yasmina Khadra.










‘The New and Improved Romie Futch,’ by Julia Elliott Mutated animals, including a giant monster pig, populate a novel that defies categorization.










‘Fox Tooth Heart,’ by John McManus Unusual stories at once lurid and insightful.










‘The Mountain Shadow,’ by Gregory David Roberts Tough guys and washed-out expats take the stage in a sequel to “Shantaram.”










‘The Horse,’ by Wendy Williams A biography of the horse and its long, complex partnership with people.










‘The Death of Cancer,’ by Vincent T. DeVita Jr. and Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn An oncologist reviews issues involved in cancer treatment, and explains his aggressive approach.










Open Book: Serving the Truth Though Magda Szabo’s work dealt with life behind the Iron Curtain, she considered art a sphere apart from politics.










William H. Gass’s ‘Eyes’ and John Barth’s ‘Collected Stories’ Collections of fiction by two American writers over 80 test the boundaries of narrative form.










‘The Relic Master,’ by Christopher Buckley Buckley’s satire imagines a quest for a religious artifact.










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