Books

Sir Brian May announces ‘gripping’ new book with never-before-seen feature | Books | Entertainment
Books

Sir Brian May announces ‘gripping’ new book with never-before-seen feature | Books | Entertainment

Aside from being a rock star as Queen’s guitarist, Sir Brian May has a number of other prominent interests from animal rights campaigning to astrophysics and the 3D illusions of stereoscopy.Today, the 77-year-old made a surprise appearance at AstroFest, the world's leading astronomy festival, held in London’s Kensington Conference and Events Centre.Sir Brian, who holds a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College, announced to an audience of several hundred that under his publishing house, The London Stereoscopic Company, he will release a groundbreaking new book – the first ever to explore the wonders of galaxies in 3-D.Galaxies 3-D: Islands in Infinity is being written by leading astronomer Professor Derek Ward-Thompson and edited by Sir Brian himself.The 3-D pictures are the creation ...
The corner of the UK packed with tourists fascinated by witches | Books | Entertainment
Books

The corner of the UK packed with tourists fascinated by witches | Books | Entertainment

Pendle Hill is surrounded by myths and legend (Image: Getty)It’s been more than four centuries since 12 men and women were put on trial after being accused of witchcraft in the Lancashire district of Pendle Hill. One died in prison and one was judged innocent, but 10 more were found guilty and hanged until dead. Yet no matter how horrifying, the tale fascinates us to this day.In fact, it sometimes feels like witches have gone completely mainstream – from Wicked, the musical, recently adapted into a hit Hollywood film, to the Harry Potter TV series due next year. Social media, meanwhile, is a coven of its own, with #WitchTok gaining more than 52 billion views. Even supermarkets have got in on the act, selling spell books and duvets patterned with the sort of symbolism that, in the 1980s,...
Divergent fans have been thinking about the series wrong, Veronica Roth reveals | Books | Entertainment
Books

Divergent fans have been thinking about the series wrong, Veronica Roth reveals | Books | Entertainment

Veronica Roth skyrocketed to fame in the early 2010s with the smashing success of her debut series Divergent in 2011 which quickly racked up enough interest across the globe to put a Hollywood blockbuster into production.13 years later and the author is well aware of the impact her series continues to have on teen book fans, as well as some of their classrooms, with the dystopian fantasy often being hailed as a criticism of modern society.But it might not be all that deep.Sitting down with Express at MCM Comic Con, the 36-year-old admitted: “I don’t worry that we’re going to divide ourselves into virtue-based factions, no one’s doing that.“There are themes that are relevant, the way we separate and categorise each other and use those categories to dismiss each other is real and somethin...
George RR Martin shares Winds of Winter latest and confirms his next book | Books | Entertainment
Books

George RR Martin shares Winds of Winter latest and confirms his next book | Books | Entertainment

It’s been 14 years since George RR Martin last published a novel in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.Since then, the Game of Thrones TV shows have come and gone, with the final seasons relying on the other’s outlined plot points.The 76-year-old is still working on the penultimate book, The Winds of Winter, which he has confirmed will be a very big novel.After that, he still has A Dream of Spring to go. Now, the writer has shared a rare update in his latest blog post.On his blog, Martin wrote enthusiastically about the latest Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.The new TV show set to air later this year is an adaptation of his first Dunk and Egg novella The Hedge Knight. The short stories are set a century before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and focus on a lo...
Dan Brown announces ‘most ambitious’ new Da Vinci Code novel and release date | Books | Entertainment
Books

Dan Brown announces ‘most ambitious’ new Da Vinci Code novel and release date | Books | Entertainment

It’s been eight years since Dan Brown published Origin, the fifth novel in his best-selling Robert Langdon series.The novels about the Harvard symbologist, especially 2003’s The Da Vinci Code, have proven to be widely popular, selling over 120 million copies worldwide.Tom Hanks starred as Langdon in three movies based on the thrillers and now the sixth novel has finally been announced today by the author himself.Appearing on Good Morning America, Brown shared that the new book will be called The Secret of Secrets and will be published worldwide on September 9.In a short clip, which you can watch above, the author explained why the new book has taken him so long to write.Brown said: “I can now tell you that The Secret of Secrets is by far the most intricately plotted and ambitious book t...
‘I published a book and sold hundreds – the money was wild’ | Books | Entertainment
Books

‘I published a book and sold hundreds – the money was wild’ | Books | Entertainment

Many of us dream of getting a book published one day – whether it be a novel or stories based on true events in our life.But landing an agent or publishing deal is just the start of things – as it takes much more than this to be successful.An author called Ariadna Arias took to TikTok to explain how difficult it is to turn writing into a profitable career. In a candid video, she revealed the measly amount she made from selling hundreds of books.She said: "I have sold 270 copies of my book. How much money have I earned? Very little."You may be wondering why the profits have been so limited – and there's a good reason. Of those 270 books, 240 were sold on Amazon and a whopping 205 of them were given out completely free.For those Amazon sales, Ariadna pocketed 50 Euros (around £41). Howeve...
Trainspotting author on track for world’s biggest crime writing festival | UK | News
Books

Trainspotting author on track for world’s biggest crime writing festival | UK | News

Irvine Welsh has been revealed as one of the special guests at the world’s most prestigious celebration of crime writing this summer.The Trainspotting author joins the likes of Lee and Andrew Child, Val McDermid, Kate Atkinson and Mark Billingham at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, supported by the Express, in Harrogate.Welsh will be making his first appearance at the festival, held at the Old Swan Hotel where crime queen Agatha Christie hid out following her ‘disappearance’ in 1926, to talk about Resolution, the final instalment in his Crime trilogy, now a hit TV series, starring Dougray Scott. This year’s event, which runs from July 17 to 20 in the North Yorkshire spa town, is curated by bestselling Slow Horses creator Mick Herron.He said: “This year’s Special Guests...
Crime king Mick Herron lands top honour | UK | News
Books

Crime king Mick Herron lands top honour | UK | News

Slow Horses creator Mick Herron has been honoured with the highest accolade in crime writing – the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger.The prestigious award recognises authors whose careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.Newcastle-born Herron, 61, who lives and works in Oxford, said: “I’ve spent the best part of my life – not the majority of it; just the best part – in the crime writers’ community, and to receive this accolade from these friends and colleagues is both a career highlight and a personal joy. I’m touched and thrilled beyond measure, and will try to live up to the honour.”Previous winners have included  Lynda La Plante, James Lee Burke, Peter James, Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Mart...
George RR Martin’s devastating Winds of Winter confession is worst possible news | Books | Entertainment
Books

George RR Martin’s devastating Winds of Winter confession is worst possible news | Books | Entertainment

The last time George RR Martin published a novel in his A Song of Ice and Fire series was in 2011 when Game of Thrones was debuting on HBO.Since then, the 76-year-old has continued to work on the penultimate book, The Winds of Winter, which still doesn’t have a publication date over five years after the TV show ended.At one point, he was rushing to get it written before season 6 began development, but in the end, he gave the showrunners his planned plot points for his last two books so they could finish Game of Thrones.The author sporadically gives vague progress updates on his blog, at one point implying that The Winds of Winter would be published by Summer 2020.And now his latest news is a devastating confession that fans could probably see coming.Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter,...
Prince Harry suffers fresh blow as memoir sets humiliating record just before Christmas | Royal | News
Books

Prince Harry suffers fresh blow as memoir sets humiliating record just before Christmas | Royal | News

A spokesperson for the website said: "For the second year running, Prince Harry's Spare is the most traded-in biography of 2024."This year, we purchased a total of 567 copies."While Spare's hardpack edition costs £28 at Waterstones, We Buy Books reportedly offered £3.38 for a second-hand copy of the book. The website currently states that it is not accepting this item and the Daily Express was not able to confirm its price. On Amazon, the hardpack edition is listed for £14.Meanwhile, the website offers users just 75p for the paperback version of the book, which is now retailing at £8.99, down from £10.99, at Waterstones.This year's record for Harry's memoir followed another record set in 2023 when the website purchased 459 copies of the book.On January 2023, Spare became an internation...