Books

Maxton Hall - The World Between Us season two recently debuted on Prime Video and picked up the story from the first outing. The show is based on the 2018 novel Save Me by author Mona Kasten. Maxton Hall - The World Between Us charts an enemies-to-lovers romance between two pupils at a prestigious school.Exceptional scholarship student Ruby Bell (played by Harriet Herbig-Matten), with dreams of Oxford University, finds herself falling for privileged and wealthy James Beaufort (Damian Hardung), despite from their very different backgrounds.Season one premiered in 2024 and almost instantly became a hit after claiming the top spot in 120 regions. The German-language drama is now one of the streaming platform's most popular non-American Original series.Amazon Prime Video now investing more ...

One of Charles Dickens' novels has been described as the "greatest novel of all time" by readers. On Goodreads' listing of the best  books of all time, Great Expectations comes in at number ten. The novel is often cited by both critics and readers as one of the best books of all time. Great Expectations is the 13th novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel follows the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. and it was published in three volumes in October 1861, by Chapman & Hall.The book's synopsis reads: "Great Expectations charts the progress of Pip from childhood through often painful experiences to adulthood, as he moves from the Kent marshes...

All Her Fault has recently arrived on screens and presents a chilling story of a child's disappearance and the desperate hunt that ensues, reports the Irish Mirror.Numerous viewers have already begun watching the Sky programme, which sees dramatic events unfold at lightning speed, and are keen to learn more about the captivating show.How many episodes of All Her Fault are there?All Her Fault comprises eight episodes in total, which were released simultaneously on Peacock in the United States on November 6.The programme also became available as a complete boxset on streaming service NOW in the UK on November 7, allowing viewers to watch the entire series at once.The limited series adapts Andrea Mara's 2021 novel of the same title and has been brought to television by Megan Gallagher.Whil...

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you gripped, this page-turner has been named as one of the best books of 2025. In a list by Penguin, Buckeye by Patrick Ryan took top spot for being the top novel not to miss out on.The novel is set in Bonhomie, Ohio. A synopsis on Goodreads says: “A stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. “Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. “Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way - until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have ha...

John Simm as Roy Grace in ITV adaptation of Peter James' bestselling crime novels (Image: ITV Studios)Roy Grace creator Peter James recently spent the day working as a concierge at the iconic Grand Hotel, Brighton. But having sold more than 23 million books, it wasn’t because he needed the cash. That said, he chuckles when he tells me: “I did get a fiver tip for carrying an elderly couple’s luggage out!”In fact, the prolific author was researching the as-yet-unfinished 22nd novel featuring his Brighton-based cop, much of whose action takes place in, you guessed it, a major (fictional) hotel on the seafront of the bohemian East Sussex city. It’s a very Peter James thing to do. Old school and exhaustive in his research, he famously seeks out people, and experiences, to help him make Grace...

What is your favourite murder mystery novel? (Image: Getty)Murder mystery novels account for a huge proportion of the book industry, and they are widely considered to be one of the most popular genres. Throughout the years, authors from Edgar Allan Poe to Richard Osman have devoted much of their work to a classic murder mystery, but there is one author who dominates the genre, appearing three times on this listing. Here are the top 10 best murder mystery novels of all time, as selected by Goodreads.10. Listen for the Lie by Amy TinteraThe blurb reads: "What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?"Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a drea...

Some fiction books are very powerful. But when a story is based on real events, it can hit even harder. And that’s exactly the case with one book that continues to “shock” readers 60 years after it was published. It tells the true story of a family brutally murdered in their own home and the police hunt to catch the killers.Everything in the book really happened, and some readers say knowing that makes it even more chilling. The author spent years researching the case, speaking to detectives and people in the town where it happened. He even interviewed the killers in prison.The result was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The story follows the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas.Four members of the family were killed by two ex-convicts who thought they would find a safe ...

Many films are based on amazing books but some of them fail to meet expectations. This could be because the plot is changed too much or simply because it’s just not quite the same. However, when an adaptation is done right, it can really blow audiences away. And whose books are better to adapt into films than Stephen King’s?Over the years, many of King’s stories have made it to the big screen. But one of his more grounded novellas has gone on to inspire a film that fans say is not just good, but possibly the best movie ever made. One person said: “There is only one thing to say about this - it’s the greatest film of all time.”Another added: “It is a cinematic masterpiece that has stood the test of time since its release in 1994.”A third commented: “One of the best movies that I have eve...

Some books are so popular they end up being turned into films. And many people say one fantasy series has some of the best stories ever written. It’s been called a “masterpiece” and a “must-read,” with readers saying they couldn’t put it down. One person said: “The entire book series is fantastic. Once you start reading the first one you cannot stop.”Another added: “The books and the films are masterpieces. I'd say though that the books are slightly better.” A third wrote: “I was blown away by the characters, the writing and the story in the books. I watched the films first and then got into the books. I highly recommend it.”They are all talking about The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a series of seven books written by C. S. Lewis between 1950 and 1956.The novels include The Lion, the ...

Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe in the hit TV adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's books (Image: ITV)Since Sharpe’s Eagle introduced the “tall, black-haired lieutenant with the slung rifle and the scar” in 1981, Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling Napoleonic Wars-era novels have invariably ended with the promise of further adventures. The latest in the mind-blowingly popular series, brought to life on TV starring Sean Bean as the roguish rifleman, ends slightly more equivocally however. Rather than promising in his afterword that Richard Sharpe and Sergeant Patrick Harper will “march again” as has been his custom, Cornwell writes: “I hope they do, but can make no promises.”Visiting London to launch his new book, Sharpe’s Storm, the 24th in the series, of which more shortly, the author wryly admits h...