Piracy crackdowns from India to Italy, a streaming surge in Taiwan and a proposed 20‑year ban on senior officials’ memoirs set the tone for the publishing industry. China’s December charts were packed with classics and self‑help while Amazon’s new 11‑inch Kindle Scribe wowed reviewers with its note‑taking and AI features. Critics praised Mark Haddon’s raw memoir, Michael Pollan’s mind‑expanding treatise on consciousness, and Seán Farrell’s charming Irish debut, and ranked Maggie O’Farrell’s best novels as *Hamnet* heads to the Oscars. Crime fans got a bumper crop of new thrillers and a nostalgic tribute to William Conrad, while podcasts explored memoir as art, and a history feature remembered Malcolm X’s assassination.
Publishing Industry News
Publishing Perspectives’ international round‑up spotlighted anti‑piracy crackdowns in India and Italy, Taiwan’s rapid shift towards audiobook streaming and France’s free digital training sessions for publishers. The piece argues that new business models are needed to convert the demand currently met by piracy into legitimate sales, especially as streaming reshapes consumer expectations.
In its analysis of China’s December 2025 book market, Publishing Perspectives reports that classics, series fiction and prescriptive nonfiction dominated sales. Physical bookstores emphasised cognitive and emotional guidance while online retailers promoted quick self‑improvement tools, illustrating how reader preferences diverge across channels.
Frontlist reveals that India’s government is considering a 20‑year cooling‑off period before retired civil and military officials may publish memoirs. The proposal follows a political row over a leaked draft of former army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane’s unpublished memoir *Four Stars of Destiny* and reflects official worries about sensitive information being disclosed.
Notable Book News & Book Reviews
The Washington Post praises Mark Haddon’s memoir for its mosaic of 87 non‑chronological sections that blend trauma, humour and empathy to recount his anxious, possibly abusive upbringing. Reviewer Ron Charles notes that the author of *The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night‑Time* retains compassion while exposing a cold childhood.
The Guardian calls Michael Pollan’s latest book a mind‑expanding exploration of consciousness that rejects mechanistic metaphors. Drawing on neuroscience, philosophy, plant neurobiology and psychedelic experiences, Pollan suggests that minds may be more like gardens than machines and invites readers to rethink how and why we are self‑aware.
This Guardian review praises Seán Farrell’s debut novel for its child’s‑eye view of rural Ireland in 1988, mixing humour and pathos as an 11‑year‑old who lives feral with his healing‑practitioner mother befriends an older man. Although occasional narrative shifts jar, the reviewer admires the book’s charm and the boy’s mispronunciations and misadventures.
Carol Rumens selects two time‑stamped poems from Matthew Rice’s book‑length sequence about a factory night shift, capturing the human and mechanical rhythms of industrial life. The Guardian piece invites readers to savour the empathy and quiet intensity with which Rice depicts his co‑workers’ fleeting thoughts and movements.
As Maggie O’Farrell’s Women’s prize‑winning novel heads to the Oscars, Alex Clark ranks her best works from a life‑affirming memoir to novels about new motherhood and mortality. The piece encourages readers to debate where *Hamnet* fits among O’Farrell’s oeuvre and highlights her talent for weaving family stories with historical moments.
BookBrunch reports that MC Grammar, Rob Biddulph and Maisie Chan have made the shortlist for the 2026 Ruth Rendell Award, which honours authors who promote literacy and reading. The shortlist recognises creators who inspire children to engage with books through storytelling and outreach.
Books Ireland magazine announces that Richard Tyrrell’s debut novel will launch on 19 February at Books Upstairs in Dublin. The community‑focused tale follows a man who secretly tames a fox and must face a media storm when his secret is exposed, promising both humour and heart.
Good e‑Reader offers an early review of Amazon’s new 11‑inch Kindle Scribe, praising its crisp 300‑ppi front‑lit E‑Ink screen, the ability to write directly in books, edit PDFs and generate AI‑powered summaries. The device includes a premium stylus, customizable notebooks and cloud syncing, signalling a shift toward e‑readers that double as digital notebooks.
CrimeReads highlights ten new crime and thriller titles hitting shelves on 16 February 2026, from Naomi Hirahara’s *Crown City* to MK Oliver’s *A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage*. The piece provides tantalising quotes and synopses that showcase fresh voices and suspenseful plots for fans of whodunnits and noir.
Another CrimeReads essay celebrates actor William Conrad’s multifaceted career as a film noir star, television actor, voiceover legend and film director. It notes his resonant voice in radio westerns like *Gunsmoke*, his cartoon narration and his work behind the camera, painting a richer picture than the “heavy” roles he was often given.
On Literary Hub’s *Memoir Nation* podcast, Sarah Aziza discusses her experimental memoir *The Hollow Half*, blending personal history, dreams and craft choices to challenge what a memoir can be. She reflects on turning family trauma and displacement into an artful narrative that resists linear storytelling.
On the First Draft podcast, novelist David Guterson explains that his new novel *Evelyn in Transit* uses a spare, vignette‑driven structure to juxtapose two lives. He describes the shift as a deliberate move away from his earlier expansive style, creating a quieter rhythm and leaving space for readers’ interpretations.
Literary Hub marks the anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination by quoting James Baldwin’s observation that the fatal bullet “was forged in the crucible of the West” and reproducing Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter to Betty Shabazz. The piece urges readers to reflect on the systemic racism that underpinned the killing and continues to shape literary and cultural discourse.
