Here are five newly published books for your precious reading time.

Indonesia is heaven for delicious foods but many of the delicacies lie in a gray area, which a new book is trying to clear up.

Get ready to return to a world of alethiometers, daemons and armored polar bears. Acclaimed English author Phillip Pullman has announced the publication of a long-awaited follow-up to his bestselling His Dark Materials novels.

The life of Natasha Mannuela, a woman from Bangka Belitung province in Sumatra who was the second runner-up in the Miss World 2016 pageant, revolves around two worlds: business and entertainment.

A book discussion shares an effective way to fight social discord stemming from political and religious differences.

Salman Rushdie's next novel will be a take on the age of Obama, with an added dash of Trump.

Maturity at last. A novel from Australia that treats Indonesia as a real place, not an Eat, Pray, Love fantasyland of frangipani maidens in sun-kissed paddy fields.

Books are for both business and pleasure for Bentang Pustaka publishing house’s CEO Salman Faridi. After returning from Singapore’s StoryDrive event in November, he is currently conducting content experiments with writing and reading platforms like Wattpad.

George RR Martin recently confirmed reports that he is in the midst of writing a new story set in his Song of Ice and Fire universe, eliciting sighs of both relief and frustration from fans who have been waiting for the next chronological installment to the series, Winds of Winter, for nearly seven years.

Published just before the 200th anniversary of Tambora’s catastrophic eruption in 2015, Tambora: Travels to Sumbawa’s author Derek Pugh managed to get a copy into the hands of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on the occasion of the inauguration of Tambora National Park.

Karan Johar — a Bollywood movie director, owner of a successful production house, talk-show host and a distinguished symbol of Indian cinema — has caused a stir about homosexuality in India with the recent publication of his memoir, An Unsuitable Boy.

Talented young chef Budi Lee has traveled the world to spread his passion for Indonesian food yet he still finds time to read. 

More than a century after his death, Mark Twain's publishing life continues.

Ann Patchett, Michael Chabon and Zadie Smith were among the nominees announced Tuesday for the National Book Critics Circle Awards.

Richard Carlson's first book Don't Sweat Small Stuff brought so many benefits to my personal and professional life. How we interact with other human beings, become a good listener, how to deal with stressful situations and much more.

Haruki Murakami's new book has a title, though its content remains a mystery.

Historian Bonnie Triyana cannot get enough of history. Even his choice of fiction books must have an historical context or background in them. “I love reading non-fiction historical books but I also love fiction novels that have historical backgrounds and themes,” Bonnie told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.

In Everything Belongs to the Future it is the year 2099, and the first recipients of a powerful life-extending blue pill are approaching their centennial. However, this drug, dubbed “the Fix”, comes with a price tag that puts it out of reach for the poor and those not deemed worthy of a company-sponsored script. Naturally, not everyone is happy about this.

J.K. Rowling is not done with the story of "Fantastic Beasts."

For those who, like me, spent 2014 and 2015 obsessing over the hit podcast Serial and think they know all the aspects of the once shut-down murder case involving life-sentenced inmate Adnan Syed, think again.

Based on those surveys and quizzes, it found that Indonesian youngsters are not entirely aware of Indonesian literature. None of the respondents got a perfect score, and most are not even familiar with some of the names of the writers being mentioned. Even a simple question like “name three Indonesian books” was difficult to answer. On top of that, it was easier for them to answer questions about English books instead. 

An annotated edition of "Mein Kampf," Adolf Hitler's notorious manifesto, has become a non-fiction best-seller in Germany. The publisher said Tuesday that a sixth print run will go on sale later this month.

It’s the holiday season, but if 2016 has been so tiring that a vacation is out of the question, why not make a cup of tea and escape into the pages of a good book instead?

"The Princess Diarist" (Blue Rider Press), by Carrie Fisher

Italian explorer and scientist Elio Modigliani literally took his life in his hands as he ventured to the southern part of the island of Nias from April to September 1886. In a feat worthy of Indiana Jones, the Florentine braved the headhunting tribes of the area and managed to keep his head during the expedition, which was commissioned by the National Anthropological and Ethnographic Museum in Florence.

Indonesia’s largest media and publishing company, Kompas Gramedia, has acquired e-book and digital newsstand start-up Scoop.

Sarah Tiffin, through her new book with the National University of Singapore Press, Southeast Asia in Ruins: Art and Empire in the Early 19th Century, enumerates the importance of Raffles’ text during a period of history when colonialism was justified through art and its interpretation.

Pitt’s memoir, My Brain on Fire is his fifth book, after Paris Postcards, Paris: A Journey Through Time, Small Moment of Great Illuminations, Walks through Lost Paris plus countless presentations. His memoir only skims the surface of riveting experiences in the United States, Paris and Bali.

Imagine a new picture book based on a famous song.

When it comes to Jane Austen’s rich tapestry of work, Northanger Abbey is one of her most underrated novels.