Good day book people. As requested, TLS has now moved to a Monday slot.

A great deal has happened in the books world since the last blog: The Women's prize for fiction was awarded to AM Homes, Kevin Barry won the Impac prize, and the excellent Iain Banks died.

When the news was announced on Sunday afternoon, the tributes poured in from authors, readers and even politicians - Alex Salmond tweeted his condolences. There are quite a few pieces on our site paying tribute to Banks, including a pieces by Ken MacLeod and Neil Gaiman, which I recommend reading. 'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent.;' Writes Gaiman, 'In person, he was funny and cheerful and always easy to talk to.' You can read the piece here. The other Banks piece I'd like to recommend is this podcast from the Book club event he did with us back in October last year. Listen to him in conversation with John Mullan talking about the very first of his The Culture novels, Use of Weapons.

To continue with the new feature, What the book's desk is reading:
• Mrs Robinson's Disgrace by Kate Summerscale (Hannah - still reading not because I'm not enjoying it, but because I accidentally left the book on my desk all week)
• Homeland by Cory Doctorow (Claire)
• The Ocean at the End of the Road by Neil Gaiman (all of us when we can get our hands on the one copy)
• The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (Ginny is re-rereading it)

The books we are reviewing this week

Non-fiction

• Jane Austen, Game Theorist by Michael Chwe
• Five Days in May by Andrew Adonis
• The People's Songs by Stuart Maconie
• The Anatomy of Violence by Adrian Raine
• Harvey Loco by Rayya Elias
• The North by Paul Morley
• Letters of William Gaddis

Fiction

• Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Night of Triumph by Peter Bradshaw
• Joyland by Stephen King
• Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
• Constance by Patrick McGrath
• Damn His Blood by Peter Moore

Children's
• Moon Bear by Gill Lewis