Light reads, accessible history and gripping novels are championed by the people we asked to recommend their best reads of 2017, writes Richard Fitzpatrick.

Pearson is set to raise $1bn (€877m) from the sale of a 22% stake in Penguin Random House to majority owner Bertelsmann, in the British group’s latest bid to rebuild following a string of profit warnings.

The crisis engulfing Pearson deepened after the education company cut its profit forecast and predicted years of gloom in the US market, forcing it to slash its dividend and put its stake in the famous Penguin Random House book business up for sale to raise cash.

Tributes have been paid to the late novelist William Trevor, who has passed away at the age of 88.

TriPlay today launched eStories to offer audiobook fans an alternative to Amazon’s dominance with Audible.

A for almond, B for blue cheese, C for caramel, D for dumplings, E for eggs, F for fat and so on.

Some of the stranger stories from around the world.

A giant of English film and theatre, Ian McKellan looks set to enchant another generation with his portrayal of London’s most famous detective as a frail recluse in his 90s says Will Lawrence

For a monthly fee now you can listen to all the deaths in the entire Game of Thrones book series, thanks to the Scribd service

Terry Pratchett spoke candidly about facing his own death after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Sinead O’Connor is writing an autobiography in which she promises to dish “the sexual dirt” on her former partners.

Random House and Penguin Group have completed a planned merger which creates the world’s largest publisher of consumer books.

The proposed merger of Penguin and Random House that will create the world’s largest book publisher has been given the green light by the EU’s competition watchdog.

The proposed merger of Penguin and Random House that will create the world’s largest book publisher has been given the green light by the EU’s competition watchdog.

Britain’s Pearson and Germany’s Bertelsmann are to merge their publishing units, Penguin and Random House, to recover ground lost to technology groups.