FOURTH WING Series Ordered And Michael B. Jordan Is Producing It

Imprisoned writers rise to 400 worldwide

PEN America alerted us to a disturbing trend. Since the organization published its Writing Freedom Index in 2019, the number of writers in prison has increased by 68%. In 2025, 401 writers were imprisoned in 44 countries. China has the highest number of writers in prison (119), while countries engaged in armed conflict, such as Iran, Russia, and the occupied Israeli/Palestinian territories, also rank high. Additionally, new countries have been added to the index: Togo, Mozambique, and the United States. British opinion writer and columnist Sami Hamdi, a writer detained in the US, is believed to be a victim of the current administration’s weaponization of ICE.

The Guardian has launched a countdown for the best novel published in English, allowing readers to vote.

Guardian’s The announcement of the list of the 100 best novels ever published in English is really interesting. We are releasing 20 books at a time and the next batch will be released tomorrow. Books ranked 100 to 81 include a variety of publication years, a small number of translated works, and a small number of authors of color. This list was compiled with the help of 172 authors, scholars, and critics to list and rank the top 10 novels.

You can also join in on the list fun by filling out the form to vote for up to three books you think are the best ever published in English.

Digging into what makes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a classic

What is the best book ever published in English? Guardian’s Voters will rank Fitzgerald’s “champagne-poppin’ classic “The Great Gatsby,” set in the 20s. My money is on being in the top 20.