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Sunjeev Sahota's Man Booker-shortlisted The Year of the Runaways has made it onto the shortlist for the International Dylan Thomas prize 2016. The prize, named after the Welsh poet who died in 1953 aged 39, is awarded for the best work of English-language fiction by an author aged 39 or under. Author Sarah Hall said that the books on the shortlist "have perhaps only one thing in common - literary ambition and the breathtakingly successful execution of their visions". The winner of the prize will be announced on International Dylan Thomas Day,15th May, at a gala ceremony in Swansea University's Great Hall.

Caroline Criado-Perez's book Do It Like A Woman has been voted Book of the Year by BookLife, a Nudge reading group. Do It Like A Woman sheds light on the unrecognised stories of amazing women, who have been hidden from view by a public culture dominated by men. The book draws attention to the sportswomen, activists, game-changers, leaders and even the beer-drinkers who are re-defining what woman can do in the 21st century. One voter said: "This is a book that shows women what they can achieve despite any circumstance."

Gavin McCrea's Mrs Engels and Jason Hewitt's Devastation Road are among the thirteen books selected for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction's 2016 longlist. The Chair of Judges, Alistair Moffat, said: "The thirteen books that make up our longlist are the most illuminating, entertaining, and sweeping of those submissions that fitted our rules on timespan. The judges and readers who collate the longlist had to make difficult decisions, and also had to ask pertinent questions about the nature of fiction that flows between the past and the present. What is the relationship between contemporary recollection and the reliability of memory? Where does history cease and myth begin?" The shortlist will be announced in March, and the winner will be revealed at the Borders Book Festival on 18th June.

The launch of Elly Griffith's new website coincides with the recent publication of the eighth book in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mystery series, The Woman in Blue, and offers readers information about events, book releases, and reviews.

This week sees the publication of violinist Edward Dusinberre?s brilliant book on Beethoven and quartet playing, Beethoven for a Later Age. Hear him talk about it on Monday?s Start the Week.

Marina Benjamin, whose forthcoming book on middle age The Middlepause: On Turning 50 is published by Scribe in May, has just written this brilliant piece on gambling for Aeon magazine.

In this Faber podcast to mark the publication of his new book, Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet, Edward Dusinberre gives us a glimpse of his life in the world-renowned Tak?cs Quartet and introduces us to the story behind Beethoven?s masterpieces ? their technical difficulties, their significance for performers and audiences around the world, as well as what they signify for him personally. Edward Dusinberre is first violinist of the Tak?cs Quartet. Performances of Beethoven have shaped their work together for over forty years. Using the history of both the Tak?cs Quartet and the Beethoven quartets as the backbone to his story, Dusinberre recounts the exhilarating challenge of tackling these pieces. In an accessible style, suitable for novices and chamber music enthusiasts alike, Dusinberre illuminates the variety and inherent contradictions of Beethoven?s quartets, composed against the turbulent backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath, and shows that engaging with this radical music continues to be as invigorating now as it was for its first performers and audiences. https://soundcloud.com/faberbooks/beethoven-for-a-later-age

Sunjeev Sahota has been selected as one of twelve authors who have made the longlist for International Dylan Thomas Award, for his second novel, the Man Booker-shortlisted The Year of the Runaways. The prestigious prize is sponsored by Swansea University, and will be awarded to the best eligible published literary work in English, written by an author aged 39 or under. Judges for this year include Phyllida Lloyd CBE and Professor Owen Shears. Dai Smith, chair of the judging panel, said: "Wow! The longlist exceeds all expectation in its range of genres and the breathtaking quality of the writing. At this stage the only certainty now is that the Judges will end up with an exceptionally strong short list of six stunningly gifted authors.? The shortlist will be announced in March, and the winner will be unveiled at a gala ceremony in Swansea University's Great Hall on International Dylan Thomas Day, 14th May 2016. http://www.swansea.ac.uk/dylan-thomas-prize/

Lucy Hawking is devoted to her mission of making science more accessible for girls ? but even she had a difficult start. In this interview with Vogue India, Lucy talks about the experiences of women working in science, and how writing the George series unites her love for science with her love for literature. http://www.vogue.in/content/what-is-it-like-to-be-stephen-hawkings-daughter/

Amongst other more post-festive health features in this episode, Gabriel Weston meets a woman who has her sight restored for the first time in 16 years, thanks to a bionic eye. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04j9gny

Cameron McAllister's novel The Tin Snail, a delicious reimagining for children of the invention of the Citroen 2CV, is published in the States this month and has been picked by Amazon.com as one of their best books for January. Vive the Tin Snail!

Rob Penn's brilliant book about the Ash tree The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees was serialised on Radio 4's 'Book of the Week' just before Christmas. Catch up here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06s8716

At nearly 98 years old, author Diana Athill has published a new volume of memoirs, detailing lovers, miscarriage and growing old. Jon Snow went to her retirement home yesterday to talk about Alive, Alive Oh! and her lifetime of breaking taboos. Catch-up here: http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up

When asked about the meaning of the late string quartets Beethoven famously remarked 'Oh those are not for you, they are for a later age.' Has that later age arrived? In a talk on the 7th Feb, illustrated by musical excerpts both recorded and live, the leader of the Tak?cs Quartet, Edward Dusinberre, will discuss the significance and challenge of these extraordinary pieces of music with editor-in-chief of Gramophone James Jolly. Presented in association with Gramophone and EFG International, more info here: http://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/events/2016/2/beethoven-for-a-later-age-edward-dusinberre-and-james-jolly