Here's a question every writer gets from time to time: if I borrow your book from the library, aren't I depriving you of income? Maybe not. In fact you may well be helping us in what's rarely a well-paid profession. Libraries buy their ebook licences in the first place. In over thirty countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, though sadly not the US, authors are paid every time a book is borrowed, through a scheme called Public Lending Right.

The Ateneo Veneto is Venice Noir’s spiritual home, a little-known spot that opened its doors to us when we were just a tiny band of book lovers with big ideas. Let me introduce you to this wondrous place. It began, in the mid-1400s, as a merger of two lay confraternities, the Scuola di San Girolamo and the Scuola di Santa Maria della Consolazione.

ALT: Lazy Cat Stairs

Ancient public clocks in Venice used different rules as clocks nowadays. Public clocks governed finance, politics and scientific knowledge.

Forestry England is introducing charges for parking at King's Wood near Ashford from October.

Hallelujah... you've finished your first draft. A complete book. Well done. And from the outside you've probably had a working title in mind. And now — probably — you know it isn't going to work. Working titles are useful because they give you something to call the thing while you write it, a handle to grab hold of in the dark.

Ian Rankin said last year’s Venice Noir was ‘the most beautiful book festival in the world’. We aim to top that in 2026 with a greater range of international and Italian authors, more historic venues, and an exciting and original array of panels. Let me give you a few tips on what we have to offer and how you can make the most of it.

David Hewson takes a break from Venice's usual pasta-and-pizza menus at Oppo, a Korean-Chinese spot near Santa Lucia serving genuine dishes at bargain prices.

A confession. Much as I love the local food, there are times I look at the classic Venetian menu — baccalà, spaghetti alle vongole, pizza — and think… it’s time for a change. There is a bit of a lack of variety in the standard restaurant cuisine not just of Venice but Italy at large. Places tend to focus on producing their best version of standard local dishes, which is fine most of the time.

ALT: Muppets Vincent Price