The borough’s high house prices, thriving arts scene and low crime rates helped lift it above Croydon, which came second despite last summer’s riots. Kingston is home to TV funny man Jimmy Tarbuck, children’s author Enid Blyton and England rugby...

Specsavers in Bridge Street, Banbury has launched a spectacular short story competition to find the town’s most talented young writers. The store is asking youngsters to put their creative skills to the test and write a short story, no longer than 500...

The renaissance of Urdu classics for this generation, who grew up reading Enid Blyton, remained the hot topic under discussion by a panel of the game changers of Urdu literature. While at it, they also talked about why modern Urdu writers failed to...

“The first was Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator, and you still do,” he says. She: “So have you read the last one I gave you, [creepy thriller] Those Across the River?” He: “No, but it’s by my bed.” For being such an attentive big...

I no longer remember why I liked mirrors, but I doubt I was admiring myself. Perhaps I was looking at that girl called me—her unfortunate teeth, short hair, big eyes. Anyway, by the time I was eight, I’d discovered Enid Blyton and stopped thinking...

I was 9 when I first opened the glass doors and browsed, first enjoying the old line illustrations by Boz, but then, attracted by the chapter titles, starting to read Great Expectations. Still fed by Enid Blyton, I didn’t know what to expect. How could...