Bits and pieces

Bookdaddy taunts Mitch Albom a second time.

The Guardian asked the literary set (and others) to name their fave reads of 2006. Given the range of people asked you hear about the latest Richard Ford (whose work John Banville compares to Proust's), but also about books like The Worst of All Evils, the Fight Against Pain.

The Washington Post likes the new Barry Unsworth. There is also an enjoyable comparison review of two new Al Qaeda books. It's written by Michael Scheuer, author of Imperial Hubris and one unafraid to speak his mind, as seen here: "One can only hope that Louise Richardson's What Terrorists Want will prove the last shriek from the academy's antiquated terrorism experts, who are reluctant to admit that al-Qaeda poses a unique menace