The Sixty-Nine-Years-Overdue Library Book, and Other News

“An Estonian man has returned a library book sixty-nine years late, partly blaming a World War II aerial bombing that damaged the library for the late return.” They bought this excuse; no fine was levied. 
“Maurice, aged seven, drew the illustrations for ‘They Were Inseparable,’ and his brother Jack, who was twelve, composed the text. The book was dedicated to their sixteen-year-old sister with whom they were both infatuated.” Avi Steinberg on the Sendak family.
Is this the best palindrome of the year? (Were there others?)
The Bloomsbury guide to surviving London disasters.
The nominees for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (née Orange Prize) have been announced.