Books
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The investigative journalist examines key episodes from the Met’s recent history, with frank contributions from insiders, in a book that should be essential reading for the new commissioner -
The Victorian biologist and anthropologist TH Huxley and his Unesco director grandson, Julian, are compelling twin poles in this wonderfully ambitious saga of a scientific dynasty
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A murky alliance between intelligence agencies, among them the UK and US, is revealed in a scandalous tale of mistrust and misjudgment, including British teenager Shamima Begum being smuggled into Syria by a Canadian spy -
In a disarmingly candid memoir, the Blur guitarist relates the madness of fame and addiction, his unease with Britpop, and how folk led him to greener pastures -
The award-winning Argentinian author on how the language of horror fiction merges with her country’s history, what Stephen King taught her about writing and using ‘testers’ for her male sex scenes
What to read
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From Ukrainian history to Putin’s kleptocracy and Gogol’s stories, author and former Russia correspondent Oliver Bullough chooses the best titles -
Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some brilliant new paperbacks, from reflections on Ukraine to intimate, uncanny novels -
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It requires an iron self-discipline to get through more than 400 pages of sympathy for our disgraced former prime minister -
Lucian Freud’s letters reveal the artist in all his rambunctious, irreverent and amusing glory -
The great historian’s analyses of a dozen 20th-century democrats and dictators are individually cogent but his conclusions tend to the obvious -
From heroin addiction to band breakups, the singer-songwriter opens up about his past and the agony of losing a son
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This follow-up to the Booker-shortlisted Oh William! is a wondrously living record of pandemic pressures and the power of the past -
A fascinating meditation on Black female creativity from the author of Corregidora and Palmares -
The American poet faces the future anguished but unblinking in this magnificent collection of her four most recent books
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The 2014 resistance movement is the battleground for this powerful debut that has much to say about the war of today -
Shamsie’s latest novel deftly follows a friendship forged in a Pakistan school over 30 years, but where is the tension? -
In weaving together the stories of two gay men, the award-winning Syrian-Canadian author constructs a vivid portrait of life under Assad
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A tender portrait of adoption; a zebra on the run; an uplifting poetry anthology; an exceptional YA debut; and more -
Frances Hardinge’s gripping tale of redemption, stories of the Syrian war and a Swiss finishing school for the undead -
Bad manners in the jungle; a magical inner-city tree; galactic danger; a conservationist call to arms; plus the best new YA novels
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The author on his latest ‘whole-life’ novel, the brutal realities of modern publishing and the inspirational influence of Catch-22 -
Elizabeth Strout There’s a quiet rumbling of violence in America. Is it going to expand and explode?
The Booker-shortlisted author on the enduring popularity of Olive Kitteridge, cancel culture and why she couldn’t avoid US politics in her latest Lucy Barton novel -
The US playwright on the traumatic impact of Bell’s palsy on her life, the dangers of judging on appearances and why Jo from Little Women is her literary heroine
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The Atonement author answers your questions on why he continues to write to what he would do if he wasn’t a novelist -
The Salvadorian poet on his journey to the US as a nine-year-old, the exciting literature coming from his homeland – and why he is indebted to Dave Eggers -
Nobel prize winner Orhan Pamuk on Salman Rushdie’s attack, responding to extremism in Turkey – and his new, oddly prophetic, pandemic novel
Regulars
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The author on the underrated brilliance of PG Wodehouse, taking inspiration from Harper Lee, and the play that made her think differently about Northern Ireland -
The leader of the Harlem Renaissance wrote poems and plays, short stories and children’s books. If you’re new to Hughes’ work, here are some good places to begin -
Put any biases aside and you might just become a ‘superforecaster’
You may have missed
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In The Jukebox Heart, this posthumously released work, the great singer-songwriter imagines a young romantic courting a mysterious, beautiful woman. Will it end in Hallelujah – or so long Mariette? -
The beloved writer of the Wolf Hall trilogy and Beyond Black has died. Here, leading contemporaries pay tribute -
Growing up in Pakistan , the novelist experienced the euphoria of free elections and the disillusionment when vested interests reasserted themselves. She reflects on the parallels with Westminster today -
After he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Discworld author began an autobiography. He never finished it, but seven years after his death, his long-time assistant has taken up the task
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