Books
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Stéphane Bourgoin, whose books about murderers have sold millions, says he invented much of his experience, including training with FBI
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From Beyoncé to Greta Thunberg, sex strikes to civil rights, its time to repurpose classical mythology as a force for liberation
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This fantasy novel brings meticulous craft to its gothic story of fairies and God-fearing Victorians
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Pulpy crime fiction and avant-garde archness combine for an exuberant take on literary life -
Daniel Defoe clearly relied on his imagination to write his history, but where he invented scenes it was in the spirit of a larger truth
Lockdown reading
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From Hilary Mantel to Kazuo Ishiguro and Marlon James to Sebastian Barry, writers share their favourite literary comforts -
This fantasy novel brings meticulous craft to its gothic story of fairies and God-fearing Victorians
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The Yale historian argues that diseases have shaped humanity as much as war – abetted by the hubris of our leaders -
Informed by myth, this damning exploration of man’s detachment from the animal world is the ninth in a staggeringly learned series -
The film-maker can be brutally honest but also a bore, and neither he nor Mia Farrow come out of his autobiography well
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Magical touches blend with precise realism in this bittersweet tale of a mermaid trying to put the sea behind her -
How to Wash a Heart by Bhanu Kapil; Saffron Jack by Rishi Dastidar; The Atlas of Lost Beliefs by Ranjit Hoskote; and Shine, Darling by Ella Frears -
Shriver’s contentious views on diversity thread through the story of a couple’s strained relationship with exercise
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This original, sharp debut novel explores what it means to be a young ambitious black man in Britain -
Humour abounds in a tender tale of marital intrigue that gently teases state-sanctioned attitudes towards the roles of husband and wife -
From abandoned quarries to dingy pubs, tales of love and loss form a novel full of insight, empathy and wry laughter
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A young heroine finds danger as well as friendship and hope in a cold war America populated with dragons -
Like so many things loved by teenage girls, Stephenie Meyer’s books have been dismissed as rubbish. I thought this too - until I discovered how addictive and erotic they are -
After a dangerous illness the children’s author is high-risk for coronavirus, but she insists there’s a positive side to lockdown
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The historian offers a hopeful view of human nature in his latest book, Humankind. It couldn’t have come at a better time -
The Swedish author, whose life was laid bare in controversial novels by her ex-husband, is successfully reviving her own career -
The Pulitzer prize winner on the freedom that comes with age, how he reinvented his writing life and overcoming childhood dyslexia
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In the End of October, a horrifying virus brings the world to standstill, a situation that the author has now seen for himself -
After a dangerous illness the children’s author is high-risk for coronavirus, but she insists there’s a positive side to lockdown
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A routine medical brought life-changing news for the comedian and author. And the curious thing was he’d predicted it in his new novel
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Daniel Defoe clearly relied on his imagination to write his history, but where he invented scenes it was in the spirit of a larger truth
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This fizzing response to seeing the Northern Lights steps carefully around cosmic visions
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Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of them
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Francesca Segal recommends literary explorations of new emotional territory
What to read
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Dazzling debut novels, searing polemics, the history of humanity and trailblazing memoirs ... Read our pick of the best books since 2000 -
The comic essayist on crying over Olive Kitteridge, his love for Richard Yates and the books that make him laugh
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From the secret diaries of a junior doctor to a lawyer who can’t stop walking … heartbreak and humour in tales of meltdown -
From memoirs and history to verse and fiction, the best writing about Iran has a uniquely poetic touch
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After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has concluded his selection of the 100 greatest nonfiction books of all time. Take a quick look back at five centuries of great writing -
Robert McCrum has reached a verdict on his selection of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Take a look at his list
You may have missed
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While bookshops and publishers struggle to survive the pandemic, some industry leaders sense an opportunity for permanent change -
As authors from Chaucer to Hollinghurst have shown, sex reveals our emotions, instincts and morals. The question is not why write about sex, claims author Garth Greenwell, it’s why write about anything else? -
In this extract from her Griffith Review essay the author wrestles with ageing and the deep need to keep writing -
As sales of literary heavyweights soar, Booker winner Penelope Lively says that getting lost in a good book is now more relevant than it has ever been
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Top 10 Books about Iran