Books
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Nations don’t always learn from historyWhen The Bastard of Istanbul was published in Turkey in 2006, the author was accused of insulting her homeland. Sadly, things have been getting worse since then … -
David Crystal on how pronunciation provokes passionate reactionsAuditory beauty lies in the ear of the listener but to focus on sounds we don’t like is to miss out on the riches, power and beauty of the English sound system
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Two hours writing, then a researcher knocks on the door with a pipetteThe author and oncologist on his red suede writing couch, his admiration for Orwell and his love of cell biology -
Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone – an action-packed adventureIce Queen meets Fur tribe in a warm and exciting tale about the magic of wilderness
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Blood on the Page by Thomas Harding – the first British murder trial held in secretA man is found dead in his London home. The killer is jailed. But is it all a high-level cover-up?
News
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Why is the cover so ugly?The bestselling Donald Trump exposé has a startlingly bald, plain cover – but that is in keeping with the no-frills conventions of the politics genre
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Mexican scrambled egg overload – and other reasons why I hate celebrity diet booksWhether it’s titles by top cooks (Gordon Ramsay) or post-weight loss C-listers (Lisa Riley), the annual parade of diet books are stuffed with daft rules and faddish ingredients. Give it a rest, says the Angry Chef
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Books coming in 2018
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A literary calendarEssays from Zadie Smith, Arnhem from Antony Beevor and novels from Julian Barnes, Sarah Perry, Pat Barker, Rachel Cusk … and Bill Clinton. Place your book orders now
Regulars
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Book of the dayBook of the dayThe Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor review – a new light on Reservoir 13The Costa award-winner returns to the scenes of his success with a collection of linked stories
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PodcastPodcastJonathan Safran Foer on Aleksandar Hemon's The Bees, Part 1 – short story podcastJonathan Safran Foer explains why he loves this tale about the Bosnian author’s father, which is then read by Chris Moran
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The books that made me ...The books that made me ...Jim Crace: ‘I’ve never had much luck with Proust, Tolkien or Trollope’The author of Harvest on why Kerouac is overrated, the importance of Dr Seuss, and why he will never be parted with his 1955 edition of Roget’s Thesaurus
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Novel recipesNovel recipesNovel recipes: eggs Benedict from Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NgWhile reading Ng’s dramatic novel set in American suburbia, Kate Young is inspired by a mention of her favourite brunch meal – and has tips for those dreading making their own hollandaise
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Writer’s Luck: A Memoir 1976-1991 by David LodgeWhere is the accomplished comic novelist in this over-detailed, prickly account, which has only flashes of moving writing and entertaining gossip
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My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner – a German against the NazisA remarkable testament to an individual’s recognition and hatred of the crimes of the Third Reich throughout the second world war
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Enemies Within by Richard Davenport-Hines – the Cambridge spies and distrust of the eliteDid Burgess, Philby and Maclean wreak more damage to the British establishment following their exposure than they had while they were actually spying?
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Gorbachev: His Life and Times by William Taubman – the mysteries remainA phenomenally researched life of the man who did more than any other to change Europe and the world in the last half of the 20th century
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A History of Judaism by Martin Goodman and Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492-1900 by Simon SchamaGoodman details the complex history of a dynamic religion while Schama’s immersive book resists bleakness, his varied protagonists blazing with vitality
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When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing – a timely guideDaniel H Pink’s engaging book reveals the best times of day to make optimum decisions
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The Unmapped Country: Stories & Fragments by Ann QuinThe adventurous spirit of a cult author from the 1960s animates tales of sex and psychiatry
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Salt by David Harsent – studies in human fear and frailtyThese poems, rarely more than five lines long, ‘form a ricochet of echoes’
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This is one of the best graphic novels of all timeThis touching, passionate account of growing up in the American midwest is officially released for the first time in the UK
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The Noise of a Fly by Douglas Dunn – shortlisted for the TS Eliot prizeLarkin’s influence is still strong in this collection, which illuminates the natural world and the coming of old age
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Turning for Home by Barney Norris – anorexia and IRA secretsThe second novel from a rising literary star is a tale of public and private reconciliations
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Lullaby by Leila Slimani – a truly horrific, sublime thrillerThis tense, deftly written novel about a perfect nanny’s transition into a monster will take your breath away
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Star in the Jar – magical story of loss and sibling loveSam Hay’s warm-hearted tale explores the wonders of the night sky
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The only time kids fully understand the world is when they readThe winner of the Costa children’s award on academia, adventure and her wild childhood in Zimbabwe
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I use coloured pencils to show which key I’m writing in – D minor, at the momentThe author on the importance of desk height, watching birds and Myriorama cards
People
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I’ve never had much luck with Proust, Tolkien or TrollopeThe author of Harvest on why Kerouac is overrated, the importance of Dr Seuss, and why he will never be parted with his 1955 edition of Roget’s Thesaurus
Pictures, video & audio
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Jonathan Safran Foer on Aleksandar Hemon's The Bees, Part 1Jonathan Safran Foer explains why he loves this tale about the Bosnian author’s father, which is then read by Chris Moran
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David Mitchell on The Monkey's Paw by WW JacobsCloud Atlas author David Mitchell introduces one of the great, early 20th century horror stories: WW Jacobs’s spine-tingling The Monkey’s Paw
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Stephen Fry on Saki's Sredni VashtarA small boy’s rebellion takes a sinister turn in Saki’s classic tale – a story loved by Stephen Fry, who explains why
You may have missed
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What literature reveals about how we treat disabilitiesDisability is everywhere in literature, across all periods and genres – which can show us the way to go beyond stereotypes today
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Have you been paying attention?Terry Pratchett destroyed his unfinished works beyond the grave, Arundhari Roy made a return to fiction, and which politician keeps their iPad in a biscuit tin? Test your knowledge of the books and events of 2017 with our quiz
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Authors reveal their dream retreatsA hotel on the Moray Firth estuary; an adrenaline-filled auction room in west London; an ad man’s office in Manhattan on DVD … AL Kennedy, William Boyd and others celebrate their cultural hideouts
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Indie publishers on their favourite books of the yearIndia’s answer to Lear, a teen tale set amid the London riots and the first great book on grime. Experts pick 2017’s smartest, oddest and most overlooked reads
Frankenstein at 200 Why hasn't Mary Shelley been given the respect she deserves?
Facts and figures Mary Shelley's Frankenstein – in charts