LITERARY FICTION The title of this hefty, elliptical, 1970s, Delhi-set saga plays on the (now re‑named) Fair & Lovely brand of skin-lightening cream LITERARY FICTION  FEAR AND LOVELY by Anjana Appachana (Verve £19.99, 544 pp) The title of this hefty, elliptical, 1970s, Delhi-set saga plays on the (now re‑named) Fair & Lovely brand of skin-lightening cream. Nineteen-year-old Mallika is ‘little-darker-than-wheat’-complexioned. […]

WHAT BOOK would broadcaster and presenter Edward Stourton take to a desert island? Edward Stourton is reading Super-Infinite: The Transformations Of John Donne The broadcaster said he would take a ‘long and Russian’ book to a desert island Stourton’s book Confessions is published by Doubleday on January 26 at £20  …are you reading now? Super-Infinite: The Transformations Of John Donne — […]

Norman Mailer, revered as a writer of genius, stabbed one of his six wives and thought females intellectually inferior. So why did women adore him? In the aftermath of a riotous party he threw in 1960 he stabbed his second wife Mailer was running for mayor then but dropped after being charged for assault  He punched an editor in the […]

How Boris was bounced …and Liz was trounced Out Of The Blue captures the infighting and dirty tricks of today’s politics The Fall Of Boris Johnson finds that the former PM was his own worst enemy The War On The West is a passionate and eloquent defence of Western values CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOKS OF THE YEAR  Out Of The Blue: The inside […]

What’s your problem? The same as everyone else’s… Dolly Alderton shares moments of her time as an agony aunt  UK-based author Dolly Alderton reveals she relates to other people’s problems In her new-found career as an agony aunt Dolly frequently connects with letters 34-year-old Dolly says, that there is something reassuringly comforting in the fact that suffering is so universal, […]

The dirty truth about the MET: From the failures over the murders of Stephen Lawrence and Daniel Morgan to spending taxpayers’ money on lavish holidays The never-ending scandals that have blighted London’s police force in recent times make Line Of Duty look less like a TV drama and more like a documentary That thesis is set out in devastating detail […]

PICTURE THIS JIMI by Janie Hendrix & John McDermott (Chronicle Chroma £40, 320pp) JIMI by Janie Hendrix & John McDermott (Chronicle Chroma £40, 320pp). The book chronicles his career  Though his mainstream music career lasted just four years, Jimi Hendrix left an indelible stamp on the world. Despite not being able to read or write music, the Rock & Roll […]

WHAT BOOK would thriller writer David Baldacci take to a desert island? David Baldacci is now reading The Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson The writer says The Magic Squirrel by N.G. Grishina first gave him reading bug The thriller author says he would take ‘anything by Bill Bryson’ to desert island …are you reading now? The Warmth Of Other Suns […]

Prince Harry: Jeffrey Archer admits he’s fearful of book We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Jeffrey Archer has been an avid reader since, as a small […]

The story of the waifs and strays who had tea with princesses in the grand rooms of Englemere Wood Young woman Sheila McCairn had unlikely royal connection in Dorothy Peyton Peyton opened the doors of her rural manor house Englemere Wood to 30 girls  The girls were in care of the Waifs and Strays Society when evacuated in WWII  HISTORY  […]