Two books examine how today’s autocrats differ from those of the past, and what liberal democracies can do to counter their influence
Having launched her literary career in scandal and outrage, she was revered by readers — and, in time, her homeland — as a charismatic change-maker
Former Avenger swaps Hell’s Kitchen for quaint England while Conan cuts a swath through zombieland
Alexandra Posadzki on the drama of a Canadian telecoms empire fractured by infighting — and a pocket-dial
Ann Powers’ portrait of the singer-songwriter is both personal and poetic, and brings a wealth of fresh insight
An entertaining account of the role that invisible gases have played in the modern world, from neon illuminations to carbon dioxide’s role in global warming
Camille Bordas’s ensemble piece, set at a stand-up comedy school, has much to say about how we live now
Amitava Kumar’s new novel traces the country’s recent history through a life less ordinary
As the author’s centenary approaches, his courageous, powerful and sometimes prescient work is finding new audiences around the world
There is passion — and humour — throughout this novel about a same-sex marriage in its final throes but it is a dark tale of domestic anguish
Themes of karma, fame, sexual experimentation and familial trauma are explored
The challenge of modern-day autocrats; the family drama of the Rogers telecoms empire; Joni Mitchell’s life and music in a fresh light; Charlotte Mendelson’s novel of coercive control; Camille Bordas’s comedy of stand-up comedians; Amitava Kumar’s tale of modern-day India; the invisible life of gases; a history of the Rhine — plus Nilanjana Roy on the centenary of James Baldwin’s birth and Suzi Feay’s pick of debut fiction
The place where the first dictionary was compiled is a word nerd’s nirvana
Novels; dollars; breadth; Biden; cocaine sharks
The author draws upon ‘sense memories’ of the land of her ancestors, where her latest novel is also set
Mathijs Deen’s affectionate study of Europe’s second-longest river has the measure of a geographic and cultural force
Anne Lamott has written 20 books, including the enormously popular ‘Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life’. Today, she’s on the show
With the French capital poised for the Olympics, two new books seek to expose the social challenges that have long existed at the margins of the city
The late author’s debut novel from 1959 has all the pleasure and tantalising mystery of her greatest short stories
The ‘City on Fire’ author returns with a full-blown tale of a troubled teen and her equally troubled father
A deftly told tale of dysfunction across continents and generations
The demand to ban a satirical novel underlines the shrinking space for free expression under Putin
From the bustle to the corset and the thong, under garments reveal a lot about society and ourselves
Chinese-British novelist Xiaolu Guo chooses East Sussex to explore themes of migration and memory
Hillbilly elegy; polygraphs; The American right’s love for Russia
Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine give an authoritative, if bureaucratic, take on American foreign policy’s slow pivot to the east
Two very different but compelling books explain how the complex international supply chain works and affects the things we actually care about
Sparrow gender politics; rueful Ruffer; Zynpocalypse; Norwegian parenting
From gothy pop to witchy reads, 20 tastemakers share their favourite recommendations
A radical approach to the international economy; empowering local governance; and lessons from Poland and Vietnam
Susan Doran’s scholarly inquiry offers a new perspective on an overstudied period
The crime novelist on leaving Venice after 30 years — and why there will be no afterlife for detective Guido Brunetti
There’s an art to inventing a whole portable self
A debut novel set in Mussolini’s Italy expands into more timeless themes of adolescence and rebellion in a male-dominated world
The follow-up to ‘The Incendiaries’ is an inventive, if sometimes too florid, examination of sex and societal expectations
Part nature notes, part kitchen memorandum, this small notebook documents her daily life in a style that is economical, poetic and precise
A young woman becomes increasingly jealous of her boyfriend’s ex-partner in Bea Setton’s unsettling, risk-taking novel