What makes for a good beach read? Well, that’s a bit like asking what makes for a really good read in general: it all depends on the reader. Still, there are some books which are so sparkling, moving, funny and warm that they simply demand to be consumed. If you do so by a pool, or on a beach, then […]

MUST READS BARBAROSSA by Jonathan Dimbleby (Penguin £9.99, 656pp) BARBAROSSA by Jonathan Dimbleby (Penguin £9.99, 656pp) On the evening of June 21, 1941, in Brest-Litovsk, the lights suddenly went out. The power had been cut by German saboteurs.  From his observation post, General Heinz Guderian, the leader of Panzer Group 2, could see that the city’s defenders had no idea […]

Written by Alice Kemp-Habib From colourful, abstract graphics to women looking glum, the covers of 2022’s biggest books seem to slot tidily into a variety of ever-changing trends. Stylist dives into what’s driving them.  Unwrapping a copy of Abi Daré’s The Girl With The Louding Voice April last year, I felt a palpable sense of déjà vu. There was something about the […]

The Indie Book Awards has just revealed its 2022 shortlist and the best paperbacks of the summer include titles from Kazuo Ishiguro, Pat Barker and Matt Haig. Let’s be honest: as the pace of modern life gets faster, most of us want to cut down our screen time and spend more quality time with a good book. The only problem […]

Freedom fighters who saved democracy: Three epic battles fought 2,500 years ago by a tiny Greek army were even more important in forging our liberty and justice than the Battle of Hastings Stephen Kershaw evokes the scary spectacle of the Persian army on the march UK-based author tells the tale of the Greek army during the 5th century BC Christopher […]

The Yanks locked up and shot in HMP Dartmoor: New book tells the story of the last American men killed in the US and English conflict The conflict was over, but 6,500 American prisoners of war were in Dartmoor Diaries of American inmate Frank Palmer told how prisoners wanted to escape Dartmoor has been downgraded to Category C prison for […]

Upside down at 400 mph: It’s all in a day’s work for the Red Arrows, who’ve mastered the art of remaining conscious when battling G-force… by clenching their buttocks in anti-gravity trousers David Montenegro describes how the Red Arrows perform in his new book As the current Commanding Officer he engages with the general public Mark Mason says that the […]

Written by Candice Carty-Williams This week’s book of the week is Candice Carty-Williams’s drama-filled second novel People Person. Read an exclusive extract below.  If we were to guess the books that hold a special spot on your bookshelf, we’d bet Candice Carty-Williams’s 2019 bestseller Queenie has a place. Catapulting the writer to fame, Queenie was the humour-filled, heartwarming tale of […]

Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon teaser trailer 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 It’s been 11 years since George RR Martin last published a […]

The world’s SEXIEST poet: John Donne eloped with a girl of 16 and had 12 children — but still wrote some of the finest love poems in the English language writes ROGER LEWIS Katherine Rundell argues that John Donne wrote the ‘most lavishly sexed poetry’ UK-based author uncovers his affair and marriage to 16-year-old Anne More By 1591, he was at […]