US Edition
This graphic novel was banned in America – but Netflix rightly snapped it up
Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper: Volume 5 continues the multi-million-selling tale of young gay love. In truth, it’s a gently-told, age-old tale
Advertisement
-
Katherine Rundell: ‘I feel uneasy about Roald Dahl’s nastiness, but that’s probably not shared by kids’
The author, who has just won Waterstone's Book of the Year, on climate change, tightrope-walking and JK Rowling
-
Patricia Cornwell: ‘I was outed as gay in the 1990s by a Vanity Fair article’
The American author on trying to trace Jack the Ripper, her best scoop as a reporter and finding her personal life in the spotlight
-
Poet John Burnside on drug addiction, his abusive father and winning the ‘British Nobel’
The Scottish author overcame a tough childhood to become a major literary talent. Now he has won the £40,000 David Cohen Prize
-
The best crime books of 2023, from Mick Herron to Robert Galbraith
This year saw a bumper crop of historical fiction, some traditional whodunits and more than one big-ticket novel that badly needed an editor
-
The best sports books of 2023, from Bazball to gender wars
Political issues dominated the sporting shelf, whether historical or up-to-date, while fascinating biographies appeared in every field
-
The 50 best books of 2023 – ranked
Looking for a Christmas present? From history to crime, and politics to poetry, our critics count down the literary offerings of the year
-
The best (and worst) fiction books of 2023, from Eleanor Catton to Zadie Smith
Never mind the A-list – this year’s best books came from unsung names, indie presses and odd archival depths. Read on for the highlights…
-
The best history books of 2023: from Churchill to Henry III
A slate of superb 20th-century histories were matched by a couple of magnificent, long-anticipated conclusions to medieval series
-
The 50 best books of 2022
Our critics pick the perfect Christmas gifts for every reader, from page-turners to politics
-
The best new science books of 2022
Face your fears! Make this the year you finally gets to grips with the Metaverse, incoming asteroids – and torture-happy wasps
-
The 20 best poetry books of 2022 to buy for Christmas
This year's best poetry collections were filled with wild fantasies – from Greek myths and robot birds to a book narrated by an eyeball
Advertisement
-
Katherine Rundell: ‘I feel uneasy about Roald Dahl’s nastiness, but that’s probably not shared by kids’
The author, who has just won Waterstone's Book of the Year, on climate change, tightrope-walking and JK Rowling
-
10 Royal books you should read instead of Endgame
Omid Scobie’s latest will soon be put in the bargain bin of history. But these books about the British monarchy will stand the test of time
-
The best crime books of 2023, from Mick Herron to Robert Galbraith
This year saw a bumper crop of historical fiction, some traditional whodunits and more than one big-ticket novel that badly needed an editor
-
Booker-winner Paul Lynch: ‘The riots were a wake-up call to Ireland’
The Irish novelist talks about his homeland, his cancer diagnosis and his new beginning
-
The best sports books of 2023, from Bazball to gender wars
Political issues dominated the sporting shelf, whether historical or up-to-date, while fascinating biographies appeared in every field
-
This year's Booker winner is political fiction at its laziest
Paul Lynch's Prophet Song was the weak link in a strong shortlist – and the real winner was overlooked
-
Patricia Cornwell: ‘I was outed as gay in the 1990s by a Vanity Fair article’
The American author on trying to trace Jack the Ripper, her best scoop as a reporter and finding her personal life in the spotlight
In pictures
-
How women see the world
At a time when 85% of photojournalists are men, a new book offers an alternative perspective. Here, seven contributors introduce their shots
-
-
Culture stars who died in 2019, from Neil Innes to Keith Flint
We remember some of the greatest talents from the arts world who have passed away this year
Advertisement
-
This graphic novel was banned in America – but Netflix rightly snapped it up
Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper: Volume 5 continues the multi-million-selling tale of young gay love. In truth, it’s a gently-told, age-old tale
-
The savage drama of the First World War, retold for children
Michael Foreman’s novella The Amazing Tale of Ali Pasha, rightly republished, tells of the (real-life) bond between a seaman and a tortoise
-
A Hans Christian Andersen tale smartly recast for modern children
MG Leonard’s latest novel, The Ice Children, takes Andersen’s classic The Snow Queen and infuses it with quickfire prose and new characters
-
Bill Bryson is going on a new journey – into your body
A Really Short Journey Through the Body offers children a series of fascinating and varied, albeit sometimes overly brisk, scientific facts
-
Frozen meets Narnia in an enchanting new children’s novel
Sophie Anderson’s The Snow Girl, featuring a brave girl and her magical friend, successfully marries an old tale and a modern sensibility
-
A much-needed work of children’s historical fiction: immigration and 20th-century New York
In 1911, sisters Sally and Bridget sail from Ireland to New York in search of opportunity, in Judi Curtin's Sally in the City of Dreams
-
Quentin Blake returns with some real monkey business
No overt messages or morals, just everyday lessons, in gem of collaboration
-
If your children like football, there’s only one book they need
The Football School Encyclopedia, by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttelton, covers not only tactics and sports science but quirks of English history
-
The 75 best books for summer 2023 – what to read on holiday
Our critics' guide to the best reads to take away with you
-
‘How wide the earth! How great the sky!’: the unfading charm of the Flower Fairies
100 years ago, Cicely Mary Barker combined botany with make-believe – and created a publishing phenomenon
-
The best children’s books for Christmas 2022 – including Cressida Cowell’s new series
Queen Elizabeth II was visited by two very special bears, and the matchgirls went on strike, in this year's crop of writing for children
-
BookTok superstar Colleen Hoover has sold 20 million novels – but does she glamourise trauma?
Her new novel, It Starts With Us, blends Brontë-esque brooding, Fifty Shades of Grey steaminess and a deeply troubling domestic abuse plot
-
TikTok’s old-school books boom: why Gen Z fell in love with ‘dark academia’
Dusty libraries, long-haired youths writing poetry, candlelight rituals… TikTok’s love for old books is driving a publishing bonanza
-
The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward review: this fast-moving mystery packs an emotional punch
The actress-turned-novelist's follow-up to Love and Other Thought Experiments is unexpected: a crime novel about an experimental school
-
Julia Donaldson: How I fear lockdown may have damaged our children
The bestselling author explains why she worries that coronavirus restrictions has deprived a generation of vital experiences
Advertisement
-
How the Lib Dems became a bizarre, toxic embarrassment
From opposing Brexit to backing tuition fees, Britain’s third party have lost their political instincts. A new book ponders their future
-
The best history books of 2023: from Churchill to Henry III
A slate of superb 20th-century histories were matched by a couple of magnificent, long-anticipated conclusions to medieval series
-
How a pioneering pilot’s exceptional life story offers clues to a second JFK shooter
When filmmaker Mary Haverstick researched pilot Jerrie Cobb, she had no idea she was about to be investigating the Kennedy assassination...
-
War, abuse and Vagina Monologues – the harrowing life of Eve Ensler
Reckoning, a retrospective of the activist’s career comprising speeches, poems and more, tells a fierce tale but never catches literary fire
