Petition
£ Support
Subscribe
Reader-supported journalism that doesn’t just report problems, it helps solve them.
support today

Books

What can human creators learn from grasses, the 'sleeping beauties' of our natural world?
A hand grasping some grasses
Evolution

What can human creators learn from grasses, the 'sleeping beauties' of our natural world?

The Long Form by Kate Briggs: Profoundly ambiguous, wonderfully unstructured
The Long Form book cover
review

The Long Form by Kate Briggs: Profoundly ambiguous, wonderfully unstructured

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng review: Compelling drama set in the shadow of Empire
Historical fiction

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng review: Compelling drama set in the shadow of Empire

Thirsty Animals review: A dystopian future 'impeccably depicted'
Thirsty Animals
Dystopian fiction

Thirsty Animals review: A dystopian future 'impeccably depicted'

I thought Noël Coward was dated. How wrong I was
Noel Coward
Biography

I thought Noël Coward was dated. How wrong I was

Death Watch review: Killer timepieces and the emptiness of consumerism
Death Watch
Dark satire

Death Watch review: Killer timepieces and the emptiness of consumerism

International Transgender Day of Visibility: Top 5 books by trans feminine authors
Trans flag eyeshadow
Trans women

International Transgender Day of Visibility: Top 5 books by trans feminine authors

How the Twist ignited Cambodia's musical golden age
Touch Chhattha
Music

How the Twist ignited Cambodia's musical golden age

Top 5 books about making a new home, chosen by Anne Youngson
A migrant woman and her children during the depression
Migration

Top 5 books about making a new home, chosen by Anne Youngson

Bookshops help us understand humanity's complexities
Bookshop
Robin Ince

Bookshops help us understand humanity's complexities

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton review: 'Nothing like you'll expect'
Birnam Wood cover
Reading list

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton review: 'Nothing like you'll expect'

Porn: An Oral History could have been fascinating
Porn: An Oral History book cover
non fiction

Porn: An Oral History could have been fascinating

Why goth captures the spirit of our age
Goth legend Siouxsie Sioux.
subculture

Why goth captures the spirit of our age

Enid Blyton’s racism doesn’t deserve to be in libraries. Read Terry Pratchett instead
Unlike Enid Blyton, Terry Pratchett is not likely to get cancelled any time soon
literature

Enid Blyton’s racism doesn’t deserve to be in libraries. Read Terry Pratchett instead

Forgotten African heroes of the Second World War
Illustration of a soldier
first person

Forgotten African heroes of the Second World War

Top 5 books that examine a cold case, chosen by Janice Hallett
Cold case: a neon-light question mark
recommended

Top 5 books that examine a cold case, chosen by Janice Hallett

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Brutes by Dizz Tate review: Disrupting the 'missing girl' trope
Brutes by Dizz Tate
fiction

Brutes by Dizz Tate review: Disrupting the 'missing girl' trope

Voyager by Nona Fernandez review: Memory as an act of rebellion
Voyager: Constellations of Memory by Nona Fernandez
memoir

Voyager by Nona Fernandez review: Memory as an act of rebellion

Top 5 state-of-the-nation books, chosen by Ayòbámi Adébáyò
Globe map of the world
reading list

Top 5 state-of-the-nation books, chosen by Ayòbámi Adébáyò

Mammals have a surprising secret history – forget everything you thought you knew
Illustration of rodent-like mammals
natural history

Mammals have a surprising secret history – forget everything you thought you knew