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Blog: Stories shortlisted for 4thWrite prize offer ‘a whole world in a few pages’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:00:18 +0100

The six stories on the shortlist for the 10th year of the writing award run by 4th Estate and the Guardian and open to unpublished writers of colour are […]

Blog: The best recent poetry – review roundup from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:00:17 +0100

Have It by John Cooper Clarke; The Dodo Stories by Mary Mulholland; Red River Valley by Ian McMillan; Some Sacred Harbour by Roger Robinson; Otherwhere by Carolyn […]

Blog: Rhapsody: A Manifesto by Alice Oswald review – a history of the spoken word, from Homer to Ted Hughes from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 06:00:11 +0100

A twisting, beguiling investigation into the art of poetry that ends in a call to arms on behalf of the natural worldThe poet Alice Oswald is no stranger to […]

Blog: The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson audiobook review – a Caribbean child’s-eye view of 60s Bradford from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:52 +0100

The author captures the comedy and cruelty in this tenderly written coming-of-age taleThis Women’s prize-nominated novel from Marcia Hutchinson is told from the p […]

Blog: What we’re reading: China Miéville, Sebastian Barry, Derek Owusu and Guardian readers on the books they enjoyed in September from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:48:27 +0100

Writers and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the commentsI was sideswiped by Giada Scodellaro’s Ruins […]

Blog: Dodge City by Patrick deWitt review – a wild draft-dodging road trip from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 06:00:29 +0100

This tale of a 60s college dropout driving across the US to avoid being sent to Vietnam is committed to both readerly pleasure and literary artificeCanadian author […]

Blog: Patrick Radden Keefe’s bestseller London Falling shortlisted for Baillie Gifford prize from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 23:01:20 +0100

The acclaimed American journalist, who won the nonfiction prize in 2021, is shortlisted alongside Andrea Wulf and Matthew SweetFormer Baillie Gifford winner Patrick […]

Blog: Dèy by Edwidge Danticat review – motherhood and trauma in Miami from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:20 +0100

The first novel in over a decade from the acclaimed Haitian-American author lacks the power of earlier worksDèy, Edwidge Danticat’s first novel in over a decade, be […]

Blog: The Fall of the West by Owen Jones review – a bracing history of the changing world order from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:57 +0100

A journalist charts a quarter century of geopolitical hubris and economic overreach Like many Britons born in the 1980s, the journalist and Guardian columnist Owen […]

Blog: Stations by Louise Kennedy review – a superb follow-up to Trespasses from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:00:55 +0100

This tale of broken hearts and broken people moves from the Troubles of 1980s Northern Ireland to an unforgiving London of squats and payphonesLouise Kennedy’s f […]

Blog: All the Wrong Moves by Anthony Scaramucci review – confessions of an ex-Trumper from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:31 +0100

The president’s former press secretary has learned all the right lessons, but how come it took him so long?The most interesting chapter in Anthony Scaramucci’s All […]

Blog: The Rouse by China Miéville review – a mighty achievement from the ‘new weird’ author from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 06:00:29 +0100

Twenty years in the writing, this paranormal epic of cold war espionage and family tragedy is a quantum leap in terms of ambition and moral seriousnessChina […]

Blog: Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks review – conflict and compromise, from a veteran of the genre from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:26 +0100

A returning British soldier is haunted by his time in Palestine in this panoramic epic set after the second world warSebastian Faulks’s latest book focuses on the m […]

Blog: End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor review – the fightback starts here from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:00:25 +0100

A sharp analysis of the damage wrought by the reckless super-rich, and progressive toolkit for repairing itThe more power the radical rightwing nationalists of our […]

Blog: Tom Gauld on a new case for Hercule Poirot – cartoon from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 15:00:05 +0100

Blog: Emily St John Mandel: ‘When half the electorate disagrees on basic reality, how do you come back from that?’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 11:00:03 +0100

Her hit novel Station Eleven seemed to predict the pandemic, now the novelist is tackling the future of the US. She talks about chance, world-building and […]

Blog: AI will transform capitalism – but how? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 11:00:02 +0100

Technology is going to drastically reshape the economy, and it’s within our power to decide what that looks likeThe idea that autonomous, thinking machines may o […]

Blog: Julia Donaldson: ‘Am I the Gruffalo Granny? Not really. I’m the mouse’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:00:32 +0100

As she introduces the latest member of her Gruffalo family, Julia Donaldson talks about storytelling, loss and the worries that come with being Britain’s all-time b […]

Blog: Naomi Klein: ‘Extreme wealth has a deranging effect. It turns you into a supremacist’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:28 +0100

She’s tackled neoliberalism and the digital world, now the writer and activist is taking on tech billionaires. She explains how the super-rich are capitalising on c […]

Blog: The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:06 +0100

Massif by Garth Nix; Revolution in the Heart: Stories Inspired By Ursula K Le Guin edited by Jonathan Strahan; An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino; Serenity […]

Blog: A Thought Without Collision by Adrian Duncan review – a brilliant interrogation of philosophy and wonder from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:00:02 +0100

With a character inspired by Wittgenstein, this exploration of the mysteries of the universe draws on multiple philosophical traditionsFor several years I ran […]

Blog: Taipei Story by Rebecca F Kuang review – the torture and hilarity of learning Chinese from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:24:43 +0100

An American Chinese student studies Mandarin in Taiwan, in this heartfelt journey of self-discovery and family secretsWhat is Taiwan? A former Japanese colony? A […]

Blog: The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie audiobook review – stories with levity and laughter from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:00:38 +0100

The author explores themes of legacy, mortality and loneliness in the first work of fiction since his near-fatal attackFive short stories and five readers make up […]

Blog: All About My Mother by Rachael Stirling review – a joyous love letter to Diana Rigg from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0100

Beautifully written by her daughter, this is a funny and intimate eulogy to the 60s star of The Avengers who went on to specialise in fierce, complicated womenThe […]

Blog: What Should My Children Do? by Daniel Susskind review – the case for embracing tech in the classroom from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:01 +0100

A refreshingly optimistic book that asks us to grasp the educational opportunities of AI, rather than shrink from themIn 1979, the government asked Wilfred […]

Blog: ‘She blazed in and opened my eyes to the real world’: Readers remember Gloria Steinem from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:26:19 +0100

To generations of women, the feminist campaigner was an inspiration, a fearless challenger of sexism and domestic violence. Guardian readers share memories of her […]

Blog: The Castle by Jon Ronson review – bizarre tales of modern masculinity from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:31 +0100

A journalist embarks on a wild goose chase that might – or might not – be informative about the male conditionRecovering from surgery at home in upstate New Yor […]

Blog: The Newer World by Sebastian Barry review – a near-miracle of storytelling from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:00:29 +0100

The third in a loose American trilogy follows the epic journey of a formerly enslaved man in the aftermath of the civil warBut is not the story as good as the […]

Blog: Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson review – quirky postwar nostalgia from the Life After Life author from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:11:29 +0100

There are glimpses of Atkinson’s subtle brilliance in this gentle noirish mystery set around the Festival of BritainIn 1951, in a desperate attempt to raise the s […]

Blog: Hawking by Graham Farmelo review – the dark side of genius from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:00:26 +0100

A biography of the physicist recognises his achievements, but also reveals the selfish narcissist underneathWhen I wrote an unadoring review of Stephen Hawking’s f […]

Blog: Tom Gauld on methods for encouraging a reluctant young reader – cartoon from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 15:00:08 +0100

Blog: ‘Bold, brilliant, thrilling’: leading authors on the novels every school should teach from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:30 +0100

A new term, a new PM … time for a new English curriculum? We ask writers from Ben Okri to Samantha Harvey to pick books that will inspire a lifelong love of r […]

Blog: The best recent poetry – review roundup from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:00:05 +0100

Fetch by Colin Bramwell; Girling by Eve Esfandiari-Denney; The Dead One, The Unconscious One, Thundering in Your Ear, Thriving Slumber by Jay Gao; Belling the […]

Blog: Kevin Powers: ‘I was ready to abandon Infinite Jest a thousand times’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:02 +0100

The American author on falling in love with The Great Gatsby, being inspired by Dylan Thomas – and the memoir of a canoe trip in Texas he comes back toMy earliest r […]

Blog: The Golden Hours by Louisa Young review – this continuation of the Cazalet Chronicles is a total delight from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:00:02 +0100

Elizabeth Jane Howard’s niece has picked up the thread of her much-loved family saga series, taking the story into the 1960sElizabeth Jane Howard’s beloved fam […]

Blog: Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92 from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:42:35 +0100

Prolific author campaigned against domestic violence, female genital mutilation, pornography and the Vietnam and Gulf wars‘We badly need to raise our boys more l […]

Blog: New Cemetery by Simon Armitage audiobook review – the poet laureate’s meditations take flight from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:00:40 +0100

The building of a cemetery during the pandemic inspires the Huddersfield-born author to reflect on childhood memories and the changing local landscapeWhen […]

Blog: What we’re reading: Irvine Welsh, Janice Hallett and Guardian readers on the books they enjoyed in August from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:01:06 +0100

Writers and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the commentsI’ve been enjoying Contrapposto by Dave E […]

Blog: The Future Starts With Us by Gordon Brown review – the ex-PM’s recipe for beating populism from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:00:19 +0100

Global crises are tightly linked to how we treat each other at the local level, argues this optimistic book In times of crisis, there is one person to whom the left […]

Blog: Could this policy fix the care system and slash student debt at the same time? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 11:00:55 +0100

Andy Burnham is in need of radical proposals. A ‘care first’ year in exchange for 50% off fees could be just what he needsThe UK’s social care sector is in crisi […]

Blog: Children’s books roundup – the best new picture books and novels from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:00:55 +0100

Poetry with wonder and wit; a heartwarming tale for horse lovers; a portal to the future; a brilliant YA wartime romance and moreSmall Monster, Big Monster by Allan […]

Blog: Ukrainian publishers call for support after Russian attacks destroy 10m books from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 15:37:57 +0100

The country risks ‘the collapse of the entire book ecosystem’ following destruction of warehouses in July and August, say Ukrainian publishersThe Ukrainian Book Ins […]

Blog: All of Us Atoms by Holly Dawson audiobook review – an extraordinary self-portrait from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:00:52 +0100

Helena Bonham Carter narrates the playwright’s impressionistic memoir, written as she was experiencing the loss of her memoryPlaywright Holly Dawson’s memoir tel […]

Blog: The best books to read in August: new paperbacks from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Salman Rushdie and Werner Herzog from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:30:00 +0100

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a short story collection by a literary great to razor-sharp criticism*** Conti […]

Blog: How I’ve Tried to Change the World by Alexei Sayle review – does protest make a difference? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 06:00:44 +0100

The comedian charts his life in demos from 1960s Liverpool to 2020s London in this fiery and addictive bookAt 74, the comedian Alexei Sayle is approaching a […]

Blog: The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore review – an ominous warning of tech takeover from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:09 +0100

A historian charts the emergence of a democracy-crushing dystopia that is – in some ways – already with usPulitzer prize-winning US historian Jill Lepore’s new b […]

Blog: Where Are the Kings by Donal Ryan review – a timeless tale of family sorrows and joys from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:00:07 +0100

A teenage boy navigates adolescence and the traumatic loss of his mother in this poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural IrelandSomething is happening to literary […]

Blog: Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell among authors urging Burnham to cut business rates on bookshops from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:25:12 +0100

After pubs and clubs get rates relief, authors back open letter calling for similar support for bookshops, described as the ‘beating hearts’ of high str […]

Blog: The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef review – a bizarre tale of psychedelic toads and hair-raising treatments from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:49 +0100

A journalist investigates the unsettling world of a charismatic shaman and the people who trusted himWhich, in your opinion, is the worst current cultural trend: […]

Blog: Agrippa by Robert Harris review – persuasive portrait of rivalry in ancient Rome from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 06:00:46 +0100

This fictional memoir by Octavius’s right-hand man shows us bloodshed, betrayal and hectic jockeying for powerIf you’re one of those people who thinks about the Rom […]