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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 […]

Blog: Art Spiegelman: ‘The US needs a counter-revolution’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:50 +0100

More than four decades after his Holocaust story Maus transformed the graphic novel genre, Art Spiegelman discusses Trump, the shadow of 9/11 and the rise of […]

Blog: You Won’t Get Free of It by Rachel Aviv review – a subtle study of the mother-daughter bond from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:07 +0100

The most complex of female relationships is thrown into sharp relief in this moving series of essaysRachel Aviv has a profound interest in the vagaries of human […]

Blog: Barack Obama launches podcast about books that ‘shaped his worldview’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:59:13 +0100

The former US president will host six episodes of A Great Book for Audible, discussing work from Toni Morrison and John le Carré to James BaldwinBarack Obama is […]

Blog: Sinking ships, dark humour and really good bad guys: Beryl Bainbridge – ranked! from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:42 +0100

From the last days of the Titanic to desperate romantics, we rate the work of a British master of black comedyBainbridge’s novel of the last days on RMS Titanic w […]

Blog: Is Beauty Good by Rosalind Belben review – the literary equivalent of free jazz from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:38 +0100

Combining hilarious detail with harsh observation, this rediscovered novel takes the reader on an exhilaratingly strange journey ‘But after all, writing is n […]

Blog: John Berger: From Life by Tom Overton review – a vibrant biography of the pioneering critic from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:00:37 +0100

This multi-layered portrait is a fitting tribute to the man behind Ways of SeeingThe cultural critic John Berger was still alive and kicking when he donated his […]

Blog: We know sleep, exercise and diet are vital for health. But why? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:00:15 +0100

The benefits of all three come down to a crucial piece of cellular kitSleep. Exercise. Eat well. It’s the oldest recommendation in medicine, repeated so often i […]

Blog: ‘Grief became my brand’: Freya Bromley on writing about personal tragedy from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:00:13 +0100

Touring her memoir and talking to others helped the author come to terms with her brother’s death, but the book’s success left her feeling guilty. Had she com […]

Blog: ‘I hate what AI is doing to the minds and happiness of the young’: Katherine Rundell on the view from the classroom from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:41 +0100

Education is at a crossroads, argues the author and academic. Should we embrace new technology in the name of efficiency, or is it time to fight back?If you set out […]

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

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:00:17 +0100

The Salt King by Natasha Pulley; A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett; Netherwood by Jake Arnott; Fawn by CN VairThe Salt King by by Natasha Pulley (Gollancz, […]

Blog: What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu review – how to fix the system from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:09 +0100

The Nobel-winning economist takes aim at elites for no longer meeting the needs of the massesIn 2009, the tech billionaire Peter Thiel published an essay with the […]

Blog: Thirst by John Robins audiobook review – an ex-drinker’s darkly funny journey from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:49 +0100

The comedian and broadcaster narrates the heartfelt and at times self-lacerating account of his relationship with alcoholA memoir chronicling the comic and […]

Blog: Jason Arday claimed he was paid ‘1.4 million’ by publisher for memoir from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:29:51 +0100

Simon & Schuster still plans to publish book by Cambridge academic who resigned this week amid plagiarism claimsJason Arday, the former Cambridge professor accused […]

Blog: Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks review – an ambitious, lyrical portrait of trauma from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:41 +0100

A young woman is haunted by her childhood in this forcefully imaginative and unapologetically bleak novel from the author of Fire RushThe world of Sky City never […]

Blog: ‘Getting old is no fun’: Game of Thrones author George RR Martin speaks out about depression amid further book delays from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:41:40 +0100

A new blog post by the fantasy writer has outlined his recent difficulties, as fans continue to speculate on the elusive sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire […]

Blog: A Sense of Occasion by Brodie Crellin review – a surprising and darkly funny debut from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:13 +0100

A dysfunctional family comes together for a funeral in this heartfelt, keenly observed novel Most of us come upon our family’s dysfunctions gradually, like a door t […]

Blog: The Ghost of the Mountains by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi review – the secrets of the snow leopard from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 06:00:10 +0100

An Indian mountaineer follows in the footsteps of explorers and conservationists in search of an enigmatic animalWhen bored, try the following game – I call it “ […]

Blog: Children of the Wild by Kevin Powers review – gripping tale of a friendship forged in war from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:54 +0100

Written by a US army veteran, this novel of courage and cruelty during the first world war is filled with unsettlingly authoritative depictions of violence – but i […]

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

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:00:11 +0100

Small Birds Singing by Matthew Welton; The Channel by Jana Prikryl; Stepmother by Helen Mort; Drunken Driving by Martina EvansSmall Birds Singing by Matthew Welton […]

Blog: Jacqueline Crooks: ‘Toni Morrison’s voice made me want to find my own’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:10 +0100

The novelist on learning empathy from Charles Dickens, the playfulness of Irenosen Okojie and avoiding Jane AustenMy earliest reading memory
I was eight when I was […]

Blog: Dooneen by Keith Ridgway review – uncanny visions of dark times in Dublin from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 06:00:07 +0100

Ireland is trembling with nascent social unrest in this labyrinthine tale of one man’s homecomingIrish author Keith Ridgway’s latest novel deals, both mis […]

Blog: ‘Beautiful and terrifying’: the best American LGBTQ+ books, chosen by Samuel R Delany, Kaveh Akbar, Eileen Myles and more from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:00:40 +0100

From 20th-century classics to little-known treasures, queer authors share their favorite books about LGBTQ+ life‘Sheer outrageousness’: writers on their fav […]

Blog: The Family Man by James Lasdun review – the killings that shocked America from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:00:38 +0100

Alex Murdaugh’s conviction for the murder of his wife and son was recently overturned. Where does the truth lie?In March 2023, 54-year-old Alex Murdaugh received t […]

Blog: Reader, I married him: couples tell us how books brought them together from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:36 +0100

From book club meet-cutes to shared English Literature lectures, romance has blossomed beyond the page for these bibliophilesDua Lipa and Callum Turner have been […]

Blog: Fantastic Kingdom by Helene von Bismarck review – an outsider’s guide to British politics from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:00:34 +0100

This stranger’s-eye-view of an eccentric nation promises insight but delivers only conventional wisdom‘Continental people have sex lives; the English have hot […]

Blog: Awake Awake by Fiona Mozley review – in pursuit of false memories from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:00:33 +0100

From the Booker-shortlisted author, a tantalisingly unreliable account of childhood, history and mental uncertaintyThe historian and novelist Fiona Mozley […]

Blog: The Leveret By Anna Goldreich review – a hare mends the pain of baby loss from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:00:50 +0100

This bold debut about a woman finding healing after a late miscarriage is written with utter convictionBirth. “A detaching, a loosening of something, then the p […]

Blog: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow review – the real price of artificial intelligence from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 06:00:52 +0100

A vivid and entertaining polemic on the economics of the tech revolution, filled with righteous ireAs former Google CEO Eric Schmidt could tell you, AI is a hard […]

Blog: M John Harrison: ‘If we met a real alien we’d have no clue what they thought’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 11:00:29 +0100

At 80, SF author M John Harrison is producing some of his best work. He talks about finding his voice, alien intelligence and the advice from Iain Banks that still […]

Blog: Ambivalence by Brian Dillon review – an odd man out from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:00:46 +0100

The critic’s memoir’s is a portrait in determination to go against the grain and ‘pursue a life in words and ideas’Brian Dillon lost his parents early, his mother […]

Blog: Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam review – an electric debut set on Manchester’s Curry Mile from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:00:44 +0100

Written in breathless multilingual prose, this coming-of-age meets state-of-the-nation novel is an incredible literary performanceThree twentysomethings “drive a […]

Blog: What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in May from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:39:16 +0100

Madeleine Thien, Sufiyaan Salam and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the commentsLately I have loved […]

Blog: My Only Boy by Rosa Rankin-Gee review – a darkly funny near-future dystopia from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:42 +0100

A surprising romance is set against a backdrop of climate crisis, political instability and corporate corruption in this bleak but witty novelRosa Rankin-Gee […]

Blog: Tonight the Music Seems So Loud by Sathnam Sanghera review – a heartbreaking portrait of George Michael from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:00:40 +0100

This affecting exploration of the troubled genius’s impact is packed with anecdote, sharp analysis and social contextIn 1998, George Michael was arrested for p […]

Blog: I devoured classic novels as a teenager. In a world of distractions, can I relearn how to read them? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:00:38 +0100

In less than a decade, surrounded by screens, I lost my ability to read some of the best books ever written. But, inspired by the Guardian’s 100 best novels list, I […]

Blog: Land by Maggie O’Farrell review – an ambitious story of mapmaking in Ireland from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:00:09 +0100

Set in the aftermath of the famine, the Hamnet author’s family saga folds in myth and folklore‘His father was ever a man of few words,” begins Maggie O’Far […]

Blog: Are ‘mind children’ the future of reproduction? from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Sun, 31 May 2026 11:00:47 +0100

Forget dirty nappies. In Silicon Valley, there’s increasing chatter about virtual offspringA few months ago, an AI researcher from Europe attended a dinner party i […]

Blog: Virginia Evans: ‘I loved books about things that can’t exist’ from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Fri, 29 May 2026 09:00:46 +0100

The Women’s prize-shortlisted novelist on taking inspiration from John Steinbeck, Joan Didion and Jhumpa Lahiri, and weeping through Little Women in her 30sMy e […]

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

Fri, 29 May 2026 08:00:45 +0100

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami; All Flesh by Ananda Devi; The White Desert by Luis López Carrasco; The Home of the Drowned by Elin Anna LabbaSisters in Yellow […]

Blog: Having Spent Life Seeking by Kae Tempest review – painfully earnest tale of trauma and transition from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:00:45 +0100

An ex-offender searches for meaning and beauty in the second novel from the spoken-word performerKae Tempest’s new novel is dedicated to “you”, the reader. It also […]

Blog: This Dark Night by Deborah Lutz review – Emily Brontë’s world from Books | The Guardian in the group The Guardian book reviews

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:00:43 +0100

Tactile details and a no-nonsense approach make this biography a refreshing change from more lurid fareBoth Emily Brontë and her only novel Wuthering Heights […]