Kiss Myself Goodbye by Ferdinand Mount review: unearthing the secrets of a fabulously wicked aunt
Ferdinand Mount turns detective to find the truth about his Aunt Munca, a polygamous, poodle-loving fantasist who kept a suite at Claridge's
Book reviews
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The End of the Day by Bill Clegg, review: a quietly devastating mystery novel
The second novel by the literary agent is a finely-wrought masterpiece that balances five primary characters at once
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The savage columnist who tore the mask off the super-rich American elite
This extraordinary memoir sees Barbara Amiel, wife of Conrad Black, laying into everyone from brain-dead trophy wives to herself
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Between the Covers by Jilly Cooper review: darker and sadder than any of her bonkalicious novels
Jilly Cooper's collected journalism proves that she was the pioneer of confessional newspaper columns in the 1970s
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To the End of the World by Rupert Everett, review: a candid memoir of his Wilde ride in showbusiness
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Girls Against God by Jenny Hval, review: the goths rebel in rural Norway
The musician and writer’s second novel is the self-mocking tale of how a girl like her escaped from Norway’s Bible Belt
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The Gambler, by Tom Bower, review: a catty, colourful portrait of Boris the unbreakable
The PM that emerges from this surprisingly respectful biography is charismatic, damaged and desperate to be liked – even by his enemies
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Jack by Marilynne Robinson, review: love and tragedy in the time of Jim Crow
Marilynne Robinson’s fourth Gilead novel is a delicate Jim Crow-era love story – and a masterclass in historical fiction
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Love by Roddy Doyle review: a touching bromance from the poet of the pub
Roddy Doyle’s new novel – a beer-soaked dialogue between two old friends – is taut and intense
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The Windsor Diaries by Alathea Fitzalan Howard review: why do we care?
A childhood friend of the Queen kept a wartime diary. If only the author had been a little sparkier than this snobbish, mirthless non-entity
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The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale, review: Britain's strange passion for the paranormal
Kate Summerscale's peculiar book explores how, between the world wars, an interest in Ouija boards, seances and mediums gripped the UK
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The Odyssey, Jermyn Street Theatre, review: Homer's tale for our times brought to life on YouTube
While the theatres remain closed, Jermyn Street brought The Odyssey to our living rooms via a 12-hour live-stream - with mixed results
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John Westwyk – the genius who invented a computer 627 years ago
Christopher Howse reviews The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of Discovery by Seb Falk (Allen Lane)
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Red Comet by Heather Clark review: rescuing Sylvia Plath from the cult of her fans
A terrific, even-handed biography of Plath frees the poet from the narrow view of her as ‘a mind on course for suicide’
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Between the Covers, review: the BBC's new book club felt more like speed dating
A televised book club is something to be commended, but the BBC's effort was overstuffed and gave the guests too little time for discussion
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What Is at Stake Now by Mikhail Gorbachev, review: the former Soviet leader comes to Putin's defence
Gorbachev blames the 'American Empire' for the collapse of post-Cold War relations, but refuses to acknowledge Russia's part
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Reality and Other Stories by John Lanchester, review: state-of-the-nation meets the ghost story
Spooks, spirits and selfie sticks abound in John Lanchester's stories. But they fail to raise a shiver
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Vulgar, capitalist, fearless: how the Essex Girl terrified Britain
Novelist Sarah Perry spent years trying to live down her Essex roots. Now she's sticking up for the Sharons
