Books

In this trio of suspense novels, a seasoned spy, a clever reward-seeker and a thief extraordinaire take on complicated, dangerous assignments as they race against time and attempt to elude their equally determined enemies.  JUDAS 62 At just under 500 pages, Charles Cumming’s JUDAS 62 is a commitment, but those who love immersive espionage thrillers

“Fake news” has been the news for years, thanks to a president who helped empower distrust in people and institutions which have experience, expertise, and history in delivering information. But from “fake news” has been the larger discussion of mis- and disinformation, which themselves have been used to weaponize authority. But what exactly does misinformation

Love stories set during the holidays are almost always good-natured, but this year’s standouts take good cheer and good will to another level. Personal transformations and turning points abound in these empathetic and festive happily ever afters.     ★ So This Is Christmas Author Jenny Holiday takes readers on a third trip to the fictional country

One of the biggest readers’ choice book awards–and one that certainly captures the excitement and attention of the bookish internet–is the Goodreads Choice Awards. It’s an opportunity for Goodreads users to weigh in on the books they think were the best of the best that year. For 2022, it’s clear that the power of BookTok

2022. What a year. We have emerged from COVID only to sink into a cost of living crisis, an energy shortage and the potential for World War III. But it’s not all bad – at least there are still bounteous crime fiction novels to enjoy, full of mystery and intrigue, as well as crime shows

Blackmail, jealousy and murder haunt a luxury ski resort. Can two sleuths crack the case before a blizzard traps them alongside a killer? Darby Piper and Tate Porter are still getting used to working together as PIs when they agree to take on a case brought to them by Tate’s ex-girlfriend, Cecily Madd. Cecily’s husband,

The Double Agent The problem with being a double agent is that if you put a foot wrong, there is always someone ready—even eager—to kill you. In the case of Alexsi Ivanovich Smirnoff, the situationally heroic hero of William Christie’s The Double Agent, there are not two but three agencies poised to be either his

I love a good bookish gift and I especially love giving good bookish gifts. While there are so many options out there, as someone who keeps a tight budget on gifting, many of the guides I peruse outside the book world in particular focus on things that are outside my tax bracket. I love my

The art of letter writing seems all but doomed in our age of digital communication, and one wonders where future literary biographers will turn for the singular insights that a writer’s correspondence affords. Scholars of John le Carré will have no such concerns. Le Carré, real name David Cornwell, who died in December 2020, was

Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Which is a great reason to read history books — they teach us about the past! And falling under the history book umbrella are historical fiction books. Just because they’re fiction doesn’t mean they don’t contain information about

Readers have really taken to Kevin G Chapman’s series of books set in New York and featuring NYPD detective Mike Stoneman. They manage to capture a flavour of the city while also offering some pretty tricksy plotting. Dead Winner is a standalone which features both of those things – and also contains a fleeting glimpse

Science journalist Sabrina Imbler dives deep into the waters of human and marine life in their luminous essay collection, How Far the Light Reaches. In the book’s 10 essays, Imbler cannily observes the lives of sea creatures, drawing out lessons about resilience, survival and wildness and tying those insights to their own experiences as a

Our weekly news column comes to you with five new books you may or may not be willing to kill for. We’ve got four new novels including two with a bit of a Christmas theme, one involving rivals in the crime reporting profession, and an indie spy novel set in Taiwan and China. Plus, a

Bake Though he’s best known as the “Great British Baking Show” judge with an icy blue stare fit to scare any hopeful contestant, Paul Hollywood is also an exceptional baker in his own right. With BAKE, he shares his go-to recipes for all the classics, from cakes and cookies to doughnuts, pastries and pies. There

Happy Valley might not be the best title for this hit crime drama. It’s not about a Chinese takeaway and nor does the Calder Valley, where it’s set, seem a particularly happy place. Not in a show dealing with violence against women, rape, suicide, addiction, broken families… But with powerful storytelling, fantastic lead characters and

★ Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking An Italian-born friend, who is a very fine cook, once texted me a recipe for Bolognese sauce. The recipe, she explained, was by Marcella Hazan, and the meal we made from it was a gorgeous triumph. You can find that recipe on page 210 of the new edition of

The Christmas Book Flood Winter arrives in all its glory in The Christmas Book Flood. Dating back to World War II, Jólabókaflóð (which translates to “Yule book flood”) is the Icelandic tradition of giving books to loved ones on December 24. Author Emily Kilgore’s prose is expressive and poetic. As the book opens, she describes how

Documentary filmmaker and historian Ken Burns believes that photographs are portals “not just to a different time and space but also to dimensions and possibilities within myself.” Through photographs and illustrations, these books are guaranteed to transport you. ★ Apollo Remastered Apollo Remastered: The Ultimate Photographic Record is a weighty, large-format coffee table book that

Evette Dionne’s anticipated second release after her celebrated children’s nonfiction book, Lifting as We Climb, is a bracing essay collection on the dangers of fatphobia and her personal resistance to its claims. The former editor-in-chief of Bitch magazine braids the personal with the political in Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul, breaking

Oprah Daily is the latest to publish its best-of-the-year book list. The list is 45 books long, was handpicked by Oprah Daily‘s editors, and includes fiction and nonfiction titles. The assortment ranges widely, with genres and topics spanning from romance to fantasy, biography to science. It also has a few books in common with other

Reading the Stars by Book Riot, available now from Abrams An original and entertaining mashup of literature and astrology for book lovers and star-watchers alike. Reading the Stars opens with an introduction to astrology, teaching you how to read your sign, what your rising sign is, and more. Then it takes that information a step

What’s your poison when it comes to crime fiction books? Do you flit about like a butterfly from author to author or do you enjoy nothing more than getting stuck into a juicy series? Whatever your approach, there are some writers whose latest releases just can’t be ignored. Let’s take a look at the rather

Sam Heughan, known to legions of fans as Jamie Fraser in the popular TV show based on Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, recently decided it was time to walk the rigorous West Highland Way in Scotland, a long-distance hiking trail that runs from north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. He wanted a

Are you a pun lover or are you a grinch? I am the first, and even if it is a groaner —like the worst imaginable pun possible — I am still going to appreciate it because of the way language can tell several stories at one time. It should come as little surprise then that

The term Tartan noir might be getting a little tired or over used but gritty Scottish crime fiction still seems to be at the vanguard of British crime writing. Run to Ground is an Edinburgh set police procedural, the third outing for Sergeant Don Colyear. Formerly a community police officer, Don has finally made it

In How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future, journalist Maria Ressa, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, gives readers a riveting inside view of what it’s like to be a dissident fighting authoritarianism. This engrossing book is a political history of the Philippines and an intimate memoir, but it’s

For Cyber Monday, a ton of Dungeons and Dragons rulebooks are on sale for about 60% off, from the basics to the more advanced. The prices listed are all for the physical copies, not PDFs/ebooks! This sale looks to be today only, so whether you’re curious about the game or want to expand your D&D

Had Jay Gould put his name on a university or concert hall, he would undoubtedly have been a household name today. The son of a poor farmer whose early life was marked by tragedy, Gould saw money as the means to give his family a better life…even if, to do so, he had to pull

Debut author Greg Mosse is the husband of bestselling historical thriller writer Kate Mosse. Clearly they both like blockbuster conspiracy thrillers and writing about France. Whereas Kate Mosse writes about the past, Greg Mosse’s debut is set in a near-future dystopia. We can probably expect a new wave of dystopian fiction as writers reflect on

Who doesn’t love a good renovation story? Whether it’s the experts of “Queer Eye” making lifestyle improvements, Marie Kondo organizing clutter, the beloved hosts of “What Not to Wear” upgrading a wardrobe (still waiting on that reboot, TLC) or the “Property Brothers” giving a home a much-needed tuneup, we all like to watch professionals take