Features & interviews

<p>The Iranian embassy siege has become part of our national myth</p>

MCCRUM ON BOOKS

The Siege is a thrilling tale of an SAS assault over in minutes

An accomplished chronicler of the dark side of matters of the state, Macintyre surpasses himself with a new unputdownable book retelling the siege of the Iranian embassy, writes Robert McCrum

<p>Beale paints an enthralling portrait of what ‘life and work’ in the theatre might entail</p>

McCrum on Books

Simon Russell Beale triumphs in a treacherous genre: thespian memoirs

<p>September is a packed month in the world of publishing </p>

The best new books to read this September

<p>Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’ prepare to board the 1958 flight from Munich that will end in tragedy</p>

interview

David Peace on how Man Utd triumphed after the tragedy of Munich

<p>Clare Chambers’s 10th novel, ‘Shy Creatures’, is released this month </p>

Writers on Reading

Clare Chambers: Best and worst compliment? ‘My mum loves your books’

<p>Dogs: a writer’s best friend – or worst enemy? </p>

Every writer needs a dog – Karl Ove Knausgaard is wrong

<p>‘Precipice’, the 16th novel from Robert Harris, shows a writer at the top of his game </p>

Why hasn’t Robert Harris won more major literary prizes?

<p>‘She was able to get dirty. She and John understood that sometimes there has to be a little grime to have a good time’: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1999</p>

The Reading List

25 years after her horrifying death, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy remains an enigma

Comment

One of the summer’s must-read novels is on the Booker longlist

<p>Edna O’Brien understood longing better than most writers: the longing for experience; for escape; for sex and love that was ‘forbidden’ </p>

Tribute

Edna O’Brien: a great literary crusader and giant of Irish literature

<p>‘There’s Nothing Wrong with Her’ is a novel based on Kate Weinberg’s ordeal with long Covid </p>

The Reading List

The new novel describing the unique hell of long Covid

<p>August’s new releases include David Peace’s retelling of the Manchester United air disaster and a new novel from Irish writer Donal Ryan </p>

The best new books to read this August

Reviews

<p>Tom Bower’s new book fails to shed much new light on the power couple </p>

Tom Bower’s Posh and Becks exposé won’t spice up your life

<p>Alba Arikha’s 2017 memoir, ‘Major/Minor’, was widely acclaimed</p>

Two Hours by Alba Arikha is a lesson in forging a life without regret

<p>Salman Rushdie pictured in 2023</p>

Salman Rushdie’s Knife is moving, sardonic and not for the squeamish

<p>Liz Truss recounts her brief time in office in her new book </p>

Liz Truss’s ludicrous memoir self-pityingly recaps 49 days of disaster

Lists

<p>Thriller: Meghann Fahy is part of ‘The Perfect Couple’s starry cast </p>

Love The Perfect Couple? These are the books and TV shows to try next

<p>July’s best books include novels by Camille Bordas and Austin Duffy and non-fiction about trees and parks</p>

The best new books to read this July

<p>Fiction highlights for the year ahead including Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘lost’ novel and new titles from Stephen King and Emily Henry </p>

The best fiction to read in 2024

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