books

MACHINES LIKE ME  by Ian McEwan (Cape £18.99, 320 pp) MACHINES LIKE ME by Ian McEwan (Cape £18.99, 320 pp) Ian McEwan has always been a generous writer to his readers, his novels bulging with big ideas and rich story-telling. Here, though, he almost seems to be channelling the spirit of Mrs Doyle, the persistent … Read more

WHAT BOOK would thriller writer Harlan Coben take to a desert island? By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:29 BST, 4 April 2019 | Updated: 22:29 BST, 4 April 2019 …are you reading now? The Witch Elm by the Irish crime writer Tana French — lyrical, suspenseful, unpredictable. … would you take to a desert island? … Read more

MEMOIR   The Impatient Pen by Nicky Haslam (Zuleika £22.99, 240 pp)    Well, I thought I ought to give a party for Princess Margaret — in the days when she was sweet — as I felt so upset about the bust-up with Peter Townsend . . . ‘ That was Maureen, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, … Read more

Flaming comet that wiped out an entire civilisation: An extraordinary new book argues the existence of a lost Amazonia in the Americas Graham Hancock argues for the existence of a lost civilisation in the Americas He points to many ancient earthworks in the southern states as signs of life Hancock believes the culture was destroyed about … Read more

Till death us do part — my love for Tony Booth: Fourth wife of Cherie Blair’s father discusses her extraordinary life and the actor’s battle with Alzheimer’s Tony Booth was known for his ‘Jack the Lad’ persona until his death last year  The actor married four times and had eight daughters including Cherie Blair  His fourth … Read more

MUST READS By Jane Shilling for the Daily Mail Published: 22:05 GMT, 4 April 2019 | Updated: 22:05 GMT, 4 April 2019 EXCEEDING MY BRIEF by Barbara Hosking (Biteback £9.99, 384 pp) EXCEEDING MY BRIEF  by Barbara Hosking (Biteback £9.99, 384 pp) Before starting a memoir, it is always entertaining to look at the index, … Read more

WHAT BOOK would children’s author and illustrator Nick Butterworth take to a desert island? Nick Butterworth is currently re-reading George Orwell’s Coming Up For Air He would take Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings to a desert island He revealed The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence left him cold  By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:10 GMT, … Read more

CLASSIC CRIME By Barry Turner for the Daily Mail Published: 22:12 GMT, 28 March 2019 | Updated: 22:12 GMT, 28 March 2019 DEATH HAS DEEP ROOTS by Michael Gilbert (British Library £8.99, 288 pp) DEATH HAS DEEP ROOTS by Michael Gilbert (British Library £8.99, 288 pp) The  late Michael Gilbert knew his stuff. A practising … Read more

POPULAR By Wendy Holden for the Daily Mail Published: 22:11 GMT, 28 March 2019 | Updated: 22:11 GMT, 28 March 2019 REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL by Nina Stibbe (Viking £12.99, 288 pp) by Nina Stibbe (Viking £12.99, 288 pp)  Misfit lit is the new big thing. Following Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant, … Read more

MUST READS By Jane Shilling for the Daily Mail Published: 22:11 GMT, 28 March 2019 | Updated: 22:11 GMT, 28 March 2019 UNMASKED: A MEMOIR    UNMASKED: A MEMOIR by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Harper Collins £10.99, 544 pp) by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Harper Collins £10.99, 544 pp)   Lord Lloyd Webber insists that he never meant to … Read more

BOOK OF THE WEEK HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? WOMEN, SEX, LOVE AND POWER IN THE 1960S   by Virginia Nicholson (Viking £20, 512pp) Have you ever had the experience of watching your life flashing before your eyes? Traditionally, it’s a sign of impending doom, but it happened to me joyfully — to a soundtrack of … Read more