A gorgeous, rich, magnificent imagining of a 1960s pop group, which even nods at Sandoe's in its plethora of walk-on parts (Bowie, Zappa...). Sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll, wit, linguistic jinx... read more
We've seen the effects of creeping populism, polarisation and prejudice in the US. All three are now present and powerful in Britain, fanned and misused for political ends. MdA decries the d... read more
Not Oscar (of the 'Ark' or 'List') but a Cafe in Innsbruck.... A vivid portrayal of a family's brushes with history, from the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the importance of cake.
More reading of natural runes - its subtitle gives the game away: 'How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop'. He doesn't go so far as the use of lak... read more
Memoir by the magnificent Margolyes, conceived in an air raid in WW2 who, in a life rich with experience, mischief and energy, once mooned at Warren Beatty - "he completely deserved it. The ... read more
Born in 1916 to a noble St Petersburg family, he fled Russia with his parents and arrived in England with next to nothing. By the time he was 20 he had scored the winning try in England's fi... read more
A moving and unique coming-of-age diary written by Churchill's daughter Mary during WW2 which shows her father as PM, military leader and family man. Carefully edited by ES, Churchill's gran... read more
Nifty historical spy novel, in which an MI5 operative is sent to Paris to deal with a blackmail case with political repercussions. The PM is Ramsay Macdonald.
As well as a bestselling novelist, Hustvedt has lectured on neuroscience, psychoanalysis and philosophy at scientific conferences across the world. This new essay collection draws both on he... read more
A fascinating history of Christianity told through the tumultuous and sometimes contested tales of twenty different churches and chapels scattered across Britain and Ireland.
Another outing for the spy hunter Jonas Merrick, which begins with a Russian agent defecting in Denmark. The retired MI5 agent, dragged away from his caravan and quiet life, is known by youn... read more
From the engaging author of Lady In Waiting, whose late flowering as a memoirist and author of a pair of deliciously silly thrillers make her a pin-up for so many.
The author lived alongside Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor during the war, between the ages of 16 and 22, the span of these diaries. She remained a confidante until her death in 2001.
Described by Churchill as "that strange, glittering being", Vickers met GD as an old lady in a mental hospital many years ago. She enraptured many, including Berenson, Proust and Rodin.
The author's mother came from a Sikh family that fled the Punjab in Partition; later she moved to Berlin and Washington. A fine memoir of family whose identity and roots have been complicate... read more
From bronze-age chopsticks, grain stews, the dawn of the dumpling in the C4th, and the astonishing super-abundance of rice feeding a vast population, to modern fast food in the Chinese diasp... read more
It should come as no surprise that Beaton's biographer, and author of many other fine books on society subjects, should himself have personal diaries to share with his readers... (Not to be ... read more
Following on from his The Prime Ministers, here is a series of essays on all 46 presidents of the USA by various academics, journalists, politicians and historians.