Books | The Guardian (original) (raw)

Observer book of the week
A Second Act by Dr Matt Morgan review – what nearly dying can teach us about living
Tim Adams

Fiction
The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf review – charming portrait of an artist in her own world
John Self
Kraf’s charming and challenging fourth and final novel, now published in the UK, is narrated by a New Yorker who experiences psychotic episodes

Fiction
Alive in the Merciful Country by AL Kennedy review – peace of mind meets a monster from the past
Alex Clark
This provocative novel contains two narratives: the memoir of an activist starting a new life and the violent manifesto of a spy cop who knew her

Science and nature books
The Shetland Way by Marianne Brown review – a daughter’s journey to the heart of the climate crisis
Stephanie Merritt

Society books
Multitudes: How Crowds Made the Modern World by Dan Hancox review – a hymn to coming together
Stuart Jeffries

Interview
Richard Price: ‘I don’t like to write, I just don’t – it’s too much anxiety’

Interview
‘I don’t like being revered’: Brian Eno on art, AI, and why he hates talking about David Bowie

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Books of the year

Books of the year
The best books of 2024

Best books of 2024
The best books to give as gifts this Christmas

Best books of 2024
The best fiction of the year
2024 in Culture
The best children’s and YA books of 2024
Best books of 2024
The best biographies and memoirs of the year

What to read

Autumn books
From a new Murakami to a memoir by Cher: the best books of the autumn

Paperbacks
This month’s best paperbacks: Leonard Cohen, Sigrid Nunez and more

Where to start with
Where to start with: Zora Neale Hurston
What we're reading
What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in December

Society books
The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen review – smartphone nation
Steven Poole

Philosophy books
The Bright Side by Sumit Paul-Choudhury review – harnessing the power of positive thinking
Helen Thomson
A witty and empathetic examination of the merits and limitations of optimism is a helpful guide with a hopeful message for uncertain times

Art and design books
Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold review – intimate, tender and witty photographs
John Banville
In front of the camera Monroe was luminous, but in this reissued and sumptuous collection of pictures Arnold also captured the insecurity and pain

Religion
Vatican Spies by Yvonnick Denoël review – a head-spinning history of saints and sinners
Tobias Jones

Art and design books
Islamesque by Diana Darke review – the diverse roots of medieval architecture
Rachel Aspden

Philosophy books
The Bright Side by Sumit Paul-Choudhury review – keep the glass half full
Huw Green

Science and nature books
The Shape of Things Unseen by Adam Zeman review – the science of imagination
Philip Ball

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Fiction
American Genius, A Comedy by Lynne Tillman review – thoughts for the day
Stuart Jeffries

Fiction
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell review – a tense portrait of coercive control
Ruth Gilligan
Trapped between a controlling partner and a housing system in crisis, a mother in Dublin struggles to protect her children and herself

Fiction
Ask Me Again by Clare Sestanovich review – a rare kind of friendship
Jonathan Lee
Opposites attract in this subtle coming-of-age debut from an American author known for her short stories

Fiction
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan review – a fresh take on modern love
Sharlene Teo

Fiction
Another Man in the Street by Caryl Phillips review – Windrush struggles
Colin Grant

Fiction
Lazarus Man by Richard Price review – hard times in Harlem
James Smart

Poetry roundup
The best recent poetry
David Wheatley

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Children's book roundup
The best new picture books and novels
Imogen Russell Williams

Children's books
How I brought a Jewish wartime refugee’s lost fairytale back to life
Jonathan Freedland
Ulrich Boschwitz, who wrote the recently rediscovered thriller The Passenger, left another gift behind him when his life was tragically cut short. I had the honour of reinterpreting it for today’s children

Children's book roundup
The best new picture books and children's novels
Imogen Russell Williams
A sensational sleigh ride; joyous poetry; amazing animals; a sinister seaside town; a deadly forest; a thrilling heist and more

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Interview
‘It can feel quite mysterious’: Alan Garner on writing, folklore and experiencing time slips in the Pennines

Interview
‘Very generous and utterly terrifying’: novelist Edward Carey on Pinter, puppets and his spell living in a theatre
The author, whose latest gothic novel is inspired by his lifelong love of theatre, on his journey from stage to page – and why his house in Austin is home to a 4ft doll of Madame Tussaud

Interview
‘It’s got everything you want, plus dragons’: Brandon Sanderson on the joy of writing fantasy
The hugely popular author reveals his excitement at the release of his latest Stormlight saga, how he extracted himself from Amazon and why JK Rowling should have stuck to novels

Interview
‘I had this animal, physical desire to be with my child’: author Rachel Yoder on writing Nightbitch

Interview
‘Scotland has always been multilingual’: new Scottish makar Peter Mackay

Interview
‘I’m writing a memoir. It’s a pack of lies’: John Banville on a lifetime in books, bereavement, and the Irish love of words

Interview
Novelist Maggie O’Farrell: ‘Children don’t just need butterflies and rainbows’

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Regulars

The books of my life
Stuart Turton: ‘I read some Roald Dahl I probably wasn’t ready for’

Big idea
The big idea: can what you eat change your mind?
From designer drinks to dodgy leftovers, our brain responds to food in surprising ways

Audiobook of the week
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman review – meditations on life’s brevity
If time management is all life is, asks the author and narrator, why do we treat it as such a depressingly narrow-minded affair?

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You may have missed

Feature
‘He wouldn’t hurt a fly – literally’: remembering Gerald Durrell at 100

Extract
‘I became an optimist the night my wife died’: a science writer on loss and letting go of rationalism

Observer New Review 2024 puzzles special
Whose lunch is it anyway? Match the authors with their midday meal

Feature
‘Perfect for winter nights’: the best crime novels to read at Christmas according to Ian Rankin, Bella Mackie and more

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Books | The Guardian (original) (raw)

Books of the year

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