7+ hour, 45+ min ago  (844+ words) A man who meant to be a priest is faced with a moral crossroads in this ambitious and affecting first novel Jon Doyle's debut novel tells the story of Mack O'Brien, a young man who went to a seminary to…...

5+ hour, 14+ min ago  (1136+ words) The Guardian The Fallen by Louise Brangan review " an enraging account of Ireland's Magdalene laundries The horrifying story of the Catholic-run institutions that incarcerated thousands of women and girls Many readers, and surely most Irish readers, will finish this book…...

6+ hour, 46+ min ago  (221+ words) Helen De Witt turning down the Windham-Campbell literary award caused controversy. But her bold act highlights that such prizes aren't always as meritocratic as they might seem De Witt is a critically acclaimed author, and her debut novel, The Last…...

20+ hour, 21+ min ago  (223+ words) The former children's laureate missed the announcement of the award in Bologna due to post-Brexit passport rule changes Michael Rosen, the poet and author known for books such as We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Chocolate Cake, has won…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago  (230+ words) A Stoic philosopher navigates midlife in this madcap comedy from the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette What would Marcus Aurelius have made of the Kardashians? Would Seneca have been amused by mindfulness apps? These were questions I had never…...

1+ day, 3+ hour ago  (986+ words) Don't be fooled by the A-Z treatment " this thoroughgoing guide asks deep questions about the art of autobiography'I've had a life and I've also had a life as a life writer: Blake Morrison opens his tour d'horizon of arguably literature's…...

5+ day, 6+ hour ago  (276+ words) The South African author on discovering Colette, being inspired by JG Ballard, and the subversive joys of Asako Yuzuki My favourite book'growing up I was delighted to move on to the imaginative sophistication of The Lion, the Witch and the…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago  (999+ words) Biography mingles with fiction as Levy explores the avant-garde writer through the story of three female friends in Paris The narrator of Deborah Levy's witty scherzo of a "fiction" " "novel" isn't the word for this uncategorisable book " thinks that Gertrude…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago  (1405+ words) After the death of his husband, Antony Sher, the former RSC director embarks on a quest to see every First Folio This is really two books in one. The first part consists of the diaries written by Antony Sher in…...

2+ day, 4+ hour ago  (1126+ words) A reincarnation mystery drives this exploration of spiritual interconnectedness in a globalised world What happens when a novelist cares more about their plot, or their message, than their prose? Plot and message have this much in common: they travel smoothest…...