US Edition
Fancy a drop of ‘viper wine’? It might cure you – or kill you
Karen Bloom Gevirtz’s fascinating history of medicine, The Apothecary’s Wife, shines a light on the forgotten stories of female physicians
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Is English a racist language? Not really
Whose Language is English?, by academic Jieun Kiaer, is a promising linguistic project – but the thesis is incoherent and often unconvincing
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A beautiful homage to the poetry of the Shipping Forecast
As the Shipping Forecast turns 100, Meg Clothier’s book of the same name vividly brings to life its history and quasi-mysticism
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A very loving letter to Odesa – once poet’s haven, now Russian target
In Undefeatable, Julian Evans recounts his 30-year relationship with the Ukrainian city – and a local woman – in beautifully evocative style
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The American who dated Nazis and spied for the Soviets
Brendan McNally’s biography of Martha Dodd, Traitor’s Odyssey, has a fascinating subject. Why, then, does he refuse to take her seriously?
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A guide to all the monsters you might glimpse this Christmas
Sarah Clegg’s The Dead of Winter is a fascinating – if overambitious – history of winter festivities, from the Krampus to the Carnevale
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Want to live forever? Be sure to preserve your brain
In The Future Loves You, Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston boldly argues that we’ll one day be able to ‘abolish death’ – that is, if anyone wants to
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Why Russia’s oppression of Ukraine stretches back centuries
Eugene Finkel wrote Intent to Destroy to ‘fight back’ against a Russian spy – the result is a fascinating history of a toxic relationship
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Nadine Dorries’s bizarre tale of the Conservative party demise is painful, odd – and a bore
Downfall, the ex-MP’s sequel to The Plot, reads less like a true-crime thriller and more like a monologue overheard on a night bus
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From Epstein to Lewinsky, Bill Clinton’s memoir is eloquent – if unremarkable
Citizen is a well-written account of the former president’s retirement. But for 400 pages, it has disappointingly few revelations
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Do you know a lazy English student? Give them this
Edwin Frank’s history of the modern novel, Stranger than Fiction, balances its erudition with plenty of gossip on Proust, Kafka and Woolf
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The secret romance that could have changed Churchill’s life
Hitherto unseen correspondence throws a new light on the love life of Winston Churchill before he married Clementine
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The best books on Ukraine in 2024, from Chernobyl to Zelensky
As the invasion of Ukraine nears its third anniversary, it’s crucial to stay informed about a war that has claimed nearly one million lives
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Jordan Peterson wrestles with God – and the result is worth watching
The Canadian psychologist’s new book is a reading of the Old Testament and a paean to sacrifice. It’s riddling and dense, but engrossing
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The best biographies and memoirs of 2024, from Elizabeth II’s life to Rushdie’s near-death
This year saw the release of Craig Brown’s magnum opus on the late Queen, as well as dissections of the messy difficulty of genius
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The best science books of 2024, from lethal technology to eternal life
This year, leading thinkers asked how humanity became so fragile, what other life could exist in the universe, and whether it’s already here
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The best sports books of 2024, from cricket’s soul to Sven’s goodbye
The sporting shelf this year teemed with emotional stories, as well as deep-dives into dirty money and a welcome chunk of nostalgia
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The best (and worst) politics books of 2024, from Boris to Truss
Amid election fever, gossipy memoirs and furious polemics came pouring out – and ex-PMs began jostling for attention
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The best music books of 2024, from Elvis’s daughter to industry secrets
As ever, 2024 saw a slate of A-list memoirs – but more interesting were the stories of music’s oddballs and wallflowers
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The best history books of 2024, from a lost England to Fascist Italy
This year saw plenty of excellent books, as usual, on the 20th century – but the real gems were revelatory examinations of the Middle Ages
