Gwendolyn Smith

Bettany Hughes recommends five books on the ancient world: Anne Carson’s translation of Sappho’s fragments, Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s The Iliad, Adrienne Mayor’s study of the Amazons, John Wilkinson’s translation of Egeria’s Travels, and Paul Cartledge’s biography of Pericles. She highlights themes including ancient love poetry, Bronze and Iron Age history, archaeological evidence of warrior women, firsthand accounts of the Holy Land and surrounding regions, and Aspasia’s influence in Periclean Athens.

The article recommends 12 contemporary novels that reinterpret Greek myths, ranging from feminist retellings and queer romances to psychological thrillers and modern literary adaptations. Highlights include Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Circe, Stephen Fry’s accessible Mythos, Natalie Haynes’s women-centered A Thousand Ships, and Pat Barker’s depiction of the trauma and violence experienced by women during war. The selections demonstrate the continuing relevance of ancient stories to themes including identity, power, sexuality, family, mortality and injustice.

Alan Judd selects five classic spy thrillers that shaped the genre: Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, W. Somerset Maugham’s Ashenden, Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana and John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The selections range from morally complex early espionage fiction and realistic intelligence operations to heroic adventure, satire and Cold War intrigue. Judd emphasizes the influence of real intelligence work, including his own military and diplomatic background, on these novels and highlights the tension between espionage as professional deception and the more action-oriented image of the spy hero.

Patrice Lawrence, the Waterstones Children’s Laureate for 2026–2028, recommends five children’s and young adult books that she values for their humour, inclusivity and emotional resonance. Her selections include books celebrating Black children and diverse families, a magical fantasy about cleaners, a Muslim family comedy, a teen story confronting body shaming and an illustrated history of information, propaganda and artificial intelligence. Together, the choices reflect Lawrence’s ambition to promote reading as a source of belonging and commonality.

Avni Doshi recommends five novels that explore toxic relationships, family secrets, neglect and inherited trauma: Javier Marías’s A Heart So White, Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, Gwendoline Riley’s My Phantoms, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Vigdis Hjorth’s Will and Testament. Doshi highlights the ways dysfunctional family dynamics shape identity, concealment and intimacy, while reflecting on her own novels Burnt Sugar and The First House.

Maggie O'Farrell reflects on the surreal experience of attending awards ceremonies for the film adaptation of Hamnet, her decision to embrace colorful red-carpet outfits, and the relative invisibility of writers beside Hollywood stars. She discusses the success of Hamnet, her collaboration with director Chloé Zhao, and the film’s Oscar recognition. Her forthcoming novel Land draws on her family history and explores a mapmaking family during Ireland’s Great Famine, addressing starvation, forced eviction, migration, colonisation and Britain’s imperial past. O’Farrell also recalls anti-Irish prejudice she experienced growing up in Britain during the Troubles and discusses her complicated Irish identity. Land has already been acquired for potential screen adaptation.

Saba Sams identifies five novels that profoundly influenced her: Fernanda Melchor’s Hurricane Season, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Lorrie Moore’s Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?, and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. She praises their examinations of misogyny, poverty, caste, class, technology, memory, homophobia and social constraints, explaining how each changed her understanding of love, connection, time or the craft of writing.

Francis Spufford selects five standout fantasy novels: John Crowley’s Little, Big, Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sailing to Sarantium and Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth. He praises their originality, imaginative world-building, emotional consolation and stylistic ambition, while introducing his own forthcoming historical-fantasy novel, Nonesuch.

Nina Stibbe selects five memoirs she considers exceptionally funny: Georgia Pritchett’s My Mess Is a Bit of a Life, David Baddiel’s My Family: The Memoir, Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy, Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch and Jean Hannah Edelstein’s Breasts. Her choices span anxiety, family history, religion, football, gender, motherhood and illness, emphasizing that the best humorous memoirs also offer emotional depth, social observation and insight.

Jennie Godfrey recommends five novels she considers especially heartwarming: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Samuel Burr’s The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and Ron Rindo’s Life, Death and Giants. She values books that combine emotional depth with hope, humor, belonging and human connection, and highlights memorable young narrators, eccentric communities and characters whose lives affect others.

Sophie Hannah recommends five psychological mysteries: Nicci French’s The Memory Game, Joy Fielding’s See Jane Run, Gordon Reece’s Mice, Barbara Vine’s A Dark Adapted Eye, and Morag Joss’s Half-Broken Things. She praises their suspense, psychological depth, compelling characters and carefully constructed mysteries, while introducing her own new novel, The Opposite of Murder.

Samantha Ellis recommends five family sagas: Sami Michael’s Victoria, Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Sanam Mahloudji’s The Persians, Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees, and Shelly Jay Shore’s Rules for Ghosting. Her selections explore Jewish and Persian identity, exile, war, inherited trauma, generational conflict, queer love, and the preservation or reinvention of family ties.

Val McDermid recommends five Christmas crime reads: Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe collection, Agatha Christie's The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, Georges Simenon's A Maigret Christmas and Other Stories, Otto Penzler's The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, and Nicola Upson's The Christmas Clue. Her selections span festive short stories, classic detectives and a longer historical murder mystery, with praise focused on wit, nostalgia, atmosphere, empathy and historical detail. The piece also highlights McDermid's prolific crime-writing career and her new memoir Winter and novel Silent Bones.

Sarah Moss recommends five novels of fewer than 200 pages: Aharon Appelfeld’s Holocaust allegory Badenheim 1939, Tarjei Vesaas’s coming-of-age story The Ice Palace, Tove Jansson’s multigenerational The Summer Book, Mercè Rodoreda’s politically charged Death in Spring, and Elspeth Barker’s Gothic Scottish novel O Caledonia. Her selections emphasize narrative economy alongside themes of violence, friendship, grief, family, girlhood, political pressure and human vulnerability.

James Naughtie selects five novels he considers reliably funny: P. G. Wodehouse's The Code of the Woosters, Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, Evelyn Waugh's Scoop and Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits. His choices span farce, literary satire and dark anti-war comedy, with particular praise for Wodehouse's comic precision, Heller and Vonnegut's treatment of the absurdity of war, Waugh's Fleet Street satire and Lennon's contemporary retelling of an ancient Greek theatrical adventure.

Sara Pascoe recommends five books likely to generate lively book-club discussions: Shalom Auslander's dark comic Hope: A Tragedy; Sarah Wynn-Williams's insider account Careless People, which examines Facebook's political and social power; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah, focused on race, class, education and identity; Miranda July's All Fours, an exploration of female sexuality, perimenopause, relationships and creativity; and David Szalay's Booker Prize-winning Flesh, which examines male sexuality and mental health.

Damien Lewis recommends five books that shaped his understanding and writing about the Second World War: Born of the Desert, Ill Met by Moonlight, The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram, Rogue Male and All the Light We Cannot See. The selections focus on the SAS, SOE missions, wartime captivity and escape, sabotage, and the experiences of civilians and soldiers in Nazi-occupied Europe.

The forthcoming Audible Harry Potter audiobook adaptation, featuring a 200-person ensemble cast including Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen and Riz Ahmed, may introduce the series to new audiences, but it is unlikely to replace Stephen Fry’s beloved single-narrator recordings. Fry’s ability to create every character, preserve narrative clarity and convey humor, suspense and emotion is praised over the cluttered sound effects and theatrical style of large-scale audio dramatizations. Although the author plans to sample the new versions, she expects to remain loyal to Fry’s recordings, which have become a private and enduring source of comfort for many adult Potter fans.

Gwendolyn Smith challenges the warning that motherhood means never reading again, describing how exhaustion initially made reading impossible before her baby’s routines created quiet opportunities to use a Kindle. She says early parenthood has made her more absorbed and emotionally engaged with books, helping her retain part of her identity beyond motherhood. While acknowledging that reading time depends on significant practical support and privilege, she argues that mothers should not be expected to surrender their pre-parenthood interests and can continue—or even deepen—their reading lives.

Television is increasingly including pregnancy in crime dramas and other storylines, but often depicts pregnant women as implausibly tireless action heroes who work until labor. The writer argues that realistic representation should acknowledge physical discomfort, professional pressures and workplace discrimination without reducing pregnancy to a character’s entire identity. More successful examples, including Succession and Sex Education, make pregnancy feel consistent with the character and show its emotional and practical consequences.

The review praises Call the Midwife’s new series opener for its moving portrayal of a pregnant disabled woman, played by Rosie Jones, and for introducing student midwives Joyce and Rosalind. It highlights the episode’s dramatic hostage storyline and its recurring theme of women confronting male violence and authority. The reviewer argues that the show’s period-drama aesthetics conceal radical stories about women’s health and presents it as a joyous, feminist television series, while expressing frustration that few millennials appear to watch it.

The Christmas special of Call the Midwife retains the series’ warmth, compassion and focus on childbirth and community, but attempts to fit too many storylines into a single episode. Alongside a Victorian nativity tableau, the plot includes an expectant mother carrying quadruplets, an ex-airman facing homelessness, a mother grieving her wartime losses, May receiving a gift from her birth mother, and complications for Trixie and Matthew. The strongest sequence sees Dr Turner and Sister Julienne deliver Brenda’s babies inside a stranded ambulance during a snowstorm. Despite unfinished character arcs and an excessively sentimental finale, the special’s emotional sincerity and commitment to themes of love, loneliness, trauma and mortality remain compelling. The review concludes that the show works best when it is simpler and more intimate.

A curated selection of 32 notable 2023 books for Christmas gifts spans novels, crime fiction, children’s literature, memoir, history, politics, science and sport. The recommendations strongly favor acclaimed and prize-recognized works, including Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Alice Winn’s In Memoriam, Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, Britney Spears’s The Woman in Me and Caster Semenya’s The Race to Be Myself. The selections emphasize literary quality, social themes such as racism, misogyny, war, identity and the opioid crisis, and accessible choices for different readers and interests.

Shetland has endured where many Scandi-noir imitators have faded because its distinctive island setting, close-knit community and affectionate characterisation give it an identity beyond bleak crime storytelling. Although Douglas Henshall’s departure as DI Jimmy Pérez threatened the show, Ashley Jensen’s DI Ruth Calder and Alison O’Donnell’s DS Alison “Tosh” McIntosh offer a promising, more contemporary female-led partnership. The series’ balance of chilling mysteries with warmth and everyday human relationships is presented as the key to its popularity and longevity.

Richard Osman discusses the success of The Thursday Murder Club series, his dislike of the “cosy crime” label and his belief that his sales have helped expand crime fiction overall. He defends the books’ warm, hopeful view of Britain against critics who see them as twee and politically disengaged, while acknowledging that The Last Devil to Die addresses darker themes including ageing and dementia. The interview also covers Osman’s television career, working-class financial background, marriage to Ingrid Oliver and plans for a new detective series.

Jacqueline Wilson discusses her enduring popularity, the realistic and often difficult childhood experiences explored in her books, and the return of characters from Sleepovers in The Best Sleepover in the World. She reflects on writing LGBTQ+ and disabled characters, her relationship with Trish, changing attitudes toward sexuality and drag, and her objection to publishers rewriting older books without consulting their authors. Wilson criticises contemporary children’s fiction for being shorter and less challenging, describing David Walliams’s books as vulgar but effective at encouraging reluctant readers. Despite serious past health problems, she continues to write several books each year.

Four iNews culture writers give candid, highly personal assessments of the books they read during summer trips and holidays. Their selections range from contemporary novels and thrillers to classics, poetry and literary criticism. They praise books such as Hurricane Season, The Song of Achilles, The Bee Sting, Love Frankie and The War Against Cliché, while criticizing or expressing reservations about Pineapple Street, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Stone Blind. Recurring themes include family, gender, sexuality, violence, cultural appropriation, cancel culture, environmental anxiety and the enduring appeal of classic literature.

Adult Barbie collectors Cassie Edwards, Phat Vi and Clare Rawling describe how collecting dolls has brought them creativity, nostalgia, friendship and emotional support. Their collections range from around 120 to 1,000 dolls, with substantial spending on figures, clothing and accessories. The Barbie film has helped remove stigma from the hobby, increased interest in collector meet-ups and encouraged fans to wear Barbie-themed clothing publicly. The collectors also discuss childhood shame, improved diversity among Barbie dolls and the personal memories associated with their collections.

A summer reading guide recommends 31 recently published or forthcoming books across fiction, romance, thrillers, memoir, cultural criticism, climate writing and investigative journalism. Highlights include Cecilia Rabess’s politically charged romance Everything’s Fine, Colleen Hoover’s thriller-romance Too Late, Elliot Page’s memoir Pageboy, Alex Wheatle’s Sufferah, and Hannah Barnes’s examination of the Tavistock gender service. The selections address racism, privilege, cultural appropriation, war, migration, gender identity, feminism, masculinity, healthcare and society’s appetite for true crime, with several books receiving endorsements from writers, broadcasters and performers.

Succession has captivated viewers despite centering on the morally bankrupt Roy siblings, whose cruelty, privilege and repeated misjudgments offer little prospect of redemption. Its exceptional writing and performances make the characters emotionally compelling by revealing their vulnerability alongside their predatory behavior. By rejecting a conventional moral center and redemptive arcs, the series demonstrates that television can sustain gripping drama around actively repulsive characters when the characterization and humor are strong enough.

Kia-Elise Green explains how waking at 4.50am, exercising, walking, hydrating and eating before work gives her structure and motivation. Gwendolyn Smith argues that late rising is natural for her and that adequate sleep and leisure matter more than productivity-focused early starts. Both conclude that sleep schedules are personal, though their opposing routines create practical challenges at work and in relationships.

Curtis Sittenfeld discusses the inspiration and feminist premise behind Romantic Comedy, which follows a female comedy writer who questions the convention that attractive, famous men date less glamorous women. She describes researching the backstage world of Saturday Night Live, her affection for classic romantic comedies and her aim to write about happiness and connection after the isolation of the Covid years. Sittenfeld rejects claims that the romcom genre is in crisis, arguing that humanity and American political discourse face the deeper crisis. She also reflects on her earlier novels, reactions to the sexual scenes in Rodham, and her refusal to write about Donald Trump or Stormy Daniels as primary subjects.

Alice Winn explains how Marlborough College’s First World War newspapers inspired her debut novel In Memoriam, which follows the forbidden relationship between boarding-school friends Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood amid the horrors of the trenches. Drawing on figures including Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, Winn explores queer experience, antisemitism, pacifism and the emotional impact of a society that criminalized gay relationships. She argues that queer writers were among the conflict’s most important artistic voices and says the First World War’s collapse of youthful assumptions about security resonates with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.