Rachel Hosie

A smart mattress topper designed to heat and cool each side of the bed independently provides comfort benefits, particularly for couples with differing temperature preferences. Its cooling feature proves especially valuable in summer, while warming is appreciated in winter. Setup is straightforward but requires space for a connected hub, and extreme temperature settings can produce noticeable noise. Sleep‑tracking data is consistent but not always accurate, and autopilot adjustments may not suit everyone. Despite its high price and mixed impact on sleep quality, the topper offers meaningful comfort improvements for those who can afford it, earning an overall score of 8 out of 10.

Emma Donoghue reflects on her early start as a novelist, her academic background, and the development of her most notable works, including Room and The Wonder. She describes her involvement in the film adaptation of Room and shares the personal influences behind The Wonder. She also highlights several books that have shaped her reading life, noting their emotional and intellectual impact.

Prue Leith recounts her path from restaurateur and food writer to novelist, describing how publishing 12 cookbooks left her ready for a change and led her to sell her business and focus on fiction. She reflects on her upbringing, early influences, and the autobiographical elements in The Prodigal Daughter, while also sharing books that shaped her life.

Eimear McBride recounts her early love of reading, her struggle to publish her debut novel, and the unexpected acclaim that followed its release. She reflects on the challenges of sudden literary success and discusses the inspirations and personal history behind her second novel, set in London, where she lived for many years. She also shares the books that shaped her imagination, writing style and artistic development.

Sarah Hall reflects on her lifelong relationship with books, her development as a writer, and the evolution of her reading habits. She describes abandoning an early unpublished novel, finding success with her second, and shifting toward short stories after becoming a parent. Her latest collection, Sex & Death, gathers contributions from writers tackling these intertwined themes. She also shares influential books that shaped her tastes and creative life.

Talulah Riley discusses how the public reception of Fifty Shades of Grey inspired her to craft a female character who is sexually manipulative in her debut novel, Acts of Love. She describes her structured storytelling process, her unstructured writing routine, and the literary influences that shaped her, highlighting authors such as Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, and the Brontë sisters. She also reflects on the books that have impacted her life, from Roald Dahl’s autobiography to contemporary novels like Chris Cleave’s Everyone Brave is Forgiven.

Highlights ways for young professionals to balance an active social life with workplace success, offering tips such as befriending colleagues, choosing social roles, planning efficiently, setting boundaries around work communication, and managing workload expectations.

Louis de Bernières reflects on his early love of reading, his path to becoming a writer, and his mixed feelings toward film adaptations of his work, noting frustration with the interpretation of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. He describes how he came to write Blue Dog after initially resisting the project and recalls the enjoyment of reworking a script into a novel. He also shares the books that have most influenced him, ranging from childhood favorites to philosophical works and modern fiction.

Lisa McInerney reflects on her path to winning the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction for her debut novel, describing her surprise at the recognition and the pressures that followed. She discusses her upbringing in Galway, her early love of reading and writing, and her desire to portray a more authentic version of Ireland than she saw in the media. McInerney highlights her interest in gritty, character‑driven storytelling and shares the books that shaped her as a reader and writer.

Louise Doughty reflects on her early passion for writing, her long path to publishing her first novel, and the international success of Apple Tree Yard. She discusses the themes and inspirations behind her latest book, Black Water, which explores the 1965 Indonesian massacre, and highlights several books that shaped her life and literary outlook.

Dorothy Koomson reflects on her lifelong love of libraries, her early start in writing, and the development of her novels, which often explore dark and relatable themes. She shares influences from authors whose works shaped her approach to storytelling and discusses how personal experiences and literary inspirations inform her latest novel about two friends whose lives diverge dramatically.

Curtis Sittenfeld reflects on her lifelong love of reading, early exposure to books, and evolving writing discipline while discussing influences ranging from Alice Munro to Jane Austen. She describes her new novel Eligible as a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice and shares personal anecdotes about reading with her children along with a selection of books that have shaped her thinking and creative life.