Books

New research commissioned by toilet roll brand Cushelle and done by Walr in February crowned the Duke’s explosive book the best read to relax in the toilet. Harry released Spare in January 2023 and sparked a huge uproar with its various bombshell claims. It is thought that the book further …

I love the thought of reading every evening but the reality is that if a book isn’t gripping me from the first few pages or chapters, I get bored and distracted. Some books have even taken me around three months to finish before because I couldn’t get into them. The …

These five books cover everything from non-fiction to science fiction (Image: Vita Molyneux) Some of my most cherished childhood memories are set in the library. My mum would take me at least weekly, and I would dash about selecting books entirely at random. While waiting for her, I would settle …

Antony Beevor, right, believes Rasputin is one of the most significant historical figures ever (Image: Getty / Antony Beevor) For a virtually illiterate peasant born in the depths of Siberia in January 1869, Grigori Rasputin had the most extraordinary impact on history. In fact, muses Sir Antony Beevor, the Russian …

Jo Nesbo (Image: Jo Nesbo) Crime writer Jo Nesbo has revealed both his daughter and his mother have not read any of his bestselling Harry Hole novels. The 13 books featuring the brilliant but troubled detective have sold more than 50 million copies across the globe and have been adapted …

John Thaw and Kevin Whately as Inspector Morse and his faithful sidekick Sgt Lewis (Image: PA) Nothing beats an odd couple when it comes to detective films. Think Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as the mismatched partners in the hit Lethal Weapon franchise, or Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, the …

The Hiding Season by A C Glass, Hardback, £18.99 After her husband leaves her, Maya Landry moves to Montana and takes a job maintaining exclusive ski lodges off-season in the Rocky Mountains, fulfilling her need for solitude until she stumbles across a dead body in one of them. Forced to …

Len Deighton, who has died at 97, saw Michael Caine star as Harry Palmer in film of The Ipcress File (Image: Shutterstock) In the spring of 1960 a 31-year-old former chef and flight attendant called Len Deighton got in touch with the Daily Express to pitch an idea he called …

Spy writing legend Len Deighton has died at the age of 97. The former chef and cookery writer, whose early break came when his ‘cookstrips’ – a combination of a recipe and cartoon – appeared in the Daily Express in 1960, is widely regarded as having helped introduce modern spy …

Olivia Colman and Dame Judi Dench in Murder On The Orient Express (Image: PA/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp/Nicola Dove) Fifty years after Dame Agatha Christie’s death, the world still can’t get enough of her brilliance. The Queen of Crime’s Seven Dials Mystery on Netflix, starring Mia McKenna-Bruce, has been a …