# history book (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 6 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover history book. Page: Feed: --- ## [Thoughts from the Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (8/21/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/thoughts-from-green-bay-packers-at_01720047296.html) _2026-08-22 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Here are my thoughts from the Green Bay Packers 33-13 win at the Denver Broncos last night: There was quite a bit of improvement versus last week. The offense was finding the endzone all night and the defense was making things difficult for the Broncos. Considering Denver was one game away from the Super Bowl last season, that was an impressive task. Jordan Love may finally have his weapons.… ## [From Booker-listed Marlon James to a memoir by Michael Douglas – the biggest books this autumn](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/22/new-autumn-fiction-nonfiction-marlon-james-emma-cline-michael-douglas-dustin-hoffman-judi-dench-yiyun-li) _2026-08-22 · Guardian Staff · Books | The Guardian_ Midlife meditations from Barbara Kingsolver; musical portraits by Jonathan Coe and Yiyun Li; plus memoirs from Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench – all among the coming season’s highlights The Disappearers by Marlon James Hamish Hamilton, 3 September After a detour into mythic fantasy, the author of the Booker-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings returns to Jamaica. This account of a brutal… ## [Book Review: There Goes the Bride by M. C. Beaton (2009)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/book-review-there-goes-bride-by-m-c.html) _2026-08-21 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: Even though she has convinced herself she no longer has feelings for her ex-husband, James Lacey, Agatha Raisin is not looking forward to attending his wedding, especially after learning he is having second thoughts about marrying the beautiful and much younger Felicity Bross-Tilkington. The wedding, however, doesn't happen because the bride-to-be is killed while getting ready. After… ## [My Thoughts - Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Spoiler: Bert Gets Married (8/20/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/my-thoughts-stuart-fails-to-save_01462227279.html) _2026-08-21 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and friends are transported to a primitive Pasadena, with huts, no technology and a peaceful civilization that shares everything. While Stuart tries to find a piece of red quartz for the machine, Bert ( Brian Posehn ) falls in love with a native (Zoe Cipres) and Barry ( John Ross Bowie ) quickly makes his own negative mark on their society. My Thoughts: This was… ## [The best recent translated fiction – review roundup](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/the-best-recent-translated-fiction-review-roundup) _2026-08-21 · John Self · Books | The Guardian_ The Red Book of Farewells by Pirkko Saisio; Short Circuit by Wolf Haas; Cosmos by Lucia Odoom; The Fallen Trees Are Also the Forest by Alejandra Kamiya The Red Book of Farewells by Pirkko Saisio, translated by Mia Spangenberg, Penguin Classics (£14.99) Following Lowest Common Denominator and Backlight, this book completes Finnish author Saisio’s autofictional trilogy. It covers her young adulthood… ## [Alice Roberts: ‘By the time I’d finished Richard Dawkins I’d left faith behind’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/alice-roberts-by-the-time-id-finished-richard-dawkins-id-left-faith-behind) _2026-08-21 · Alice Roberts · Books | The Guardian_ The TV presenter and author on the evolutionary biologists who inspired her, the genius of George Eliot – and fun with Frog and Toad My earliest reading memory The first books I remember were from The Village with Three Corners series Sheila K McCullagh. I loved the – literally – colourful characters, like Johnny Yellow Hat. I was reading with my Grandma, in her garden perhaps, sitting on a small… ## [Life of M by Rachel Cusk review – is this story of a film star based on Natalie Portman?](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/life-of-m-by-rachel-cusk-review-is-this-story-of-a-film-star-based-on-natalie-portman) _2026-08-21 · Clare Clark · Books | The Guardian_ A teasing tale of the friendship between a writer and an actor explores the fallout from fame, and the blurring between pretence and reality M is a celebrated film actor. A star since childhood, now the face of a major fashion brand, she has been famous all her life. That her career closely resembles Natalie Portman’s has been gleefully seized upon by the press, something Rachel Cusk must surely… ## [Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/20/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/lunchtime-walk-photos-8202026.html) _2026-08-20 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ My walk today came with some sadness because I came across a deceased muskrat. I'm not sure what happened to it other than it possibly was attacked by a hawk or something that was then scared off before it could eat. It seemed fairly recent though because the fur looked like it was still wet. Anyway, despite that, it did turn out to be a decent walk. I wound up skipping some trails because I… ## [Ukrainian publishers call for support after Russian attacks destroy 10m books](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/help-ukrainian-publishers-russia-attacks-books) _2026-08-20 · Emma Loffhagen · Books | The Guardian_ The country risks ‘the collapse of the entire book ecosystem’ following destruction of warehouses in July and August, say Ukrainian publishers The Ukrainian Book Institute has called on the international publishing community to support Ukrainian publishers after Russian attacks in July and early August destroyed about 10m books and a significant share of the country’s book production capacity. The… ## [Love, disease, and self-deception: the life of Typhoid Mary](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/book-about-typhoid-mary/) _2026-08-20 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Shortly after the 19th century turned into the 20th, a medical sleuth named George Soper, whom we would today call an epidemiologist, identified a young Irish immigrant cook in New York City as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen that causes typhoid fever. Her name was Mary Mallon, and we make her acquaintance in this \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Web Coding With AI, Live (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/3xKdS1O8Hw5f) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Collaborative screen sharing with simultaneous remote control, open source. ## [All of Us Atoms by Holly Dawson audiobook review – an extraordinary self-portrait](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/all-of-us-atoms-by-holly-dawson-audiobook-review-an-extraordinary-self-portrait) _2026-08-20 · Fiona Sturges · Books | The Guardian_ Helena Bonham Carter narrates the playwright’s impressionistic memoir, written as she was experiencing the loss of her memory Playwright Holly Dawson’s memoir tells of memory lapses and a series of seizures that signal something isn’t right. Before visiting a doctor, she had been muddling up words, forgetting people’s names and flooding the bathroom. The book finds Dawson in conversation with her… ## [The best books to read in August: new paperbacks from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Salman Rushdie and Werner Herzog](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/20/the-best-books-to-read-in-august-new-paperbacks-from-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-salman-rushdie-and-werner-herzog) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Books | The Guardian_ Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a short story collection by a literary great to razor-sharp criticism \*\*\* Continue reading... ## [Launch: Wallflower](https://andadinosaur.com/launch-wallflower) _2026-08-20 · Zhenyi Tan · And a Dinosaur_ The second law of enshittification states that the total shittiness of a platform must always increase over time. First Reddit started nagging you to install the app. Then they killed the third-party clients. Then they added ads inside comment threads, then AI-generated summaries as “answers”, then a “Get the app to keep using Reddit” overlay you can’t dismiss. Now they’re putting old.reddit.com… ## [The Squirrels Need to Go on a Diet (A Poem)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/the-squirrels-need-to-go-on-diet-poem.html) _2026-08-20 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ The squirrels need to go on a diet It sounds strange, but it’s true. The broken tree limb laying in my back yard proves it. The divots from the previous ones too. Perhaps they are having too many walnuts. Or are spending too much time at my bird feeders. They may get plenty of exercise But they sure are eaters. Today it was a large branch. Two weeks ago, it was literally half a tree. They may not… ## [How I’ve Tried to Change the World by Alexei Sayle review – does protest make a difference?](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/20/how-ive-tried-to-change-the-world-by-alexei-sayle-review-does-protest-make-a-difference) _2026-08-20 · Andy Beckett · Books | The Guardian_ The comedian charts his life in demos from 1960s Liverpool to 2020s London in this fiery and addictive book At 74, the comedian Alexei Sayle is approaching a dangerous phase for veteran British leftists: becoming a national treasure. Once described by special branch, in a surveillance file gleefully quoted in this memoir, as an “intellectual thug” who made “foul-mouthed comments about the royal… ## [Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/19/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/lunchtime-walk-photos-8192026.html) _2026-08-19 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ I wasn't sure how wet the trails would be after the rain we got last night (or how many mosquitos would be out). However, they turned out to be manageable, and I was able to get my walk in today at lunch. I wasn't able to get photos of them because they were underwater, but the snapping turtles were swimming around near the shoreline, which was kind of cool to see. I did manage to get photos… ## [How the OSS saved the Parthenon and other Greek treasures](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/ww2-spies-in-greece/) _2026-08-19 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Most of what appears in print today about the OSS in World War II dwells on the heroic men and women it infiltrated into France to sabotage the Nazis or in the China-Burma-India theater. Of course, “Wild Bill” Donovan’s brief as head of the Office of Strategic Services was much broader than that. The agency \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Movie Review: Enemy of the Law (1945)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/movie-review-enemy-of-law-1945.html) _2026-08-19 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: When convicted robber Charley Gray is released from prison, Texas rangers Dave Wyatt and Panhandle Perkins team up with lawyer Tex Haines to find out where he hid $250,000 in stolen government money by having Panhandle go undercover and befriend the newly released criminal. However, things prove to be more complicated when Charley's partner, Steve, and his new gang plan a double cross.… ## [The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore review – an ominous warning of tech takeover](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/19/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-artificial-state-by-jill-lepore-review-an-ominous-warning-of-tech-takeover) _2026-08-19 · Farrah Jarral · Books | The Guardian_ A historian charts the emergence of a democracy-crushing dystopia that is – in some ways – already with us Pulitzer prize-winning US historian Jill Lepore’s new book addresses the threat posed to liberal democracy by artificial intelligence. According to Lepore, the extraordinary power of private tech companies led by men whose priorities may not align with the wellbeing of the Earth or its… ## [Where Are the Kings by Donal Ryan review – a timeless tale of family sorrows and joys](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/19/where-are-the-kings-by-donal-ryan-review-a-timeless-tale-of-family-sorrows-and-joys) _2026-08-19 · Beejay Silcox · Books | The Guardian_ A teenage boy navigates adolescence and the traumatic loss of his mother in this poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural Ireland Something is happening to literary time. In the last fortnight I’ve read new or forthcoming novels about a mirror universe where history runs backwards (The Understory, Chloe Benjamin), an agency that offers appointments with the past (Time Travel for Beginners, Jaclyn… ## [Make any domain metal (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/dE26DXSSE8MX) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Turn any domain into a blacked-out metal landing page with an email waitlist ## [Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/18/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/lunchtime-walk-photos-8182026.html) _2026-08-18 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ It was a bit overcast at lunch, but we aren't supposed to get rain until later, so I managed to get a walk in with my camera. There wasn't much activity today, probably because it looked like they just got done mowing some of the grass, but I did capture some of the usual suspects. Here are some of my photos: There was no heron on this rock today, like yesterday, so the turtles returned. This… ## [Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell among authors urging Burnham to cut business rates on bookshops](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/philip-pullman-and-maggie-ofarrell-among-authors-urging-burnham-to-cut-business-rates-on-bookshops) _2026-08-18 · Emma Loffhagen · Books | The Guardian_ After pubs and clubs get rates relief, authors back open letter calling for similar support for bookshops, described as the ‘beating hearts’ of high streets Maggie O’Farrell, Philip Pullman, Katherine Rundell and Elif Shafak are among the authors supporting a campaign by independent booksellers who have urged Andy Burnham to extend business rates relief for pubs, clubs and live music venues to… ## [Ghostly Tales, Chinese Food & True Crime: Arcadia's Newest Reads](https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/blogs/news/new-books-now-available-arcadia-publishing-8182026) _2026-08-18 · Arcaida Publishing · Arcadia Publishing - News_ Discover the newest local and regional history titles from Arcadia Publishing, featuring untold stories, hidden landmarks, and the people who shaped your community. More ## [Christopher Berry-Dee dropped by publisher after allegations of abuse made against him](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/christopher-berry-dee-dropped-publisher-allegations-abuse) _2026-08-18 · Ella Creamer · Books | The Guardian_ Bonnier Books will no longer publish UK’s top-selling true crime author following Guardian investigation The main publisher of the bestselling true crime writer Christopher Berry-Dee has dropped the author after a Guardian investigation into allegations of violence and sexual abuse against him, which he denies. Waterstones has also removed his books from sale. “We are shocked and appalled by the… ## [A complex and compelling detective novel set in inland Africa](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/thriller-about-the-diamond-trade/) _2026-08-18 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ With such sparse media coverage of events in Africa today, and the short shrift most Western history textbooks give the continent, it’s no wonder Americans have developed a stereotyped view of Africa and Africans. This flies in the face of reality. The continent is vast, encompassing 54 nations and over 1.5 billion genetically diverse people \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and… ## [Book Review: Champion of the World by Chad Dundas (2016)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/book-review-champion-of-world-by-chad.html) _2026-08-18 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: Moira Van Dean doesn't trust Fritz Mundt, the man who broke her husband, Pepper's leg and effectively ended his professional wrestling career, sending the couple into a financial spiral that had resulted in them living in poverty while working for a traveling carnival. However, after the carnival leaves them behind following a barroom altercation that leaves Pepper seriously injured,… ## [‘The truth about Diana’: Charles Spencer to publish book about late sister](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/charles-spencer-diana-book-swan-song) _2026-08-18 · Ella Creamer · Books | The Guardian_ Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’ Charles Spencer is to publish a book about his sister Diana in September. In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his… ## [Sunrise by Téa Obreht review – secrets and myths in the American west](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/sunrise-by-tea-obreht-review-secrets-and-myths-in-the-american-west) _2026-08-18 · Nina Allan · Books | The Guardian_ Set across three interwoven timelines, this absorbing tale of an abandoned mining town explores courage, cowardice and how history is recorded Téa Obreht’s novels teem with conflicting narratives, treacherous landscapes and speculative fictions. Her 2010 prizewinning debut, The Tiger’s Wife , examined themes of death, miracles and outsider status in the midst of a fictional Balkan war. Her fourth… ## [Ukrainian Lessons by Charlotte Higgins review – when art and war collide](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/ukrainian-lessons-by-charlotte-higgins-review-when-art-and-war-collide) _2026-08-18 · James Meek · Books | The Guardian_ A vivid and hopeful study of how culture endures in the midst of extreme violence Towards the end of her subtly piercing book about art in wartime, Charlotte Higgins recounts an autumn visit to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, in the north-east of the country, a short drive from the Russian border. In a tranquil park, she sees a man standing in a stream, making stones balance on top of each other… ## [Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/17/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/lunchtime-walk-photos-8172026.html) _2026-08-17 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ It was a halfway decent day today, sunny without being super warm or humid, so my walk was a bit more pleasant than it has been. Plus, I had some company today. My wife was in her sewing studio (in the basement of the same building my office is in) so she joined me. Since she was wearing sandals, I avoided some of the trails I normally would check out. However, I still managed to get a few photos.… ## [Transcript-Driven Stock Discovery (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/5XzGREsbGNsi) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Ranked, evidence-backed watchlists from indexed executive transcripts for 1–2 quarter horizons ## [Movie Review: Diggstown (1992)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/movie-review-diggstown-1992.html) _2026-08-17 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: After being released from prison, conman Gabriel Caine and his partner, Fitz, travel to Diggstown, a town named after is most famous resident, boxer Charles Malcum Diggs. The town is run by Diggs' former manager, Charles Gillon, who secretly drugged his fighter to fix a fight and scam the residents out of their property, leaving Diggs in a vegetable-like state. Caine gets Gillon to… ## [The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef review – a bizarre tale of psychedelic toads and hair-raising treatments](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/17/the-ego-trip-by-kimon-de-greef-review-a-bizarre-tale-of-psychedelic-toads-and-hair-raising-treatments) _2026-08-17 · Oliver Bullough · Books | The Guardian_ A journalist investigates the unsettling world of a charismatic shaman and the people who trusted him Which, in your opinion, is the worst current cultural trend: social media influencers; unregulated wellness practitioners; macho manosphere posturers; psychedelic bores; cultural appropriators? The good news is that, with Octavio Rettig, the central character in Kimon de Greef’s The Ego Trip, you… ## [Agrippa by Robert Harris review – persuasive portrait of rivalry in ancient Rome](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/17/agrippa-by-robert-harris-review-persuasive-portrait-of-rivalry-in-ancient-rome) _2026-08-17 · Sam Leith · Books | The Guardian_ This fictional memoir by Octavius’s right-hand man shows us bloodshed, betrayal and hectic jockeying for power If you’re one of those people who thinks about the Roman empire several times a week, Robert Harris has you covered. He follows his trilogy of novels about the life of Cicero and his one-off about the unpleasantness in Pompeii with a narrative that takes us from civil war through the… ## [Tom Gauld on the library of the forbidden tomes – cartoon](https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2026/aug/16/tom-gauld-on-the-library-of-the-forbidden-tomes-cartoon) _2026-08-16 · Tom Gauld · Books | The Guardian_ Continue reading... ## [‘It is not only a future certainty – the disaster is already here’: why we need climate fiction](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/16/it-is-not-only-a-future-certainty-the-disaster-is-already-here-why-we-need-climate-fiction) _2026-08-16 · Tara Menon · Books | The Guardian_ As wildfires rage across Europe and Britain swelters through its hottest summer on record, literary fiction has a vital role to play in capturing the severe consequences of climate crisis Earlier this summer, I travelled through Europe on a book tour. Everywhere I went, the heat broke records. In Italy, Germany and Spain, I sought refuge from the afternoon sun in air-conditioned hotels. In… ## [Art Spiegelman: ‘The US needs a counter-revolution’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/15/art-spiegelman-the-us-needs-a-counter-revolution) _2026-08-15 · Sophie McBain · Books | The Guardian_ More than four decades after his Holocaust story Maus transformed the graphic novel genre, Art Spiegelman discusses Trump, the shadow of 9/11 and the rise of fascism in America When the cartoonist Art Spiegelman began dating his future wife, Françoise Mouly, in the mid 70s, she would tell him not to worry about walking her home, because even the New York muggers didn’t bother venturing to where… ## [Movie Review: Masters of the Universe (2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/movie-review-masters-of-universe-2026.html) _2026-08-15 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ Synopsis: When his home planet of Eternia is attacked by an army led by the skull-faced villain, Skeletor, Prince Adam is tasked with protecting the Sword of Power and sent through a portal that takes him to the planet Earth. Fifteen years later, Adam is working in a human resources department while searching for the sword, which he lost along the way. When he finally finds it, he returns to his… ## [Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/14/2026)](https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2026/08/lunchtime-walk-photos-8142026.html) _2026-08-14 · Steven Helmer Publications · Steven Helmer Publications_ After having rain, or at least the chance of rain the past couple days, the weather finally cooperated enough for me to get back out with my camera at lunch. Between the overcast sky and visible humidity, I did have a few challenges with the photos being a bit darker than my editing skills could overcome. However, there were a few unique things this time around as well, offsetting that a bit. Here… ## [The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/14/the-best-recent-and-thrillers-review-roundup) _2026-08-14 · Laura Wilson · Books | The Guardian_ The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian; Claws Out! by Bella Mackie; Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang; Children of Wolves by Lawrence Osborne; Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian (Hutchinson Heinemann, £18.99) American bestseller Bohjalian deserves to be far better known in the UK, although, as the first line of his 26th novel points out, “It is neither virtue nor might that rules the… ## [Rebecca Perry: ‘Lorca hit me like a bolt of lightning’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/14/rebecca-perry-lorca-hit-me-like-a-bolt-of-lightning) _2026-08-14 · Rebecca Perry · Books | The Guardian_ The poet and novelist on the power of fairytales, being inspired by Frank O’Hara and the joys of Doris Lessing My earliest reading memory Reading On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan, aged five or so, sitting on the floor of the bedroom I shared with my brother – who, in my memory, was sitting on the carpet next to me. My favourite book growing up I had a collection of fairytales in a big… ## [The Beverly Hills Housewife by James Cahill review – a trip inside Hockney’s world](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/14/the-beverly-hills-housewife-by-james-cahill-review-a-trip-inside-hockneys-world) _2026-08-14 · Ben Eastham · Books | The Guardian_ Muse Betty Freeman sits at the centre of this sun-drenched book about art, eccentricity, and the spirit of Los Angeles David Hockney was 29 years old when he came to Betty Freeman’s house to photograph her swimming pool. Scouting locations for the pool paintings that would make him a household name, he took preparatory snaps of his partner, Peter Schlesinger, emerging naked from the water. And yet… ## [VJ Day: The Moment World War II Finally Ended](https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/blogs/news/vj-day-the-moment-world-war-ii-finally-ended-world-war-ii-books) _2026-08-14 · Arcaida Publishing · Arcadia Publishing - News_ Eighty one years ago this week, on August 14, 1945, the news that a war weary world had been waiting years to hear finally arrived. Japan had accepted the terms of unconditional surrender, and World War II, the deadliest conflict in human history, was effectively over. Within hours, the announcement set off some of the biggest spontaneous celebrations America had ever seen, and the day would go… ## [The top mystery and thriller award winners](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/mystery-and-thriller-award-winners/) _2026-08-13 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Most citations of awards in the mystery, thriller, and suspense field mention the Edgar, Gold Dagger, Anthony, and International Thriller Writer Awards. But the categories used by these four awards don’t match. And as you’ll see, the awards themselves don’t often, either. For example, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) grant Edgar Allen Poe Awards \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and… ## [Universality by Natasha Brown audiobook review – a sparkling multi-voiced satire](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/13/universality-by-natasha-brown-audiobook-review-a-sparkling-multi-voiced-satire) _2026-08-13 · Fiona Sturges · Books | The Guardian_ A magazine article about stolen gold sparks a culture war between a cast of politically polarised characters A stinging dissection of wealth, class and the media, Natasha Brown’s satire begins with a man named Jake gazing at a gold bar he has found at a farm in West Yorkshire. Outside, an illegal rave is taking place which will end in three hospitalisations and property damage. Pondering what to… ## [Can Nothing Save Us? by Irvine Welsh review – US family saga is a late-career triumph](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/13/can-nothing-save-us-by-irvine-welsh-review-us-family-saga-is-a-late-career-triumph) _2026-08-13 · Jake Arnott · Books | The Guardian_ The Scottish author focuses on gun culture and generational conflict in this darkly satirical tale about a great power in decline “Why expect unconditional love from somebody you’ve brought into a fucked, dying planet, who then has to sit around and watch you screw it up even more?” So muses twentysomething college dropout Luke Ayrton on his parental lineage as he works the Las Vegas Strip,… ## [Vladimir Putin, the KGB, and the restoration of Soviet Russia](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/book-about-vladimir-putin/) _2026-08-12 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ A review of The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, by Masha Gessen. ★★★★☆. A critical biography of the three-term Russian President by a skilled Moscow reporter with personal knowledge of the people and events of the time since the fall of Communism. Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Something Like Happiness by Tom Newlands review – a tender take on hard times, anger and autism](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/12/something-like-happiness-by-tom-newlands-review-a-tender-take-on-hard-times-anger-and-autism) _2026-08-12 · Suzi Feay · Books | The Guardian_ A twentysomething Scottish couple care for their autistic son in the bleak follow-up to Only Here, Only Now Frazer and Caitlin have been emotionally entwined since schooldays. Now in their mid-20s, and parents of a five-year-old, they live in a grotty flat in a Scottish new town – the faded posters read “Happiness, Here” – that has crumbled into decay. Jobs are scarce and unrewarding; little… ## [A History of the Novel in Britain by Philip Hensher review – a masterpiece of criticism](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/12/a-history-of-the-novel-in-britain-by-philip-hensher-review-a-masterpiece-of-criticism) _2026-08-12 · Kathryn Hughes · Books | The Guardian_ This joyous book takes readers on a literary adventure across 300 years of fiction, from Defoe to Zadie Smith In his opening paragraph, Philip Hensher declares that a novel not only “tells a good story” but is a good story in itself. We could extend that neat formula to include this book, which is not only a masterful account of fiction since 1719, when Daniel Defoe set Robinson Crusoe down on his… ## [The first in a series of uniquely clever detective novels](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/odd-couple-detectives/) _2026-08-11 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Anthony Horowitz possesses one of the crime genre’s most original minds. He’s proved it over and over again in scores of novels and several long-running television series. But nowhere is his cunning intelligence more in evidence than in The Word is Murder. It’s the first of what are to date six mystery novels about the \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa review – Nobel laureate’s final novel is a love letter to Peru](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/11/i-give-you-my-silence-by-mario-vargas-llosa-review-nobel-laureates-final-novel-is-a-love-letter-to-peru) _2026-08-11 · Marcel Theroux · Books | The Guardian_ This fascinating, eccentric book becomes a quirky primer on Peruvian music and culture When I Give You My Silence was published in Spanish in 2023 its author, the Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, rightly predicted that it would be his final novel. He died last year at the age of 89. I Give You My Silence may have been completed with the spectre of death approaching, but there is nothing…