‘We Can’t Give up on Afghans’: Lyse Doucet on the Remarkable ‘People’s History’ that Won Her the Women’s Prize
BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet’s debut book, The Finest Hotel in Kabul, has won the Women’s prize for nonfiction. The work tells Afghanistan’s four‑decade saga through the lens of Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel and its staff, highlighting the country’s cultural vibrancy and successive regimes. Doucet uses the award platform to call for renewed global focus on the Taliban’s repression of women’s education and rights. The win coincides with the EU’s first tentative talks with the Taliban, underscoring the urgency of international engagement.
Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Winner, The Finest Hotel in Kabul, Gives Voice to the People of Afghanistan
Lyse Doucet’s "The Finest Hotel in Kabul" won the 2026 Women’s Prize for non‑fiction, using the Intercontinental Hotel as a narrative anchor to chart Afghanistan’s upheavals since its 1969 opening. The book chronicles the hotel’s transformation from a symbol of...
The Twitnam Summer by Hester Grant Review – Swift, Gay and Pope’s Season in the Sun
Hester Grant’s new biography, The Twitnam Summer, reconstructs the 1726 summer when Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and John Gay converged in Twickenham. The book paints vivid scenes of their cramped travel, Pope’s riverside villa, and the personal hardships that framed...
Women’s Prize: Virginia Evans Wins for Fiction and Lyse Doucet Takes Award for Nonfiction
Debut novelist Virginia Evans captured the Women’s Prize for Fiction with her novel The Correspondent, while BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet won the nonfiction category for her debut The Finest Hotel in Kabul. Both authors were presented with £30,000...
Solitary Agents by David Goodman
David Goodman’s sequel *Solitary Agents* picks up with Jamie Tulloch as an MI5 trainee, shifting the focus from the “Legends” identity‑swap program to a high‑stakes training exercise that spirals into a murder conspiracy. New recruit Sam Li joins forces with Nicola,...
Book Review: ‘This Dark Night: Emily Brontë, a Life,’ by Deborah Lutz
Deborah Lutz’s 2026 biography *This Dark Night* reexamines Emily Brontë, portraying her as a cosmopolitan figure rather than a mere recluse. Drawing on letters, parish records, and period newspapers, Lutz blends speculation with solid evidence to flesh out Brontë’s reading...
Book Review: ‘Cocked and Boozy,’ by Brooke Barbier
Brooke Barbier’s newly released *Cocked and Boozy* explores how alcohol permeated every facet of the American Revolution, from tavern‑based plotting to financing the colonial war effort. Drawing on National Archives documents, period newspapers, and personal letters, Barbier weaves a concise...
Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom Review – a Wild Journey Through the 80s LA Porn Scene
Allie Rowbottom’s second novel, Lovers XXX, plunges readers into the neon‑lit, cocaine‑fueled world of 1980s Los Angeles pornography through the eyes of teenage runaways Jude and Winnie. The story alternates between Jude’s rise and fall in the early‑80s adult film boom...
A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper
Jordan Harper’s latest crime novel, *A Violent Masterpiece*, expands the gritty Los Angeles universe first introduced in *Everybody Knows*. The story interweaves three strangers—a live‑streaming crime‑hunter, a disillusioned defense attorney, and a concierge for the ultra‑rich—as they become entangled in a...
As Russia’s War Rages On, Kyiv Hosts A Busy Literary Festival
Kyiv’s annual literary festival proceeded this June despite Russia’s ongoing invasion, turning city squares into stages for both authors and active soldiers. The event featured dozens of readings, panel discussions, and a new “War Voices” program that showcases works written...
Flamboyance by Jack Parlett Review – a Serious Study of the Spectacular
Jack Parlett’s new memoir‑cultural history Flamboyance: The Art of Burning Brightly (Granta, $24.30) argues that flamboyance should be a political aesthetic rather than mere surface style. Drawing on Oscar Wilde, flamenco, 1990s rapper Big L, Lil Nas X and even Donald Trump, the book maps a wide‑ranging...
Dave Eggers on 'Contrapposto' And Supporting the Next Generation of Writers
Bestselling author Dave Eggers has released his long‑awaited novel *Contrapposto*, a story of two art‑obsessed friends spanning decades. Simultaneously, he is spearheading Art + Water, a 100,000‑square‑foot arts‑education hub on San Francisco’s Pier 29 aimed at removing economic barriers for creators. Eggers also highlighted...
A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz’s sixth Hawthorne novel, *A Deadly Episode*, turns the series on its head by killing off the actor portraying detective Daniel Hawthorne on the set of a film adaptation of an earlier book. The murder is staged as a...
Unauthorized Book About Rise Of SLIPKNOT And Creation Of 2001 Album 'Iowa' To Arrive In August
Little, Brown Book Group will publish Dan Franklin’s “Somewhere Between Screaming And Crying: Slipknot, Nu Metal And 9/11” on August 6, 2026. The book marks the 25th anniversary of Slipknot’s 2001 album “Iowa” and offers the first comprehensive account of...
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer Review – Fun in the Tuscan Sun
Pulitzer‑winning author Andrew Sean Greer’s latest novel, Villa Coco, is billed as a “charm novel” set amid the sun‑drenched Tuscan hills. The narrative follows a nameless young man hired as an adjutant to the eccentric 92‑year‑old Baronessa Lisabetta, navigating a cast...