Bipolar memoirs: What have I done?
We live in bipolar times. Yet memoirs of manic depression by Stephen Fry and others suggest the new diagnosis, treated with drugs, risks ignoring the crucial details of each patient's condition. By Darian Leader
She Left Me the Gun: My Mother’s Life Before Me by Emma Brockes – review
The shocks come thick and fast in this courageous and clear-sighted memoir about a family secret, says Elizabeth Lowry
Running With the Pack by Mark Rowlands; Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley – review
Two books on the joy of running are equally inspirational but in very different ways, writes Miranda Sawyer
Pondlife: A Swimmer’s Journal by Al Alvarez – review
An octogenarian's account of wild swimming's life-affirming qualities is a delight, writes Kate Kellaway
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan – review
Aida Edemariam on a case of suspected bedbugs that became a medical drama with worrying implications
My Mad Fat Diary: Rae Earl describes her childhood mental health issues
As a child, Rae Earl suffered from anxiety, delusions and OCD. After a short spell on an adult psychiatric ward, she decided to find her own way to deal with her demons
Call Off the Search by Anna and Andrew Wallas – digested read
John Crace reduces a profound spiritual journey of love and healing to a more manageable 700 words
Susannah Cahalan: ‘What I remember most vividly are the fear and anger’
The New Yorker was 24 when she fell seriously ill with a mystery condition. Here she tells Carole Cadwalladr how she pieced together her terrifying ordeal to write a remarkable memoir
Lorna Byrne: ‘I believe in angels’ – interview
Irish mystic Lorna Byrne is not alone, she says. Not only is she in daily contact with the benign supernatural, her faith is shared by a third of Britons. Tim Adams talks to her
The Yellow World by Albert Espinosa – review
Albert Espinosa's initially beguiling account of his 10-year battle with cancer is spoilt by self-help hokum, says Michael Hogan