Allergic by Theresa MacPhail review – in canaries the coal mine

Is environmental change behind the mysterious rise in allergies, from asthma to anaphylaxis?

Matrescence by Lucy Jones review – smashing motherhood myths

A thrilling examination of what it means to become a mother challenges assumptions in bravura fashion

One in three say books offer best form of escapism when having a bad day

A survey by the Publishers Association found reading to be more popular than going to the cinema or browsing social media, coming second only to watching TV

Overwhelmed in London, I moved to Berlin to save my sanity – and savour a new life

Irish author Naoise Dolan on taking refuge in the German capital

What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in May

Authors, critics and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments

Psychonauts by Mike Jay review – the drug-takers who changed history

Humphry Davy on laughing gas, Sigmund Freud on cocaine … how self-experimentation shaped science and art

I walked the 650km Australian Alps walking track at 19, alone. Nothing was as I expected

Ya Reeves lost toenails, survived anaphylactic shock and at one point was ‘found’ by police, but there was also true joy in the journey – and in leaning into the unknown

‘For a second, I don’t know who I am’: Ruby Wax on her stay in a mental health clinic

In this extract from her new book, the comedian and writer gives a Zoom talk about depression from her hospital room

‘My father died in my arms at my wedding’

On his wedding day, Tim Sullivan’s much-loved dad suddenly collapsed and died on what should have been the happiest of days. But what he learned has shaped his life

The big idea: can writing make you healthier?

Research supports the benefits of ‘expressive writing’ – but what makes it so cathartic?