Stressed Brits buy record number of self-help books

Bookshop owners say political turmoil has sent customers in search of uplifting titles

Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night

We’re told that getting eight unbroken hours of sleep will protect us from cancer and dementia, and make us happier. But are we being sold an impossible dream?

Four Words for Friend by Marek Kohn review – why language matters more than ever

Is the British reluctance to learn languages partly to blame for Brexit? The case for multilingualism

Move over, mindfulness: it’s time for ‘finefulness’

After endless guides to self-help, a new wave of books spearheaded by The Little Book of Bad Moods is switching the focus to more realistic hopes

Making Evil by Julia Shaw review – the ‘science’ behind humanity’s dark side

Does evil exist? Are we all born killers, saved only by impulse control? A chattily written study of inexcusable acts

Yes, I do give a sh*t about these sweary book covers

It used to feel like a cheeky trend. But now these titles seem more like evidence of our descent into hell, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn review – walking to freedom

This uplifting memoir, about a couple who embark on a long coastal walk after becoming homeless, was shortlisted for the 2018 Costa biography award

In brief: Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel; Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust; With the End in Mind – review

Ruth Hogan’s compelling novel about mother-daughter relationships; Hedi Fried’s required reading about the Holocaust; and Kathryn Mannix on facing death

Aoife Abbey: ‘Being a doctor is not like in the movies’

The intensive care specialist who used to blog as the Secret Doctor on her candid new book about her experiences as a young trainee

Jeremy Hardy: a ferocious talent who radicalised radio comedy

Provocative and political, the stand-up – who has died aged 57 – shook up Radio 4 at a time when it was in danger of resembling a Rotary Club quiz night