Val McDermid: ‘I probably have too great an appetite for cheese’

The crime writer, 62, talks about spending too much time gaming, having a sense of her worth and why she fasts for two weeks every year

In brief: Grief Works; Love After Love; Mothers – review

Bereavement case studies from therapist Julia Samuel, a cautionary tale of infidelity by Alex Hourston, and short stories by Chris Power

Ruby Tandoh: ‘I want to remind people that it’s fine to enjoy a ready meal’

The cookery writer’s new book is about relearning the joy of food – in print as much as on plates

The Beautiful Cure review – immunology and the heroes of the resistance

An engaging study of the field by Daniel M Davis shows how it has transformed medicine

How to live well: Ian Rankin on feeling young

The crime author, 57, may have aches and pains but ‘new-age stuff’ has him reaching for the beer – writing is the cure

Susie Orbach’s guide to books to understand yourself

The celebrated psychotherapist explores the works that help you get to grips with your psyche

Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell review – dementia from the inside

Mitchell was 58 when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. She began to write about the experience of losing herself, and the result is this remarkable memoir

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson – digested read

Man up and receive the words of advice John Crace has gleaned from this provocative self-help guide

In brief: Here Comes Trouble, The Wicked Cometh, Heal Me – review

Simon Wroe’s comic tale of a country in fake news meltdown, a murder mystery in Georgian London by Laura Carlin, and Julia Buckley’s revealing search for a cure

In Shock by Rana Awdish review – doctor turns patient

After coming close to death in her own hospital, a doctor perhaps protests too much at the language used by her lifesavers