You’ve got to laugh: why a sense of humour helps in dark times Humour makes us more resilient, creative and resourceful – and is more important than ever during a pandemic
The wall between what’s private and what’s not is dissolving. Which side am I on? In our performative age, we’re rewarded for sharing every crisis that happens in our bodies, every thought that passes through our heads
Labours of Love by Madeleine Bunting review – a humbling book about care Care, paid and unpaid, is at the heart of society, now more than ever ... this is a moving and absorbing in-depth investigation
‘I had no idea how touching it would be’: how a fishing show put men’s health in focus Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing began as one friend helping another and has gone on to explore issues many older men might find hard to discuss
A podcast at bedtime keeps the doctor away – but not the screaming 3am demons My comfort listen is Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review, which I treat like a kind of adult lullaby
Happiness, a Mystery by Sophie Hannah review – solving the most profound puzzle The crime writer sifts through theories on happiness from life coaches and philosophers, and has an epiphany
The Labours of Love; The Courage to Care; The Care Manifesto review – our compassion crisis in focus Madeleine Bunting and Christie Watson bring personal experience to bear on heartbreaking studies of the UK’s ailing care system
When comfort reading won’t cut it: books to restore hope in humanity From Man’s Search for Meaning to a celebration of life in the face of death, Cathy Rentzenbrink picks the books that confirm her faith in people
Mulan: why it was a missed opportunity to create a strong Asian woman on screen In casting waif-like Liu Yifei in its live-action remake, Disney squandered its chance to show a Chinese audience that girls can be both beautiful and tough