Room to breathe – how we entered the golden age of the balcony

Through lockdown, balconies went from an often forgotten outdoor cupboard to a joyful escape pod for millions, with plant pot jungles and love affairs taking root. Now developers are catching up

Coronavirus has left most of us embracing baggy bliss – so why are celebrities arguing over shapewear?

Kim Kardashian West, Jameela Jamil and Chrissy Teigen are having a three-way altercation about control pants and pregnancy, says Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi

The wellness realm has fallen into conspiritualism – I have a sense why

There is a reason behind the collision of new age ‘light and love’ and the conspiratorial world of QAnon, writes Sarah Wilson

The best books to inspire compassion

From Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life to a manifesto by Elif Shafak … Christie Watson explores kindness and courage in the face of suffering

No Fixed Abode by Maeve McClenaghan review – how rough sleepers die

A meticulous investigation exposes the shameful truths surrounding the UK’s homeless population

The Shift by Sam Baker review – funny, frank and empowering

Although this ‘menopause memoir’ doesn’t break new ground it is still vital reading

The best books about medical breakthroughs

Amid the rush to find a Covid-19 vaccine, Mark Honigsbaum picks his favourites, including a novel that has inspired generations of medical students and the story of Henrietta Lacks

Alastair Campbell: ‘I’ve finally learned to live with my enemy’

Alastair Campbell has always struggled with depression. In a deeply personal book, he reveals the impact it’s had on him and his family – and how he’s been able to survive it

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn review – in search of healing and home

In this unflinching sequel to The Salt Path, nature provides solace against forebodings of mortality

Men unzipped: Me and My Penis, the TV show where masculinity goes commando

Channel Four’s bold new documentary confronts anxieties about the male member. We go behind the scenes – and meet Ajamu, the artist and ‘sex activist’ who gets men to reveal all