The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan review – psychologist in the dock
This inquiry into a 1970s experiment that shook the world of psychiatry makes for a compelling read
How to Fail by Elizabeth Day review – learning from things going wrong
The novelist shares lessons from the challenges in her own life and those of famous interviewees
How the Brain Lost Its Mind review – beyond hysteria
In this study of psychiatry and neurology, Allan Ropper and BD Burrell ask: does mental illness reside in the brain or the mind?
Meaty by Samantha Irby review – scatological essays
Outspoken and defiant musings on dating, renting, running out of money – and caring for a parent
Bestselling books of 2019: cleaning guides and diet books hit big
This year saw domestic cleaning overtake domestic noir, and women winning all the top spots in literary fiction
Nonfiction to look out for in 2020
The next 12 months promise brave books on positivity, daughters trying to fathom their mothers and the twilight world of the terminally ill
Michael Rosen: ‘Stories hung in the air about great-aunts and uncles who’d gone’
Searching for the missing pieces in his family brought poet and author Michael Rosen closer to the horror of war
How to be hopeful: Lisa Taddeo on the thumb injury that cheered her up
After losing eight people she loved deeply in a decade, the author of Three Women was feeling hopeless. But there came a surprising respite from her hypochondria
How to be hopeful: Jung Chang on the moment she knew Mao’s China would become less brutal
The author reflects on an inspiring photograph taken soon after her parents were released from Mao Zedong’s labour camps
How to be hopeful: Nina Stibbe on why optimism is a gift – even if all your plans fall through
The novelist and diarist refused to hope, until she saw how much her sister gained from it, regardless of the outcome