Endell Street by Wendy Moore review – the suffragette surgeons
A fascinating, carefully researched study of life partners who became pioneering army hospital doctors in the first world war
The Better Half by Sharon Moalem review – on the genetic superiority of women
Women live longer than men. We know Covid-19 is killing more men than women. This book is an antidote to the myth of the ‘weaker sex’
In brief: The Bass Rock; Radical Acts of Love; Letters of Note: Mothers – review
The subjugation of women throughout history, how to accept death without despair and a selection of letters about mothers
From splendid to stressful: a short history of isolation
Not that long ago, the concept of isolation was seen as something of a luxury
Don’t panic: the best books to help us survive a crisis
Joe Moran looks at books on how to keep calm in times of adversity - and take joy where we find it
Top 10 novels and stories about shame
Anna Ahmatova, David Malouf, Yukio Mishima and more explore the emotion that tears us apart but leads us into compassion, writes Christos Tsiolkas
The Rules of Contagion by Adam Kucharski review – outbreaks of all kinds
Modellers have a saying: “If you’ve seen one pandemic, you’ve seen … one pandemic.” But patterns can be established to do with how things spread
Got 150 hours? Great audiobooks to listen to on lockdown
From Ian McKellen reading Homer to Bill Bryson on the body, these audiobooks can expand your horizons, even when you can’t go out
This Too Shall Pass by Julia Samuel review – how to cope with change
In a sequel to Grief Works, the therapist guides us through major life changes in work, love, identity and health
Sitopia by Carolyn Steel review – a utopian vision that begins with food
We are out of step with our planet, so how should we live? Cheap food is an oxymoron and anarchism’s time may have come, argues this wide-ranging, stimulating book