Nicci Gerrard: ‘Dementia is more scary when you try not to think about it’

The Observer journalist on her father’s dementia, caring for campaigners, and facing her fears in her new book

What will you be reading next year? London book fair’s star attractions

Salman Rushdie’s take on Don Quixote, Elton John’s memoirs and a study of criminals in Broadmoor – a selection of the biggest and most interesting books announced at the fair

Stressed Brits buy record number of self-help books

Bookshop owners say political turmoil has sent customers in search of uplifting titles

Four Words for Friend by Marek Kohn review – why language matters more than ever

Is the British reluctance to learn languages partly to blame for Brexit? The case for multilingualism

Move over, mindfulness: it’s time for ‘finefulness’

After endless guides to self-help, a new wave of books spearheaded by The Little Book of Bad Moods is switching the focus to more realistic hopes

Making Evil by Julia Shaw review – the ‘science’ behind humanity’s dark side

Does evil exist? Are we all born killers, saved only by impulse control? A chattily written study of inexcusable acts

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn review – walking to freedom

This uplifting memoir, about a couple who embark on a long coastal walk after becoming homeless, was shortlisted for the 2018 Costa biography award

In brief: Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel; Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust; With the End in Mind – review

Ruth Hogan’s compelling novel about mother-daughter relationships; Hedi Fried’s required reading about the Holocaust; and Kathryn Mannix on facing death

Aoife Abbey: ‘Being a doctor is not like in the movies’

The intensive care specialist who used to blog as the Secret Doctor on her candid new book about her experiences as a young trainee

Jeremy Hardy: a ferocious talent who radicalised radio comedy

Provocative and political, the stand-up – who has died aged 57 – shook up Radio 4 at a time when it was in danger of resembling a Rotary Club quiz night