Books

A detail of an artwork depicting medieval priest John Cassian sitting at the entrance of a cave on a clifftop overlooking a view of mountains, buildings, sun and sky. There is a book in his lap (Credit: Alamy)

What the Middle Ages can teach us about burnout

Stress and mental exhaustion aren't new – in medieval times, they were prevalent. And the wisdom of the Middle Ages about how to deal with burnout still rings surprisingly true today.

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Left, a woman in dungarees smiles. Right, the pink shopfront of bad girl books.

'I sell spicy books'

Oxford's newly-opened Bad Girl Books provides a home for fans of romantasy in the heart of a literary city.

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Amelia Lord is a white woman in her late 20s. She has shoulder length brown hair partly pulled back in a ponytail with frontpieces either side of her face. She has defined eyebrows and is wearing makeup, has a central nose ring and earrings, and is smiling at the camera. She wears a sleeveless black top. She is holding a pair of books and stands in front of a bookshelf with collections of books on it, including titles by Rebecca Yarros and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

I'm dyslexic and avoided reading until BookTok got me hooked - now I run a book club

Romance novels are enjoying a boom and even their own dedicated bookshops.

2 days ago

Jamie Murray, his father and his brother, Matt, all wearing polo shirts on a sunny day where they are playing golf.

Cricketer secretly pens thriller before his death

The family of Matt Murray were stunned to discover his covert project just two weeks before his death.

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3 days ago

A pile of books fanned out over a table. The books are dark in color, with a little yellow monster in the corner and read the words 'Once upon a letter' a long the front.

Jersey Post releases book written by children

The book, Once Upon a Letter, has 30 stories written by young islanders in the form of a letter.

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Ancient mosaic scene from Homer’s Odyssey, depicting Odysseus meeting with sirens (Credit: Alamy)

The Odyssey: 'A story of sex, strategy and power'

The protagonist of the epic poem is a heroic male – but the story is shaped by the stratagems and seductions of the women, nymphs and goddesses he meets along the way.

5 days ago

5 Jul 2026

The Beatles and Brian Epstein (far left) arrive back in London in 1966 after their ill-fated tout of Asia

A presidential snub? The mix-up that left the Beatles feeling fear in the Philippines

A new book explores the Fab Four's dramatic visit to the country that left them worried for their safety.

5 Jul 2026

4 Jul 2026

A woman stands in front of a pink shop with Bad Girl Books written above the door.

Watch: Romantasy-only bookshop opens

Starlin Marot is opening Bad Girl Books, the UK's first bookshop dedicated entirely to romantasy.

4 Jul 2026

A group of young women pose together with their drinks in a pub and all smile.

The book club 'taking the shame out of smut'

The Smut Society is inviting women of all ages to share their love of romantic fiction.

4 Jul 2026