It’s hard to picture a more nightmarish vision of our AI future than this AI The optimistic case for AI is clear: incredible scientific breakthroughs, life-enhancing productivity gains and universal access to knowledge. What’s not to like? But items on the other side of the ledger weigh a little heavier: the erosion of jobs, the flattening of knowledge, unstoppable cyber attacks and social rupture. Elon Musk still thinks there’s a [...]
People read less: Do we still need the Booker Prize? Life&Style The world and it’s reading habits have changed – but has the Booker Prize changed too? And what purpose does it fulfil, asks Eliot Wilson What is the point of literary prizes? The longlist for this year’s Booker Prize was announced on Tuesday, 13 works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, which must [...]
Everything’s going to sh*t. Here are 25 of the best dystopian novels Life&Style The genre has roared back onto bookshelves and best-seller lists. Harry Owen asks why we keep returning to this bleakest of genres – and recommends some top dystopian fiction Dystopian fiction is once again lining the bookshelves of Waterstones. And is it any wonder? All good dystopia really hinges on its ‘plausibility’, the writer concocting [...]
The Yahoo Boys: The men behind online romance scams July 10, 2026 In an extract from his new book The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, journalist CARLOS BARRAGÁN travels to Lagos to uncover the truth behind romance scams When journalist Carlos Barragán’s mother fell in love with a man she had never met, it seemed too good to be true. She would [...]
London’s new ‘literary-themed’ hotel shows why hotels should not be themed July 7, 2026 Amid a boom in literary-inspired travel, a book-themed hotel has opened in Kensington. Anna Moloney checks in...
Book review: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow June 17, 2026 No subject has made me go more hot and cold than AI. Some days, I open Gemini, Claude or ChatGPT, set tough tasks and am dumbstruck by the speed and accuracy of the results. Wow, this is the future, I think to myself. On other days, I ask something simple and they get it all [...]
Sherlock Holmes review: The game is afoot in Regent’s Park May 15, 2026 When hailstones were crashing down around Regent’s Park ahead of press night for Sherlock Holmes, it did not take a genius to deduce that we might be in for a rather miserable evening. It is a brave London theatre that relies so heavily upon the weather. But the skies cleared just in time for the [...]
Is the romance boom a recession indicator? From Mills & Boon to BookTok April 23, 2026 From Mills & Boon to BookTok, romance fiction has thrived for more than a century. But what makes it so economically resilient?
Show them the book: why politicians need to read more novels February 26, 2026 Leading historian Dominic Sandbrook has said declining reading habits of our politicians tells you everything you need to know about why they’re so inadequate. William Atkinson couldn’t agree more… Would Keir Starmer be a better Prime Minister if he went to bed with a good Trollope? That was the suggestion of Dominic Sandbrook – Britain’s [...]
I read 100 books in 2 years. Here’s what I learnt. December 24, 2025 As I write this, I am in the final days of the longest reading marathon of my life. In January last year, I set a challenge to read 52 books in as many weeks. Having (just) completed my goal, I set another to read 48 this year, to finish at 100 (journalists like round numbers). [...]