Mastodawn

London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/16/london-book-fair-roundup-idris-elbas-thriller-deal-the-rise-of-romcom-and-fights-against-censorship #LondonBookFair #Publishing #Books #Culture #UkNews #Fiction #AutobiographyAndMemoir #ChildrenAndTeenagers #FantasyBooks #RomanceBooks #Censorship #DeiPolicies #IdrisElba

London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship

The actor led the starry book deals, while publishers assessed whether US-style bans are spreading to the UK

The Guardian

Culture | The Guardian US Mar 4

Chasing Freedom by Simukai Chigudu review – a powerful memoir of postcolonial unease https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/04/chasing-freedom-by-simukai-chigudu-review-a-powerful-memoir-of-postcolonial-unease #AutobiographyAndMemoir #PoliticsBooks #Books #HistoryBooks #Culture

Chasing Freedom by Simukai Chigudu review – a powerful memoir of postcolonial unease

A historian and exponent of ‘Rhodes must fall’ explores how political liberation doesn’t always bring personal freedom

The Guardian

Culture | The Guardian US Mar 1

Christina Applegate on how MS made her an ‘honesty missile’: ‘I won’t lie and say any of this is a blessing’ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/01/christina-applegate-ms-diagnosis-memoir-autobiography #AutobiographyAndMemoir #MultipleSclerosis #Society #Film #Culture #Books #Friends

Christina Applegate on how MS made her an ‘honesty missile’: ‘I won’t lie and say any of this is a blessing’

When the Emmy-winning comedy star was diagnosed, her body started giving up on her. She writes about losing control, gaining weight – and refusing to be a ‘good girl’

The Guardian

Science | The Guardian Feb 28

‘I clicked on a button – and everything changed’: how a DNA test turned my life upside-down https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/28/how-dna-test-changed-my-life-ivf-family #Family #ParentsAndParenting #Genealogy #LifeAndStyle #FertilityProblems #Ivf #Health #Society #Genetics #Biology #Science #AutobiographyAndMemoir #BiographyBooks #Books #Culture

‘I clicked on a button – and everything changed’: how a DNA test turned my life upside-down

When I found out my father had been adopted, I was curious to know more about his side of the family. Nothing could have prepared me for what I would discover …

The Guardian

US news | The Guardian Feb 28

‘Trump’s not enough. And he knows he’s not enough’: California governor Gavin Newsom on populism, ‘purity tests’ and whether he’ll run for the presidency https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/28/gavin-newsom-california-governor-democrats-us-presidency-politics-trump #GavinNewsom #Democrats #California #WestCoast #DonaldTrump #Republicans #UsNews #UsPolitics #WorldNews #AutobiographyAndMemoir #BiographyBooks #Books #Culture

‘Trump’s not enough. And he knows he’s not enough’: California governor Gavin Newsom on populism, ‘purity tests’ and whether he’ll run for the presidency

He’s the Democratic politician with movie-star looks and a picture-perfect family, dogged by accusations of being a smooth‑talking elitist. Can he really unite the American left and win the most powerful office in the world?

The Guardian

World news | The Guardian Feb 28

‘I could see myself stepping into that void’: Gavin Newsom on fighting Trump and running in 2028 – podcast https://www.theguardian.com/politics/audio/2026/feb/28/i-could-see-myself-stepping-into-that-void-gavin-newsom-on-fighting-trump-and-running-in-2028-podcast #GavinNewsom #Democrats #UsPolitics #California #DonaldTrump #UsNews #WestCoast #WorldNews #Books #AutobiographyAndMemoir #BiographyBooks #Culture

‘I could see myself stepping into that void’: Gavin Newsom on fighting Trump and running in 2028 – podcast

This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the California governor, Gavin Newsom, about why he thinks the Democratics lost so decisively to Donald Trump in 2024, why the party need to be less judgmental, and whether he intends to run for president in 2028

The Guardian

Culture | The Guardian US Feb 17

A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot review – a unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/17/a-hymn-to-life-by-gisele-pelicot-memoir-review #Books #AutobiographyAndMemoir #Culture #SocietyBooks #SexualConsent #RapeAndSexualAssault #France

A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot review – a unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power

Pelicot’s riveting account of her ordeal refuses to conform to any agenda but her own

The Guardian

Culture | The Guardian US Feb 16

More heartache than Hamnet?: Maggie O’Farrell’s best books – ranked! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/16/more-heartache-than-hamnet-maggie-ofarrells-best-books-ranked #Fiction #MaggieOfarrell #AutobiographyAndMemoir #Books #Culture #Hamnet #FilmAdaptations

More heartache than Hamnet?: Maggie O’Farrell’s best books – ranked!

As her Women’s prize-winning novel heads to the Oscars, we rate the author’s best work – from tales of new motherhood to a life-affirming memoir of mortality

The Guardian

World news | The Guardian Feb 11