Books

Michael Ashcroft on the rise of Rishi Sunak: what is he thinking? What does he intend?

In this podcast, Graham Stewart talks to Michael Ashcroft, whose new book is the first biography to be written about the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Festive nuts and spice

Nancy Mitford’s 1932 festive novella ‘Christmas Pudding’ is the tonic 2020 is crying out for

Former spin doctor divulges on India’s ruling dynasty

Sanjay Jha’s new book reveals the degeneration of the oldest party in the world’s largest democracy

Beyond parody

I have been de-platformed by Titania types and accused of every single phobia listed here

Bedtime reading for boomers

You will search in vain for a new life of any rocker who made his name after the advent of punk

Poignant power of cheap food

Would I read it if the subject wasn’t famous? One has to say yes, with chips and curry sauce

Mapping the past

The new edition of Tom Harper’s ‘Atlas: A World of Maps’ is an instructive as well as attractive volume

A foodie in his element

The author is evenhanded and accurate about the nouvelle cuisine movement, says Paul Levy

Memoir of a troubled woman

Friends and Enemies by Barbara Amiel is an extraordinary work of self-revelation

A feast, plain and simple

You wait ages for a decent Irish cookbook, then two arrive together, says Melanie McDonagh