Madonna talks to Dina Rabinovitch about Lotsa de Casha, her latest book for children; Stuart Jeffries meets Mohammed Moulessehoul, the author of The Swallows of Kabul, who explains why he published his novel under the female pen-name of Yasmina Khadra; and you can read Mae West Optional, the first story in Furthermore, the second collection from Scottish actor-turned-writer Susie Maguire (described by Philip Pullman as 'a voice that doesn't resemble anyone else's ... clear, astringent and generous').