Seasonal Quartet: Ali Smith and New European Ensemble review – words and music connect

New pieces written in response to the novelist’s works by Kate Moore, Alice Yeung, Seung-Won Oh and Sara Zamboni made for ravishing harmonies and interplay in an unusual concert

The best recent poetry – review roundup

Cafés by Holly Pester; The Acrobat by Wisława Szymborska; Volvelle by Rachael Boast; Tree of Knowledge by Victoria Chang; Talk a Blue Streak by Lila Matsumoto

On the Mark by Florence Hazrat review – a fascinating history of punctuation

This lavishly researched book shows that dots and dashes are an essential component of style, whether you’re a medieval monk or Donald Trump

The End of Romance by Maria Takolander – a bleak, bold and urgent novel for our times

A mother and son scavenge and pillage in a violent post-apocalyptic world, in the poet and short story writer’s tense and engrossing debut

Honey by Imani Thompson audiobook review – a darkly entertaining campus thriller

Racial and gender politics are woven into a clever tale of murder and morals at Cambridge

Long Wave by Daisy Johnson review – a sublime novel of motherhood and loss

Covering three generations, this tangled story of secrets, childhood, abandonment and care might be her best work yet

The Swamp Dwellers review – this rare Wole Soyinka drama is a total revelation

Mojisola Kareem’s excellent production makes no concessions to this 50-seat space, bringing grand historical scope to a story of Nigeria in transition

Historic Istanbul, a spotlight on South Africa, and Indian made easy: the best summer cookbooks for 2026 – review

Essential new titles for your kitchen shelf – plus a classic to rediscover

Depraved by Daisy Dixon review – a history of dark and dangerous art

From classical painting to video games, this survey of the taboo and the twisted won’t let you look away

International Freak by M Syd Rosen review – the British Timothy Leary

Robin Farquharson was a prize-winning game theorist, anti-apartheid activist and countercultural chaos merchant

Queenie Is Working On It by Candice Carty-Williams review – a smart sequel to a breakout bestseller

Queenie’s ticking biological clock drives her chaotic misadventures in this sage and funny follow-up

No God But Us by Bobuq Sayed review – a buzzy and political queer love story

Two gay Afghan men find each other in Istanbul, in a much-hyped debut that fails to sustain the killer energy of its opening act

Raveheart by Graeme Armstrong review – ravers rebel in a Scottish political satire

A veteran techno DJ embarks on a campaign of civil disobedience in this passionate and at times hilarious tale of underground resistance

Father Alberto and the Flying Girl by Timothy X Atack review – a fable of medieval madness

A parish priest cares for the mentally afflicted in an absorbing tale that combines antic comedy with serious moral themes

Communion by JD Vance review – a strange, poignant book about faith and the modern world

JD Vance’s Christian vision is thoughtful – but impossible to square with the political company he keeps