We Are Not Machines by Sarah O’Connor review – can dignity at work survive the tech revolution?
A Financial Times journalist ponders the future of labour in world increasingly dominated by AI and automation
Country People by Daniel Mason review – a joyful follow-up to North Woods
This fantastical journey through family, folktales and a world beneath our feet is witty, uplifting and gorgeously written
Contrapposto by Dave Eggers review – this portrait of an artist falls flat
The story of a lifelong friendship between two art-world mavericks from the working-class midwest is disappointingly pious
The Land and Its People by David Sedaris review – crankiness and charm
Sedaris plays up the curmudgeonliness in a collection that still entertains
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