What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in March
John Lanchester, Patmeena Sabit and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments
JD Vance announces a new memoir about his conversion to Catholicism
The vice-president’s follow-up to Hillbilly Elegy is announced as speculation builds over a 2028 run to succeed Trump
Bold concepts, loose ends in Ibram X Kendi’s Chain of Ideas
While informative, the book struggles to identify materially what strategies can change racist systems held hostage by the political right and centre
Under Water by Tara Menon review – love, loss and a longing for the ocean
This debut about female friendship and environmental fragility set after the 2004 tsunami in Thailand is strong on grief, but the storytelling remains uneven
Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs review – the relationships that drove a genius
A new biography puts Baldwin’s sexuality – and the men he loved – front and centre
Let’s get metaphysical! Existentialist cinema is back, if anyone cares
The philosophy was embraced by film noir, the French New Wave and modern hitmen questioning life’s purpose. Now dust off your turtlenecks, for Sirāt and a new version of Albert Camus’ The Stranger look set to make ennui on-trend again
Penguin to sue OpenAI over ChatGPT version of German children’s book
Publisher alleges AI research company’s chatbot violated its copyright over Coconut the Little Dragon series
Does anyone think Matt Goodwin’s book on Britain’s demise is a publishing sensation? I mean, other than him
Who needs critics when the Reform man is so adept at patting his own back, asks Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
The New York Times drops freelance journalist who used AI to write book review
Writer and author Alex Preston said he “made a serious mistake” after a reader spotted similarities between his review and one that appeared in the Guardian
‘Hope, insight and burning humanity’: 2026 International Booker prize shortlist announced
The six finalists include Marie NDiaye and Yáng Shuāng-zǐ alongside Daniel Kehlmann’s second nomination for the £50,000 prize
Fainting in front of Michael Jackson and feuding with Monica: inside Brandy’s jaw-dropping memoir
The R&B singer’s must-read autobiography candidly describes a life of heady highs and horrific lows
A Rebel and a Traitor by Rory Carroll review – the extraordinary story of Roger Casement
A journalist tells the improbable tale of a British diplomat who worked to free Ireland – and paid the ultimate price
Transcription by Ben Lerner review – a stunning exploration of technology and storytelling
Ranging from quantum mechanics to eating disorders to the nature of fiction, this is a breathtaking interrogation of family, connection and memory
‘African people are surreal’: songwriter and blues poet Aja Monet on Black resistance and love as spiritual warfare
Radicalised by the inventiveness of groups such as the Harlem Renaissance, the LA-based artist is determined to reclaim the radical possibilities of culture in an age of institutional and algorithmic exploitation
Lázár by Nelio Biedermann review – a Hungarian epic from a 22-year-old author
The fortunes of a single family are entwined with the turmoil of the 20th century in this ambitious, gothic-inflected debut