The memo: could one missed message have saved me a lifetime of regret?

It is the one essential piece of advice you wish you had known when you were younger. I started asking women for their memos – and the results were revealing

‘I have an obsession with authenticity’: David Baddiel on growing up, golf and family affairs

David Baddiel grew up with an emotionally absent father and a mother having an affair with a golf memorabilia salesman. No wonder he’s written a very funny memoir about it all

Sunday with Louise Minchin: ‘I’m an activity addict’

The broadcaster wants a swim, a roast and, hopefully, to see her children

Bookshops will never die. That’s why I bought one on Gumtree five years ago – and we’re still here

Large-scale, algorithmic bookselling will never outlive the necessity of local stores like ours

‘Reading’s in danger’: Frank Cottrell-Boyce on books, kids – and the explosive power of Heidi

He has written hit films like 24 Hour Party People and cooked up the Queen’s Olympic skydive. But now, having been crowned Children’s Laureate, he’s on a mission to show kids that books will change their lives

Self-help was meant to make me feel better. Instead it turned toxic – and borderline dangerous

For 15 years I read the books, took the courses and downloaded the apps to try to become a better person. None of it helped, says writer Emily Goddard

How a solo retreat helped relight my creative fire

It felt selfish, but at home I couldn’t finish a thought without being interrupted by my kids – so I packed my bags and headed to the coast

Coming of Age: How Adolescence Shapes Us by Lucy Foulkes review – deep dive into the teenage mind

An academic psychologist’s insightful and compassionate study of adolescence is expertly presented, plotting out harmful as well as helpful transitions into adulthood

Fran Lebowitz: ‘I am very angry. I’m angry almost all the time’

The famously sardonic American author, public speaker and actor on happiness, bad ideas and the life-boosting nature of friendship

‘I was nervous. Worried. Insecure. I just didn’t feel safe’: Rachel Stevens on her life in S Club 7

She has topped the charts and been called the world’s sexiest woman, while also being stricken with anxiety. She discusses Paul Cattermole, therapy and finding her strength

‘The first few nights were punishing’: how sleep restriction cured my lifelong insomnia

After giving birth, novelist Lara Williams feared she might never sleep again. So she turned to CBT-i, a radical therapy that rewired her relationship to sleep

What happened when Françoise Sagan met Brigitte Bardot in 1976

The legendary novelist interviewed the famouse French actor for the Observer – their conversation was not what you might have guessed

On my radar: Mark O’Connell’s cultural highlights

The prize-winning nonfiction writer on a generational comic talent, the incredible Helen Garner novel you should read and a deeply relaxing bed of nails

‘Reality hit: I was about to give birth to a dead man’s child’: I became a widow and single mother aged 26

I was pregnant, and getting ready for our son’s second birthday when the phone rang and everything changed in an instant. My husband had collapsed during a half marathon. How would I ever keep going?

I’m an expert on adolescence: here’s why a smartphone ban isn’t the answer, and what we should do instead

Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book blames social media for a decline in teenage mental health. But is he right?