Misery memoirs: why is it different for Muslim women?

Memoirs about the suffering of women in Islamic states are being slated for supporting a patronising attitude towards those societies. So why didn't the same criticism apply to Frank McCourt or Dave Peltzer, asks Samira Ahmed

Robert Downey Jr hints Iron Man film role may have lost its sheen

Star of superhero movies suggests forthcoming sequel Iron Man 3 may be his last, as novelty wears off

Pulitzer prize for drama 2013 won by Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced

Ayad Akhtar's debut play, which tackles racism, Islamophobia and sexism, receives prestigious new-writing award

Tom Cruise to star in Japanese sci-fi saga Yukikaze

Ben Child: After success with Oblivion, the 50-year-old actor is to take on another dystopian-future tale, this time an adaptation of Chōhel Kamayashi's novels

Justin Bieber has taught teenagers worldwide about Anne Frank

Nicola Clark: Anne Frank might have approved of Bieber's crass belieber comment, if it informed his followers about the Holocaust

Justin Bieber is a teenager – give him a break over this Anne Frank gaffe

Bim Adewunmi: The singer's flippant comment left in the guestbook at Anne Frank House has provoked extreme media outrage

The Last Man in Russia, and the Struggle to Save a Dying Nation by Oliver Bullough – review

Alcohol and the KGB are ever-present in a vivid portrait of modern Russia, says Anthony Sattin

Margaret Thatcher and her influence on women

Divisive as her politics were, her achievement in Men queued up to laud the Iron Lady. Here, four women from different walks of life, who did not necessarily like her ideas, have their say

Amanda Knox book release postponed in UK

Waiting to be Heard will be published as planned in US, Canada and Australia but legal concerns delay British launch

Poster poems: religion

Billy Mills: Whether you're believer, blasphemer or Buddhist – this month's commandment is to share with us your spiritual scribblings

London Book Fair: Elif Shafak on Turkey’s progress

With Turkey the focus of this year's London Book Fair, Elif Shafak says her country is starting to find its voice

Cat Marnell may be a freak show, but she’s staring right back at us

Megan Carpentier: Love or hate her, the blogger chooses to write about her drug use. And after sealing that book deal, you can't deny her agency

What a Blooming mistake: Irish coin misquotes line from Ulysses

Central Bank of Ireland gaffe causes 10,000 €10 coins honouring Irish modernist writer to be minted with an extra word

Why Margaret Thatcher chose Wordsworth’s Ode for her funeral

John Mullan: Intimations of Immortality is a remarkable choice, both heartfelt and considered