TOM STOPPARD: A LIFE by Hermione Lee (Faber £30, 860pp) Transport yourself, in these sad days of silenced theatres, to a full-house Old Vic on the evening of April 11, 1967. It’s the opening night of Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, first performed the previous summer at the Edinburgh Fringe …...Read More

HISTORY THE SECRET LIFE OF THE SAVOY by Olivia Williams (Headline £20, 323pp) The Savoy Hotel, situated in a court off the Strand where vehicles are required to drive on the right, opened in 1889 ‘with great pomp and publicity’. For the century they ran it, the D’Oyly Carte family …...Read More

Stargazers are in for a treat this month when hundreds of shooting stars light up the sky during an Orionid meteor shower. These meteors streak across the sky each October, starting the 2nd through November 7th - but peak viewing is expected on the morning of October 21. This cosmic …...Read More

. . . are you reading now? I usually have multiple books on the go. I’ve just finished Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror And The Light, which I loved. Now I’m torn between going back and reading Wolf Hall again or starting Remain Silent, the new Susie Steiner novel about Manon …...Read More

MEMOIR LETTERS FROM THE BLITZ By Richard MacAlpine (History Press £14.99, 208pp) What an outspoken and fervent patriot Winifred Graville, of 66 Ringinglow Road, Sheffield, was! If the Americans of exactly 80 years ago thought Britain was cowering under the Blitz and braced for certain invasion by the Germans, Miss …...Read More

PSYCHOLOGY THINGS THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW By Ben Brooks (Quercus £14.99, 304pp) This is the book you will want to read if you are a parent of teenage children. It’s also the book you won’t want to read. You’ll want to read it because it will tell you …...Read More

An adorable video of a dog thoroughly enjoying a head scratch from his owner has been viewed thousands of times online by adoring fans. Gus, a one-year-old golden retriever from Orlando, Florida, grins from ear to ear when he gets his head scratched by owner Shelby Harrison. Shelby shared the …...Read More

The Maldives has become the first country in the world to offer a traveller loyalty rewards program. The south Asian country will give points towards perks for regular visitors, it announced. Maldives Border Miles will reward tourists for regular visits, with members progressing up three tiers: Aida (Bronze), Antara (Silver) …...Read More

Everyone who has a dog knows that they can be an endless source of joy and amusement. And this collection of photos of pooches in unflattering poses certainly demonstrate this fact. The snaps were posted on Facebook by owners from around the world under the hashtag #unflatteringdogphotochallenge. A selection of …...Read More

From frying pan to table – in minutes! Annie Bell has weeknights sorted For this paprika-spiced chicken with pecan and coriander salsa, see here Our pick of the pans When choosing nonstick frying pans I look at durability and green credentials. These are PFOA-free with the latest in toughened coatings, …...Read More