The Blur bassist, farmer and writer chooses his favourite books. His account of the band's 2023 reunion tour, "Over the Rainbow: Tales from an Unexpected Year", is out now.
Moonraker
Nicholas Shakespeare's recent biography of Fleming is a mind-blower that left me wondering how one man could have changed the world so much. He's really hitting his stride as a novelist in this third "Bond" novel. The description of drink, drugs and dining at M's club Blades is the finest food writing I've ever read.
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Vines in a Cold Climate
Henry Jeffreys, 2023
British Cheese Explosion. Now we're into The Champagne Supernova years. This book tells the incredible story of commercial British winemaking since its beginnings in the 1990s. There was simply no English wine commercially available then; now our sparkling wines rank among the world's best.
Love Triangle
Matt Parker, 2024
Parker's videos on YouTube take geekery to new levels. I've spent countless hours watching them, and his books are even better. Move over Euclid. This latest bestseller is a blissful blend of pure science and pure merriment.
Flying Colours
C.S. Forester, 1938
I started reading Forester recently when I found out that he discovered Roald Dahl, my first favourite author. He's probably best known for the "Hornblower" series about the Napoleonic Wars, taking you to another world as complete and as fantastical as Middle Earth. This sees our man Hornblower and his principal thugs, Bush and Brown, mount a thrilling escape from the firing squad.
The Secret Hours
Mick Herron, 2023
This "Slow Horses" spin-off fills in the backstory of wheelchair-user Molly. Sean Barrett, who narrates the audiobooks, apparently often has to pause when recording Jackson Lamb's lines because he can't stop laughing. So funny it actually hurts. So sad, it hurts, too.
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Homo Floresiensis: Earth’s real life ‘hobbits’Under the Radar New research suggests that ‘early human pioneers’ in Australia interbred with archaic species of hobbits at least 60,000 years ago
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Homes by renowned architectsFeature Featuring a Leonard Willeke Tudor Revival in Detroit and modern John Storyk design in Woodstock
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Looming drone ban has farmers and farm-state Republicans anxiousIN THE SPOTLIGHT As congressional China-hawks work to limit commercial drone sales from Beijing, a growing number of conservative lawmakers are sounding an agricultural alarm
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Homes by renowned architects
Feature Featuring a Leonard Willeke Tudor Revival in Detroit and modern John Storyk design in Woodstock
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Film reviews: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ and ‘Eternity’Feature Grief inspires Shakespeare’s greatest play, a flamboyant sleuth heads to church and a long-married couple faces a postmortem quandary
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We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
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The Mushroom Tapes: a compelling deep dive into the trial that gripped AustraliaThe Week Recommends Acclaimed authors team up for a ‘sensitive and insightful’ examination of what led a seemingly ordinary woman to poison four people
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10 concert tours to see this winterThe Week Recommends Keep cozy this winter with a series of concerts from big-name artists
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‘Chess’feature Imperial Theatre, New York City
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‘Notes on Being a Man’ by Scott Galloway and ‘Bread of Angels: A Memoir’ by Patti Smithfeature A self-help guide for lonely young men and a new memoir from the godmother of punk
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6 homes built in the 1700sFeature Featuring a restored Federal-style estate in Virginia and quaint farm in Connecticut
