Nick Bryant: former BBC Washington correspondent chooses his five favourite books
Journalist recommends works by Clive James, Anna Funder and more

The former BBC Washington correspondent chooses five of his favourites. His latest book, "The Forever War: America's Unending Conflict with Itself", is out now.
Glued to the box
Clive James, 1983
The first grown-up book I recall buying with my pocket money was this compilation of Clive James's TV reviews, which features a display of linguistic pyrotechnics every bit as eye-catching as the Sydney fireworks on New Year's Eve. In the land of Waugh and Greene, I joined a cohort of aspiring journalists who wanted to mimic "the kid from Kogarah". Not even James's buddy Christopher Hitchens could have pulled off a zinger likening Arnold Schwarzenegger to "a brown condom full of walnuts", or comparing the mascara and geisha-white complexion of Barbara Cartland to the corpses of two crows that had crashed into a chalk cliff.
Wifedom
Anna Funder, 2023
"Animal Farm" was a formative influence on me as a young child, just as George Orwell was a formative influence on me as a young journalist. But the book I’d recommend is Funder's, which brings into focus the invisible life of Orwell's wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy.
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Tom Wolfe, 1987
More so even than a great American novel, I have always loved a great New York novel. Two stand out. Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities" perfectly captures the energy of the Big Apple.
Let the Great World Spin
Colum McCann, 2009
This book is another masterpiece. For me, it remains the superlative 9/11 novel, even though it’s set in 1974.
President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime
Lou Cannon,1991
Owing to my fixation with American history, there's a special section on my bookshelf for Robert Caro's portraits of Lyndon Johnson. But Caro fans should also read this classic. Ronald Reagan's performative presidency helps make more sense of Donald Trump, a tycoon who in many ways personified the excesses of the Reagan era.
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A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
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Diane Keaton: the Oscar-winning star of Annie Hall
In the Spotlight Something’s Gotta Give actor dies from pneumonia at the age of 79
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Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobility
The Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
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6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
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Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
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Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
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Theater review: Masquerade
218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
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Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.