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The 50 Best beach reads

Whether it’s up-and-coming young authors or heavyweight classics you’re after, Sophie Morris finds the books to occupy your mind while bronzing your body

The 50 Best beach reads

Whether it’s up-and-coming young authors or heavyweight classics you’re after, Sophie Morris finds the books to occupy your mind while bronzing your body

The 10 Best architecture books

Put some structure into your coffee-table reading matter with these weighty tomes about the buildings that surround us.

The 10 Best children's activity books

As half-term hovers into view, make sure you have one of these secret weapons on hand to beat boredom

The 50 Best spring reads

Fed up of literary let-downs? From debut novels and political thrillers to delicious cookbooks and child-friendly histories, Sophie Morris and her panel of experts pick the season’s most brilliant new books

The most memorable Glastonbury performances

It began the day after Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, with a mere 1,500 attendees and a fee of just £1 - including free milk from the farm.

The 10 Best non-fiction audio books

With these, you can learn about Ancient Rome, Victorian murders or modern sexism all without turning a page.

The 10 Best photography books

Wildlife, nightlife, city life and the high life are all documented in these volumes of top-flight photos...

The 10 Best stationery sets

Writing your Christmas thank-you cards? Pop them in the post in style with these wonderful writing sets

The 10 Best boxsets of the year

Whether you could murder a few episodes of The Killing or fancy a slice of Fresh Meat, these DVDs contain the pick of 2012’s TV

The 10 Best board games

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without some games to play once the turkey has been scoffed. Here are the best of them...

The 10 Best subscription gifts

The gifts that keep giving all year round

The 50 Best books for Christmas

From last-minute stocking fillers to weighty tomes to curl up by the fire with, Sophie Morris has great gift ideas for the literature lovers in your life

<p>1. Church of St Peter and St Paul, Guildford, Surrey</p>
<p>23 December, free, 01483 202594</p>
<p>Wrap up warm to hear the carols in this ancient church. Mulled wine and mince pies should help to keep you toasty, though.</p>

The 10 Best carol services

From candlelit concerts to the famous King’s College Choir, we pick the best of this year’s celebrations of song

<p>1. Dodo Pad</p>
<p>£12.95, dodopad.com</p>
<p>The 2013 Dodo Pad pretty much ticks all the boxes. Full of doodles, jokes and slightly strange ramblings, this is one for the lighthearted planner.</p>

The 10 Best diaries

From the smart and discreet to the more eye-catching, with one of these organisers you’ll never miss an appointment again

 

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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end