Find the perfect novel – or short story collection – to get lost in, or to gift, with our recommendations of some of the best new, old and rediscovered fiction. All these books will transport readers far away from the chill outside.

We all love lazing around at Christmas, but there comes a point when you run out of festive specials to watch and boredom steps in. When that happens, try one of these activities, on your own or with others.

The Chinese artist on challenging governments, an early life living in a 'hole in the ground' and why he decided to write his memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows for his son.

Over a decades-long career, Rose Tremain has spanned continents and centuries with her novels. Her latest, Lily, helped her heal from life-saving surgery.

Young and confident, with a swagger in her step, Sugar arrives in the southern town of Bigelow hoping to start over. Then she meets Pearl, a woman trying to forget her own traumas. As these next-door neighbours become unlikely friends, they wond

Soon to be a major Netflix film directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog is a dark poetic tale of a small town in 1920s Montana. Thomas Savage examines masculinity from the perspective of