Jonathan Freedland reviews a new book on Bush's best friend Tony Blair, but fails to answer whether he'll be revered or reviled for the invasion of Iraq

Noah Feldman reviews bin Laden's messages to the world; he may be 'a Muslim out of the mainstream, distorting the faith to justify murder', but his words are nonetheless worth reading

A beautiful novel by Kiran Desai where East meets West without understanding. By Pankaj Mishra

The world of Jackie Collins's Lovers & Players may, at first glance, seem superficial and sordid, but there lies beneath a beautiful idealism, says Alexandra Jacobs

Something Invisible is Siobhan Parkinson's second book for Puffin and what a well-produced book it is. Excellent paper that increases the pleasure of the reader and a great eye-catching cover by Photolibrary.com.

Curative as well as tasty, rhubarb has come far from the stewed mush we remember from childhood; it is now being toasted by celebrity chefs. Darina Allen tells us its history

Sinn Féin's hopes to at least double its Dáil representations are a long cry from the mere platform the southern party wing used to be for the IRA campaign in the North. The hunger strikes broke the mould, showing the Provisional leadership that there were political opportunities outside the armed struggle, and slowly the South began to follow the Northern example.

The British and Irish governments have commenced another round of talks in the North. The governments protest that these talks are not for the optics. That they are serious. That real business is being done. And that they are trying to facilitate discussions between the Northern parties.

The knee-jerk ban on the sale or possession of mushrooms containing psilocybin has been backed by five of the six major parties in the Dáil, despite none having any evidence to support their stance. Peter McGuire reports

Modernists battling to open our minds in the 1960s; hosts smoothing over famous Irish murders and sportsmen trundling headfirst down the slopes. By Dermot Bolger