Books

A call to arms for the shy and retiring or an excuse for letting off steam? Bob Morris reads about asserion therapy

He started the book and his wife finished it. Part autobiography, part family reconstruction, it tells the story of John Peel. a simple man obsessed with music. Review by Michael McCaughan

When Book Notes thinks of Charles Dickens we are reminded of John Irving's lecture in Dublin earlier in 2005. Irving admitted that he had left his copy of Our Mutual Friend on the train he took from Edinburgh to London.

Last Minute CHILDREN'S BOOKS Suggestions

Robert Fisk's new book The Great War for Civilisation suffers from its length, tone and sweeping condenmations, writes Geoffrey Wheatcroft

It's light on economics, but David McWiliams' book is a pacey read, with enough social and anthropological analysis, entertainment, irreverence and attitude to keep the reader engaged. Reviewed by economist Jim O'Leary

Margaret Atwood's take The Odyssesy is self-consciously jokey, but Jeanette Winterson's retelling of the story of Heracles is more successful, writes Caroline Alexander

We wanted to award Lynn Truss our publicity whore of the month award but it seemed just a little silly to give out about a book which is essentially a 200 page moan about modern manners.

A Christmas short story written specially for Village by Maeve Binchy

Something completely different from Oisin McGann, writer of the wonderful teen age novel, Under Fragile Stones.