Last updated: 18 Apr 2026, 15:03 Books | The Guardian TITLE: Kae Tempest on creativity and his gender transition: ‘I’m just glad to be alive’ PUBLISHED: 18 Apr 2026 Ten years after his debut novel, the poet and musician has written a follow-up exploring self-discovery and a life lived on the edge. He talks about sexuality, pronouns and drawing strength from the literature he lovesKae Tempest sidles into a pub near his house on a weekday afternoon and or... https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/apr/18/kae-tempest-on-creativity-and-his-gender-transition-im-just-glad-to-be-alive TITLE: The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup PUBLISHED: 17 Apr 2026 The Keeper by Tana French; The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman; Mrs Shim Is a Killer by Kang Jiyoung; A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad; The Drowning Place by Sarah HilaryThe Keeper by Tana French (Viking, £16.99) The final book in French’s Cal Hooper trilogy sees the retired Chicago det... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/17/the-best-recent-and-thrillers-review-roundup TITLE: The Dog’s Gaze by Thomas Laqueur review – the art of the canine, from Velázquez to Picasso PUBLISHED: 17 Apr 2026 A clever and beautiful survey of dogs in painting, with a brilliant interpretation of their role at its heartThirty-five thousand years ago, in the Ardèche region of France, Paleolithic artists drew a spectacular bestiary on the walls of the Chauvet cave. Their focus was apex predators,... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/17/the-dogs-gaze-by-thomas-laqueur-review-the-art-of-the-canine-from-velazquez-to-picasso TITLE: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke review – the downfall of an all‑American tradwife PUBLISHED: 16 Apr 2026 The premise – Instagram influencer is confronted by pioneer reality – is genius. But does this high-concept debut live up to the hype?Could Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear be the first great tradwife novel? This was my hope: finally, a literary response to the unhinged social trend of women c... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/16/yesteryear-by-caro-claire-burke-review-the-downfall-of-an-allamerican-tradwife TITLE: The Possibility of Tenderness by Jason Allen-Paisant audiobook review – meditations on nature and belonging PUBLISHED: 16 Apr 2026 The poet reconnects with the landscape of the May Day Mountains in Jamaica where he grew up in a personal story of migration, race and rural lifeAn award-winning poet living in Roundhay Park, Leeds, Jason Allen-Paisant spent his early childhood living with his grandmother in Coffee Grove, a hilly... https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/16/the-possibility-of-tenderness-by-jason-allen-paisant-audiobook-review-meditations-on-nature-and-belonging