The Latest Breaking News from Sylvia Plath

They have poisoned emperors, taken over insect brains and survived atomic bombs. This Dantean journey through fungal hell is riveting – though frogs may disagree

Exclusive: Hardship grant applications to the Royal Literary Fund, including unseen letters by Doris Lessing and a note from James Joyce saying that he ‘gets nothing in the way of royalties’, show authors at their most vulnerable

The task of understanding Sylvia Plath as a writer is intimidating. Her archives are vast. They span countries and colleges, and have varying levels of access and availability. Studying her oeuvre in its entirety requires years of research and travel.

Here are some lines Sylvia Plath never wrote:

A fun but often unpalatable collection of recipes by authors including Robert Graves, Norman Mailer and Beryl Bainbridge should come with a trigger warning. Anyone for Instant Mince or Dutch Onion Crisps?

Primary school students have been reading TikTok sensation Icebreaker, an enemies-to-lovers romance about a figure skater and an ice hockey player. The cartoon cover features a ponytailed girl (who looks to be in her tweens) in a sparkly purple costume, smiling up at a much taller boy holding a hockey…

When Daisy Boulton stumbled across ‘A Woman on the Edge of Time’, a son’s book exploring the life and suicide of his mother, she felt an overwhelming connection. Helen Coffey talks to her about the new musical it inspired, and takes a deep dive into the story of a woman…

A set of cunning quizzes from the former Only Connect champion and the author of The Cryptic Pub Quiz Book. You might need a pen and paper …

From ‘The Great Gatsby’ to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, Finn Cliff Hodges looks at the best covers out there