Books

Multi-award-winning film director, editor, scriptwriter, playwright, and author Julian Doyle is famed for his work with Monty Python, providing the special effects for Monty Python and the Holy Grail and editing The Meaning of Life. But, as he reveals, it was his work editing Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this month, that has had the biggest impact on his life, leading him on a decades-long quest to unravel a fascinating historical mystery.

Formerly a distinguished paediatrician at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, Colin Stern has reinvented himself in his retirement as a prolific author of genre-spanning prose and poetry. We spoke to him to find out more.

Bestselling speculative fiction icon Ben Counter’s new book, Skane, delivers the same trademark combination of dark themes and intense action but in an unexpected fusion of genres: thriller and poetry.

With a background in mathematics, academic-turned-businessman Tony Lewis is nothing less than the Einstein of marketing. His new book, Brand Momentum, reveals a powerful new metric — one that not only measures a brand’s success but also crucially its future potential health.

Former Royal Marine Ricardo Chin joined the military in an attempt to expel the anger, frustration and inner turmoil inside, and find true meaning to his life. It didn’t work. Here, the author of spiritual memoir A Few Words from an Absolute Nobody explains why.

Any company can become toxic, says workplace culture expert and bestselling author Colin D. Ellis, with disastrous consequences for the business and employees alike. It’s therefore vital to take immediate action to fix toxicity, and his new book Detox Your Culture shows you how.

Respected as one of the world’s greatest living authorities on the Soviet Union and the Cold War, Professor Jonathan Haslam is readying to release Hubris, a detailed account of the origins of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here, we profile the international relations academic, who says the conflict is only happening today because of gross mistakes by Western leaders spanning decades.

Coming from a corporate background, leadership coach and career transition expert Helen Hanison knows first-hand the suffering that can come from being stuck in a job that doesn’t bring fulfilment. It’s motivated her to write new bestselling career guide Unstuck to help people purposefully redesign their career and life.

Feminist theologian Dr Niamh M. Middleton has repeatedly warned that both the Church of England and Catholic Church, which have seen dwindling congregations for decades, face extinction within 30 years unless they radically reform to give equal standing to women. Here, Dr Middleton, author of Jesus and Women, explains why the Church’s future is important, and why it must be in female hands.