At a time of fear and anxiety, leading writers offer reassurance by looking at twenty ways the response to the coronavirus pandemic could make the world a better place.The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is a once-in-a-century event, a tragedy and a source of deep anxiety. But in darkness there is light; in tackling the most impossible challenges, human ingenuity forges new and positive paths forward.In his introduction, Professor Graham Davey argues that context and perspective are the best ways to alleviate the personal anxiety created by the pandemic and lockdown - context offered by the pieces in this collection.From leading science, society and culture writers and editors comes an easy-to-read look at twenty ways the human response to coronavirus could help to make the world a better place. Twenty reasons for each of us to find light in the darkness. Contributors include:Tom Whipple, science editor of The TimesLucy Mangan, columnist and authorSarah Knapton, science editor of the TelegraphLindsay Dodgson, senior staff writer at Business InsiderAlex Hern, technology editor of the Guardian

Just what does it mean to be a girl? Why is it not like being a boy? And why is that a good thing? Guardian columnist Lucy Mangan lifts the lid on the truth about being female. From your place within the family (''It''s a girl! What a pity!'') through the intricacies of what not to wear and who not to talk to, everything you need to know about losing your virginity, how to get along with your mother and get ahead in the workplace, this is a full and frank account of how it really is different for girls. Full of bittersweet memories and the sharpest observations, HOPSCOTCH & HANDBAGS may not be better than sex or shoes, but it is less messy and goes with everything.

It''s time to welcome new girls to Malory Towers, the famous boarding school by the sea, in four brand-new stories by outstanding authors, set in Enid Blyton''s much-loved school.

YA and Waterstones Book Prize-winner Patrice Lawrence introduces us to proud Marietta with her magnificent head of braided hair. A dormitory argument reveals something unusual about Marietta, and something equally unexpected about Alicia.

In Guardian and Stylist columnist Lucy Mangan''s story, student librarian Evelyn is wary of her lively, lacrosse-playing classmates. When one of them becomes a regular visitor to the hushed domain of the library, can Evelyn really trust her?

Sunita Sharma joins Malory Towers surrounded by a sense of mystery, in Narinder Dhami''s fabulous story. But is Sunita really as glamorous as Gwendoline imagines?

In Rebecca Westcott''s heartwarming story, Darrell and friends fear the worst when spoilt Gwendoline''s cousin joins the school. But Maggie is very different from her stuck-up relative . . .

Brought to you by Penguin.A love letter to all those who come alive when they pull a new treasure off the shelf, stay up late reading just one more page and pack their suitcases with clothes wedged between books instead of the other way around.From exploring the stacks as a student, to finding her feet as a bookseller-turned-journalist, falling for a fellow bookworm in an independent bookshop, escaping the doldrums of new motherhood and finally building a (book) room of her own, Bookish is the story of a life spent falling in love with reading. Bookworm author Lucy Mangan chronicles her years of buying, borrowing and hoarding everything from well-worn literary classics to steamy bonkbusters, gripping thrillers, young adult novels and other not-so-guilty pleasures.Brimming with literary insights, wry observations and stellar recommendations, this book is an ode to the bookish places – from local libraries to bookstores big and small – and the stories that make us who we are.''A bookworm''s delight'' Sara Collins | ''A gorgeous hug of a book – funny, warm and charming'' Marian Keyes | ''Comforting, funny and moving'' Sali Hughes | ''Lucy Mangan on books is like butter on toast: perfect'' Caitlin Moran© Lucy Mangan 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Shortlisted for the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction''Utterly, utterly perfect and brilliant - I think it is, simply, a new classic, and the book every woman will be able to trust to make her happy when she picks it up'' - Caitlin Moran''Utterly wonderful ... full of love. Enormously uplifting, funny and witty and wry'' - Marian Keyes''A glorious, outrageously funny retelling of E.M. Delafield''s Diary of a Provincial Lady. At once, a celebration of the joy of family life and a cry of anguish at the utter hell of it. Laugh out loud, compulsive reading'' - Nina StibbeMeet Liz: all she wants is some peace and quiet so she can read a book with her cat Henry, love of her life, by her side. But trampling all over this dream is a group of wild things also known as Liz''s family. Namely:Richard - a man, a husband, no serious rival to Henry.Thomas - their sensitive seven year old son, for whom life is a bed of pain already.Evie - five year old acrobat, gangster, anarchist, daughter.And as if her family''s demands (Where are the door keys? Are we made of plastic? Do ''ghost poos'' really count?) weren''t enough, Liz must also contend with the madness of parents, friends, bosses, and at least one hovering nemesis. Are We Having Fun Yet? is a year with one woman as she faces all the storms of modern life (babysitters, death, threadworms) on her epic quest for that holy grail: a moment to herself.

Will Lucy make it down the aisle? It''s going to be an uphill struggle . . . The bride: A late starter in life, Lucy always swore she''d never get married. But now she has to find a caterer who doesn''t charge a fortune for a cupcake, a dressmaker who doesn''t make her cry and a way to bring Great-Auntie Betty down from Dundee for the sixpence she is willing to spend - isn''t it meant to be HER special day? The groom: Christopher has spent twenty minutes compiling his guest list and checking his suit fits before returning to his newspaper - this wedding business isn''t so hard after all. The mother of the bride: Armed with colour-coded wedding planning folders she is all set. However, twice-daily conversations with her daughter don''t seem to be shortening the ''to-do'' list she''s drawn up. The father of the bride: A wedding? My daughter? Who''s she marrying? The best friend: Gillian has stood by Lucy through thick and thin, but she is refusing to be a bridesmaid and wear a daft dress.

At a time of fear and anxiety, leading writers offer reassurance by looking at twenty ways the response to the coronavirus pandemic could make the world a better place.The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is a once-in-a-century event, a tragedy and a source of deep anxiety. But in darkness there is light; in tackling the most impossible challenges, human ingenuity forges new and positive paths forward.In his introduction, Professor Graham Davey argues that context and perspective are the best ways to alleviate the personal anxiety created by the pandemic and lockdown - context offered by the pieces in this collection.From leading science, society and culture writers and editors comes an easy-to-read look at twenty ways the human response to coronavirus could help to make the world a better place. Twenty reasons for each of us to find light in the darkness. Contributors include:Tom Whipple, science editor of The TimesLucy Mangan, columnist and authorSarah Knapton, science editor of the TelegraphLindsay Dodgson, senior staff writer at Business InsiderAlex Hern, technology editor of the Guardian

Just what does it mean to be a girl? Why is it not like being a boy? And why is that a good thing? Guardian columnist Lucy Mangan lifts the lid on the truth about being female. From your place within the family (''It''s a girl! What a pity!'') through the intricacies of what not to wear and who not to talk to, everything you need to know about losing your virginity, how to get along with your mother and get ahead in the workplace, this is a full and frank account of how it really is different for girls. Full of bittersweet memories and the sharpest observations, HOPSCOTCH & HANDBAGS may not be better than sex or shoes, but it is less messy and goes with everything.

It''s time to welcome new girls to Malory Towers, the famous boarding school by the sea, in four brand-new stories by outstanding authors, set in Enid Blyton''s much-loved school.

YA and Waterstones Book Prize-winner Patrice Lawrence introduces us to proud Marietta with her magnificent head of braided hair. A dormitory argument reveals something unusual about Marietta, and something equally unexpected about Alicia.

In Guardian and Stylist columnist Lucy Mangan''s story, student librarian Evelyn is wary of her lively, lacrosse-playing classmates. When one of them becomes a regular visitor to the hushed domain of the library, can Evelyn really trust her?

Sunita Sharma joins Malory Towers surrounded by a sense of mystery, in Narinder Dhami''s fabulous story. But is Sunita really as glamorous as Gwendoline imagines?

In Rebecca Westcott''s heartwarming story, Darrell and friends fear the worst when spoilt Gwendoline''s cousin joins the school. But Maggie is very different from her stuck-up relative . . .

Brought to you by Penguin.A love letter to all those who come alive when they pull a new treasure off the shelf, stay up late reading just one more page and pack their suitcases with clothes wedged between books instead of the other way around.From exploring the stacks as a student, to finding her feet as a bookseller-turned-journalist, falling for a fellow bookworm in an independent bookshop, escaping the doldrums of new motherhood and finally building a (book) room of her own, Bookish is the story of a life spent falling in love with reading. Bookworm author Lucy Mangan chronicles her years of buying, borrowing and hoarding everything from well-worn literary classics to steamy bonkbusters, gripping thrillers, young adult novels and other not-so-guilty pleasures.Brimming with literary insights, wry observations and stellar recommendations, this book is an ode to the bookish places – from local libraries to bookstores big and small – and the stories that make us who we are.''A bookworm''s delight'' Sara Collins | ''A gorgeous hug of a book – funny, warm and charming'' Marian Keyes | ''Comforting, funny and moving'' Sali Hughes | ''Lucy Mangan on books is like butter on toast: perfect'' Caitlin Moran© Lucy Mangan 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Shortlisted for the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction''Utterly, utterly perfect and brilliant - I think it is, simply, a new classic, and the book every woman will be able to trust to make her happy when she picks it up'' - Caitlin Moran''Utterly wonderful ... full of love. Enormously uplifting, funny and witty and wry'' - Marian Keyes''A glorious, outrageously funny retelling of E.M. Delafield''s Diary of a Provincial Lady. At once, a celebration of the joy of family life and a cry of anguish at the utter hell of it. Laugh out loud, compulsive reading'' - Nina StibbeMeet Liz: all she wants is some peace and quiet so she can read a book with her cat Henry, love of her life, by her side. But trampling all over this dream is a group of wild things also known as Liz''s family. Namely:Richard - a man, a husband, no serious rival to Henry.Thomas - their sensitive seven year old son, for whom life is a bed of pain already.Evie - five year old acrobat, gangster, anarchist, daughter.And as if her family''s demands (Where are the door keys? Are we made of plastic? Do ''ghost poos'' really count?) weren''t enough, Liz must also contend with the madness of parents, friends, bosses, and at least one hovering nemesis. Are We Having Fun Yet? is a year with one woman as she faces all the storms of modern life (babysitters, death, threadworms) on her epic quest for that holy grail: a moment to herself.

Will Lucy make it down the aisle? It''s going to be an uphill struggle . . . The bride: A late starter in life, Lucy always swore she''d never get married. But now she has to find a caterer who doesn''t charge a fortune for a cupcake, a dressmaker who doesn''t make her cry and a way to bring Great-Auntie Betty down from Dundee for the sixpence she is willing to spend - isn''t it meant to be HER special day? The groom: Christopher has spent twenty minutes compiling his guest list and checking his suit fits before returning to his newspaper - this wedding business isn''t so hard after all. The mother of the bride: Armed with colour-coded wedding planning folders she is all set. However, twice-daily conversations with her daughter don''t seem to be shortening the ''to-do'' list she''s drawn up. The father of the bride: A wedding? My daughter? Who''s she marrying? The best friend: Gillian has stood by Lucy through thick and thin, but she is refusing to be a bridesmaid and wear a daft dress.