Day by day, we should keep an eye on the trouble spots of European banking
Plus: good and bad encounters with the public sector
A misogynistic reshuffle
The PM doesn’t want the new women in his cabinet to do anything but look nice
… and in Gaza
As long as Gaza feels ignored, isolated and abandoned, Hamas will continue to draw support
The rhythm of life
A review of Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter, by Richard Barrios, whose commitment to musical cinema you can’t knock, but whose prose style you should
An insider’s view
A review of Margot Asquith’s Great War Diary, 1914–1916: The View from Downing Street, edited by Michael and Eleanor Brock. As you’d expect, the cast of characters is worthy of a Shakespearian history play
Home truths
A review of A Dog’s Life, by Michael Holroyd. This thinly veiled portrait of Holroyd's family is more an exercise in self-chastisement than vanity
Viva España
A review of World Without End: The Global Empire of Philip II, by Hugh Thomas. This history of the Spanish Empire seems more interested in the conquerors than the conquered but still makes its argument well
For the love of Cornwall
A review of Cornwall, by Peter Beacham and Nikolaus Pevsner. Uniting two classic guides by Pevsner and John Betjeman, Beacham has left no fernbanked lane or secret drive unexplored
Now you see it…
A review of Prisoners, Lovers and Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qa’eda, by Kristie Macrakis. The ancients hid their intel in hares' bellies; today, jihadis use porn
A bounder par excellence
A review of The Man Who Was Norris: The life of Gerald Hamilton, by Tom Cullen. The great thing about this book is that Cullen rarely makes the mistake of taking Hamilton (once described as ‘the wickedest man in Europe’) at his own word
From Russia with love
A review of Subtly Worded, by Teffi. Her remarkable short stories, full of characters that teeter on the edge of an abyss, deserve to be better known
Dutch jewel
Vermeers, Rembrandts and Holbeins are among the star attractions in The Hague’s newly refurbished Mauritshaus
Visual curiosity
Plus: the Royal Academy’s Radical Geometry show offers a bit of Op, a bit of clever interior design and a bit of Blue Peter
‘Dabbling’ in poetry
Olivia Cole attempts to get the one part Princeton professor, two parts ageing rocker, to dish on his tricks
A cruel blast
Plus: a new play at the Bush about religious extremism that could have been a popular hit if it had tacked more towards the middle ground
