This week, Terri Apter reviews a quartet of books exploring the impact of parenthood on identity, particularly for women; and we revisit Helen Garner, as she wins the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

'Four Mothers: A year of motherhood around the world', by Abigail Leonard

'The Republic of Parenthood: On bringing up babies', by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

'Second Life: Having a child in the digital age', by Amanda Hess

'Childless by Choice: The meaning and legacy of a childfree life', by Helen Taylor

'How to End a Story: Collected Diaries', by Helen Garner

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Lily Herd introduces us to the concept of Fascist Yoga; and Mark Storey on America’s ghosts.

‘Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread’, by Leila Taylor

‘Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook’, by Miranda Corcoran

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Margaret Drabble enjoys an enthralling biography of an adventure writer and his entourage; and Thea Lenarduzzi on the gothic mystery at the heart of her new book.

'Storyteller: The life of Robert Louis Stevenson', by Leo Damrosch

'The Tower', by Thea Lenarduzzi

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Mary Beard grapples with a noisy new version of Euripides at the National Theatre; and Norma Clarke on the mysterious world of Helen DeWitt's new novel.

'Bacchae', by Nima Taleghani, after Euripedes, Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London, until November 1

'Your Name Here', by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Tim Lake explains why Bertie Wooster is not half the dimwit we think he is; and fiction editor Toby Lichtig introduces the novels to look out for this autumn.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Nicola Shulman is entranced by the life of a naturalist; and Larry Wolff enjoys a night at the opera - with added superheroes.

'A year with Gilbert White: The first great nature writer', by Jenny Uglow

'The amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay', by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer, based on the book by Michael Chabon, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 11

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Richard Sennett delivers a powerful warning to universities to defend their freedom; and Helena Kelly on the revolutionary world that shaped Jane Austen.

'The Worlds of Jane Austen: The Influence and Inspiration Behind the Novels', by Helena Kelly

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, AE Stallings immerses herself in Daniel Mendelsohn's new translation of Homer's Odyssey; and Dinah Birch is intrigued by an ambitious novel twenty years in the making. 

'The Odyssey', by Homer, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn 

'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny', by Kiran Desai

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, James Shapiro celebrates New York's love affair with Shakespeare; Mark Nayler goes on the hunt for monsters; and Lily Herd introduces this issue's In Brief pages. 

'Monsterland: A journey around the world’s dark imagination', by Nicholas Jubber

'The Perilous Deep: A supernatural history of the Atlantic', by Karl Bell

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Professor Jonathan Bate on a tiny Elizabethan portrait with an illuminating history; and novelist Gwendoline Riley assesses the mysterious life and work of Dame Muriel Spark.

'Electric Spark: The enigma of Muriel Spark', by Frances Wilson

'The Letters of Muriel Spark – Volume 1: 1944–1963', edited by Dan Gunn

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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