Effie: The Passionate Lives Of Effie Gray, Ruskin And Millais by Suzanne Fagence Cooper (Overlook Duckworth, £10.99)
Even an easily scandalised Victorian society took a deep breath over famous art critic John Ruskin's divorce from pretty young Scotswoman Effie Gray. Cooper explores how Ruskin put his protege John Everett Millais in his wife's way, the better to be rid of her, in this non-sensational but truly fascinating biography.
Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James (Arrow books, £7.99)
Described as "mummy porn", this inexplicably successful S&M novel about the sexual relationship between virginal student Anastasia Steele and alpha-male businessman Christian Grey is written in embarrassingly banal, teenage prose that at least lets you skip easily to the dirty bits without losing the narrative thread.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (Vintage, £8.99)
This memoir is the "twin's silent story", that twin being Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Winterson's first novel about her upbringing in Accrington and relationship with her highly religious adoptive mother. The reality was even harsher, and the fact that Winterson feels compelled to tell her story again suggests that she has never really got over it. Compelling.
Amsterdam Stories by Nescio (NYRB Classics, £7.99)
Nescio (Latin for "I don't know") was the pseudonym of Jan Hendrik Frederik Gronloh, one of the Netherlands' finest writers from the early 20th century. This collection of short stories, with repeat characters, explores the "condition" of the young male of this period, his hopes and dreams, with a psychological intensity that feels surprisingly fresh and contemporary.
Lesley McDowell
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