PAPERBACKS

READ THIS WEEK

12 BYTES by Jeanette Winterson 304pp, Vintage, £9.99 

From sex robots to the privatisation of space, the Frankissstein author reflects on the history – and future – of technology in essays that whirr with anarchic intelligence.

LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN by Roddy Doyle

182pp, Vintage, £9.99 

No ordinary lockdown collection, these short stories elegantly pinpoint the joys, sorrows and minor triumphs of “emptynesters” facing the pandemic alone. A warm, wise reflection on life in one’s 60s.

THE SECRET ROYALS by Richard J Aldrich and Rory Cormac 746pp, Atlantic, £10.99

A colourful history of the royals and espionage, from Kaiser Wilhelm II passing secrets via his barber, to George VI’s enjoyment of wartime MI5 reports.