West Florence High School in South Carolina spent nearly a month between 25 August and 19 September plagued by a mysterious fæcal stench that disrupted classes, caused problems with the air conditioni

WE’RE about to embark on the holiday of a lifetime, heading for Heathrow Airport after leaving Ruby and Edgar in the safe hands of house-sitter, Sue. She hadn’t met the dogs before this morning, but t

Explore the streets of Madrid to discover a tasting menu of the country’s finest ingredients and most storied recipes

OWN UP TO YOUR SAILING SINS

Enrique Vila-Matas Montevideo Translated by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott 240pp. Yale University Press. £14.99 (US $27). “Words are poor mountaineers and poor miners”, lamented the young Franz Kaf

Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight