Women take the lead

Set up by our very own columnist Helen Lederer, the Comedy Women in Print Awards champion the voices of women who tackle serious and heartfelt subjects with a generous dose of humour. Here, we talk to three of this year’s shortlisted authors...

Women’s happiness has declined over the last 20 years while men’s has increased, says the economist Corinne Low. Claire Cohen meets her

Best books… Susie Dent Countdown ’s lexicographer picks ...

HEART THE LOVER BY LILY KING This year marks 250 years since Jane Austen was born so it’s fitting that love stories are having an epic moment. The current fiction boom (sales are up 18% on last year)

For Tamsin Greig , a Sally Wainwright drama was a pipe dream. Until, she tells Amy Raphael , she joined a punk band and learned to play bass

What’s the best way to deal with middle-aged menopausal rage? Form a punk band, says Sally Wainwright