MEGAN PHELPS-ROPER: “I FELT LIKE A CRIMINAL WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT GETTING SOMEBODY’S PERMISSION” – Stylist
Former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper talks to Stylist.co.uk about being trolled in real life, how Twitter helped her leave the hate group, and why she’ll never take her freedom for granted.

SHE SAID’S JODI KANTOR AND MEGAN TWOHEY: “HARVEY WEINSTEING HAD ALL THE POWER IN HOLLYWOOD, BUT WE HAD THE FACTS” Stylist
“Nine words. That’s all it took to signify the fact that the world was about to change.”

MEET ASMA KHAN, THE WOMAN CHANGING THE RESTAURANT GAME WITH HER ALL-FEMALE KITCHEN – Stylist
Asma Khan went from not being able to cook to running a successful restaurant. She talks to Sarah Shaffi about food, stories and being humbled upon meeting female refugees in Jordan.

KATE ATKINSON ON TRANSCRIPTION – Penguin.co.uk
Kate Atkinson tells Sarah Shaffi how the curious case of ‘perfect spy’ Jack King inspired her book, Transcription.

WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER? RACHEL HENG SHAKES UP OUR IDEAS ABOUT DEATH IN NEW NOVEL SUICIDE CLUB – Phoenix
The debut author discusses immortality, inequality and the chilling pull of ‘wellness’.

MALORIE BLACKMAN TALKS MEGHAN MARKLE, DONALD TRUMP AND HER NEW NOUHGTS & CROSSES BOOK – Stylist
“Crossfire might be fiction, but it clearly addresses some of the behaviours and patterns we’re seeing in real life… including the reluctance of society to call out racism when it happens.”

LOUIS THEROUX REVEALS WHY HE’S REALLY REVISITING ‘AMERICA’S MOST-HATED FAMILY’ FOR HIS NEW DOCUMENTARY – Stylist
Louis Theroux returns to Kansas for his third documentary about Westboro Baptist Church. He tells Stylist why it’s the right time to make the programme, how mainstream hate has diluted Westboro’s message, and whether he’ll make another film about the group.

THIS IS WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO OBSERVE THE MONTH OF RAMADAN – Stylist
Sarah Shaffi keeps a Ramadan diary for stylist.co.uk, documenting how the month of fasting, observed by millions of Muslims across the world, unfolds for her…

THE COLOUR OF MENTAL HEALTH… – Boundless
Is the system set up to favour white wellbeing?

“SELF-CARE IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL”: BLACK FEMALE PROFESSORS OFFER ADVICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION – Stylist
Five women with experience of academia share their advice and encouragement for black women who want to pursue a path in higher education.

“COSPLAY EMPOWERS WOMEN”: 3 PEOPLE REVEAL WHY COSPLAY IS SO MUCH MORE THAN DRESSING UP – Stylist
Cosplay, the act of recreating and remixing the look of a character, is about a lot more than just dressing up – it’s about freedom and vulnerability.

THE BOOKSELLER – issue 5773
“As a British Pakistani Muslim, it can be jarring to walk off a street and into the offices of a publisher, particularly in London, where much of UK publishing is based… To paraphrase what has been said before: I meet more people called Emma than people who look like me. No offence, Emmas.”

HOW TO CHOOSE GOOD HOLIDAY BOOKS – Phoenix
Forget fomo, do your research and try audiobooks for beach reading bliss.

SUPER FAMILIES – PEN Transmissions
Families are different for those with superpowers. Sarah Shaffi explores the importance of the ‘found family’ trope in superhero and supervillain narratives.

YOUR GUIDE TO 2020’S BEST NON-FICTION BOOKS – Stylist
Whether you’re looking to learn, be inspired or just lose yourself in a true story, 2020’s non-fiction books have you covered.

10 CAPTIVATING SERIES RECOMMENDTIONS BASED ON YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOWS – Penguin.co.uk
Whether you’re a fan of a complex crime drama, a period production or modern-day mythology, we’ve got the perfect book series for you.

“NO, BORIS JOHNSON’S NEW CABINET IS NOT A STEP FORWARD FOR REPRESENTATION” – Stylist
“We are starved for representation, but we cannot hold Patel and Javid up to young people as evidence of what Asian people can achieve if we’re not also willing to endorse to young people the paths they took to those achievements.”

THIS EXPOSÉ OF A CRIME WRITER IS A DAMNING INDICTMENT OF THE WAY PUBLISHING TREATS WOMEN – Stylist
Dan Mallory’s rapid rise through publishing illustrates the privilege within the industry.

“IT SHOULDN’T TAKE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED TO APPROVE THE BURKINI FOR IT TO BE ACCEPTABLE” – Stylist
“When Muslim women were choosing to wear the burkini, it was seen as eccentric as best and dangerous at worst.”

IN PRAISE OF BEING THE BACKGROUND FRIEND – Stylist
“I’ve now come to accept that being a background friend is no bad thing, and can actually be a positive.”

DOES OUR OBSESSION WITH TRUE CRIME PERPETRATORS DROWN OUT THE VOICES OF THEIR VICTIMS? – Phoenix
“We’re curious about what drives someone to commit horrible crimes. We want to know if it’s something in their upbringing, if they were themselves a victim, how they feel about what they did.”

WHY WE NEED TO STOP FORCING OURSELVES TO FINISH BOOKS WE HATE – Stylist
Guess what? Nothing bad will happen if you don’t finish a book you don’t like.

NOVA SCOTIA AND PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: AN ATLANTIC GETAWAY FOR ADVENTURERS AND BEACH LOVERS – Stylist
Hop across the pond to Canada’s maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, which will cater to your every holiday need.

LETHAL WHITE BY ROBERT GALBRAITH, REVIEW: JK ROWLING’S NEW BOOK MAY BE FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS, BUT IT’S BLOATED – Independent
The author’s fourth novel under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym picks up where Career of Evil ended.

NEW KINGS OF THE WORLD: DISPATCHES FROM BOLLYWOOD, DIZI AND K-POP BY FATIMA BHUTTO – The New Arab
Just 10 years ago, if I’d had Netflix, my to-watch list would have been full of American shows like Mad Men, Glee and Breaking Bad.

COSTA BOOK PRIZE SHORTLIST – Front Row, BBC Radio 4

Critics Alex Clark and Sarah Shaffi discuss the books chosen in the five categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children’s fiction. 

BEAUTIFUL BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS – Front Row, BBC Radio 4

Sarah Shaffi selects the most beautiful books to buy as presents this Christmas. In the age of streaming music and films, do books make better gifts?

SARAH SHAFFI HAS YOUR READING LIST SORTED – BBC Radio 2

Literary Journalist Sarah Shaffi lists her top 6 books to read this summer.

BOOKS TO HELP IN TROUBLING TIMES – Down the Rabbit Hole

Author SF Said, journalist Sarah Shaffi and YA debut Catherine Barter join Melissa and Louise in the studio to talk about how books teach children to think, question and empathise with others – and recommend books that can help children to understand turbulent times.

FANFICTION – Front Row, BBC Radio 4

As a One Direction themed fanfiction is now being turned into a feature film; we ask if fanfiction has finally gone mainstream with books journalist Sarah Shaffi and fanfiction writer and novelist RJ Anderson.

BOOKS OF THE YEAR – The Monocle Arts Review

This week we discuss Sarah Shaffi’s books of the year, including ‘The Underground Railroad’, ‘The Good Immigrant’ and ‘My Name is Leon’.