Nina Stibbe

Great piece in @guardian today on the 100 best novels of all time. Chosen by a bunch of authors (you can click through to see who picked what, which is fun). It was agony choosing and I already regret leaving out Muriel Spark. Below is what my top 10 looked like the day I filed!

Introducing the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist... Examining themes of migration, conflict and othering, to creativity, wellbeing, and connection, these six exceptional books are a testament to how vital women’s writing is to our understanding of the world, and our imagining of tomorrow. Huge congratulations to: (In alphabetical order by author surname) 💜 The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet @lyse.doucet 💜 Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt 💜 Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell @judithmackrell 💜 Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska @janerska 💜 Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy @arundhatiroyauthor 💜 Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran @ece.temelkuran Thank you to our judges, Chair @thangamdebbonaire , @romatheengineer , @nicolaelliottneom , @ninastibbe ,@nicolawilliamswriter and to our sponsor @findmypast . Learn more about this year’s shortlist via the link in our bio. 📹 WillCarne Studios #WomensPrizeforNonFiction

It’s time to reveal the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist. A hopeful list, these are 16 books that reflect the belief that every woman’s voice has the power to elicit and inspire change and are an extraordinary, international celebration of women’s writing. Spanning politics, memoir, science, history, biography, art and more, the 2026 longlisted books are: (In alphabetical order by author surname) 💜 Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China’s Stolen Children and a Story of Separated Twins by Barbara Demick @barbara.demick 💜 The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet @lyse.doucet 💜 Don’t Let It Break You, Honey: A Memoir About Saving Yourself by Jenny Evans @jenny_evans_author 💜 Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt 💜 With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works for Everyone and How We Can Make It Work Better by Lady Hale 💜 To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Creativity and Race in the 21st Century by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason @kadiatukannehmason @thekannehmasons 💜 Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell @judithmackrell 💜 Ask Me How It Works: Love in an Open Marriage by Deepa Paul @storiesbydeepa 💜 Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry @sarah_grace_perry 💜 The Genius of Trees: How Trees Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World by Harriet Rix @harrietjennierix 💜 Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska @janerska 💜 Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy 💜 Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain by Zakia Sewell @zzzakia 💜 To Exist As I Am: A Doctor’s Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance by Grace Spence Green @gracesg 💜 Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran @ece.temelkuran 💜 Indignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea Ypi @lea.ypi Congratulations to the 16 longlisted authors! Learn more about each book and decide which to pick up first over on our website (link in bio). With thanks to @findmypast 📹 Will Carne Studios #WomensPrize #WomensPrizeforNonFiction

The 2026 #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction judges can’t wait to reveal the 16 longlisted books next Wednesday. They’ve told you what they’re looking for… but which books have they chosen? Let us know your predictions of which favourites they're unwrapping in the comments! #WomensPrizeforNonFiction

I am thrilled to be one of the judges for this year’s #nonfiction prize @womensprize 🏆

Three Instagram posts in one day is a first for me. All important in their own way – but this one’s a biggie. Well, now the secrets out! Very pleased and extremely proud to be one of the judges for the @womensprize for Non-Fiction, led by our wonderful Chair, Baroness @thangamdebbonaire . LOTS of reading, but what a joy to be able to do so. #WomensPrizeForNon-Fiction #WomensPrize @romatheengineer @nicolaelliottneom @ninastibbe

Wonderful, hilarious, unique #Jilly 🐎

Alf & Schmeiky

absolute best visit to @arvon__ with @tiffmurray & @whatsamadder Talking about memoir, diary-keeping and the time my landlady called my dog a c*nt (twice). My only regret is no photo of @maryelmorris

This week, the wonderful Nina Stibbe @ninastibbe - award-winning novelist and diarist - joins us for a discussion of Sue Townsend's classic comic creation: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3⁄4. When it was first published in 1982, the confidential journal of Leicester's foremost teenage poet and intellectual was an overnight success, eventually going on to become the best-selling British novel of the 1980s. Four decades on, we can see it for what it truly is: a masterclass in the art of writing comic prose and a work of political satire that stealthily made its way into several million British homes. As always, you can listen via our website or your preferred streaming platform!

Kevin, Santi, & Lola 💕