This is Barack Obama’s mini-manifesto, which wouldn’t be complete without his interspersed personal touch. He writes about that humble childhood on the south side of Chicago that helped form his political views, this time without all of that messy cocaine usage talk that came from his first book Dreams of My Father.,Barack Obama; The Audacity of Hope; available now

This is Barack Obama’s mini-manifesto, which wouldn’t be complete without his interspersed personal touch. He writes about that humble childhood on the south side of Chicago that helped form his political views, this time without all of that messy cocaine usage talk that came from his first book Dreams of My Father. This one has a lot less dirt in it, but it’s still worth the read, as the author might become the 44th president of the United States.

Nick Hornby; A Long Way Down; available now

Feel like killing yourself, but don’t have the money to buy your Saving Grace in hardcover? Well, you’re in luck-Nick Hornby’s tale of four wannabe jumpers that meet on the top of a North London ledge is just as tackily heart-rendering, but as weirdly readable, as About a Boy and How To Be Good. It won’t talk you down off the ledge, but it might make you want to read High Fidelity for the second time.