The latest installment of the wildly popular Court of Thorns and Roses series hit the bookstores on Tuesday. Mega fans celebrated the midnight release with parties at Waterstones across the country. So just how did Sarah J Maas’ romantic fantasy - ‘romantasy’- series become a global literary phenomenon? The Times went to one of the parties to find out.

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Read by: Sarah Ditum, contributor, The Times.

Producer: Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Fairies, foxtrots and sauciness — my night at the romantasy ball

Clips: @thtgrlreads - TikTok, @archgosai - TikTok, @mikaelakelling - TikTok, @fantasticalbookworm - TikTok, The Mel Robbins Podcast, Born To Make You Happy by Trisha Paytas provided by Symphonic Distribution.

Photo: The Times / Gareth Iwan Jones.

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Following this week’s elections in Israel, will Benjamin Netanyahu cling on as Prime Minister? Why did Christa Pike’s execution fail? And as Andy Burnham weighs up a return to free movement with the EU, have the political class ever accepted Brexit? You asked, so we answered, in this edition of our monthly Q&A series.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Gabrielle Weiniger, Israel correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times.
• Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times.
• Olivia Empson, US correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times.
• Tom Whipple, Science Writer and Special Correspondent, The Times and Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana, Luke Jones.

Producer: Jesse Fox, Paige Reynolds.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Netanyahu edges ahead — but is facing weeks of election wrangling

Further listening: The Inside Story of Burnham’s first 100 days

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chancellor John Healey has delivered the first budget of Andy Burnham’s government. It was a deliberately low-key statement marked by a string of small policy announcements, and thin on detail when it came to the government’s two biggest fiscal headaches: defense spending and the ballooning welfare bill. So, did the budget actually deliver? And how will it affect you?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests:

• Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times.
• Rachel Mortimer, deputy money editor, The Times & The Sunday Times.

Host: Rosie Wright.

Producers: Micaeala Arneson, Jesse Fox, Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Budget 2026 key points: a summary of the highlights

Further listening: The inside story of Burnham’s first 100 days

Clips: Parliamentlive.tv

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.