The hero of Dave Eggers' fourth novel is Alan Clay, a 54-year-old American suffering a mid-life crisis that seems to have blighted his entire existence. 

For decades, we've been told by dietitians, doctors and public health authorities to avoid saturated fats such as butter or lard in favour of unsaturated vegetable oils like safflower and soya...

Many parents give their children a small treat, or a gift, when they do well in school as encouragement. Some resort to giving cash or a coveted gadget as an incentive to work harder. 

Argentina has built up a world-class wine industry, luring a flood of wine tourists, but boosting the quality quotient is still keeping its winemakers hard at work.