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Observer book of the weekHistory booksReviewJulian Jackson’s meticulous, engaging history of the collaborator general and his downfall is a gripping study of dishonour and denial Is there a more excruciating period in modern French history than what we call France’s “darkest hours”? And is there more wretched a name associated with them than that of Philippe Pétain? After his critically acclaimed biography on General de Gaulle, the British historian Julian Jackson has written a 480-page-long analysis of Pétainism, with the trial of Marshal Pétain at its heart.

Game of Thrones: episode by episodeGame of ThronesGame of Thrones: season two, episode eight – The Prince of WinterfellBetrayal, intrigue and despair feature in an occasionally slow-moving but fascinating episodeSpoiler alert: Don’t read on unless you have watched the first eight episodes of Game of Thrones season two. For the purposes of this blog we are also going to (hopefully) avoid book spoilers as well. Sarah Hughes’s episode seven blog

Music This article is more than 2 months oldIndie band the Night Café ‘devastated’ by sudden death of lead singer Sean MartinThis article is more than 2 months oldFrontman’s Liverpool bandmates and fellow touring band the Wombats post tribute message and pictures online The indie band the Night Café have said they are “devastated” as they announced the sudden death of their lead singer, Sean Martin. The group, from Liverpool, announced the news on Instagram: “We are devastated to share the sudden passing of our best friend Sean.

Australia books blogDarknetEileen Ormsby was threatened with violence when she reported a hitmen-for-hire scam. Now the Australian writer goes even deeper into the dark web It’s an arresting concept: the idea that rippling beneath the internet there is a dark twin breathing and growing. A place where drugs are sold; where hitmen advertise their services; where material to match any sexual urge can be found. The Darkest Web is an exploration of this underworld known as the dark web, and Australian author Eileen Ormsby is your tour guide.

‘Seeing my children living in a house like that – I can’t put that into words’ … Kevin and Dee outside their new £3m house. Photograph: Mark Field Photography/Omaze‘Seeing my children living in a house like that – I can’t put that into words’ … Kevin and Dee outside their new £3m house. Photograph: Mark Field Photography/OmazeHomesCompanies that offer lottery-like wins – houses, cars and cash prizes – have taken off recently.

Top 10sBooksAuthor Craig Taylor chooses memoir, poetry, history and photography by writers who have committed to the city’s streets, ready for its surprises and shocks New York City got into my blood. It’s a side effect when you spend years walking its streets, talking to hundreds of residents. It invaded my thoughts, colonised my reading list and still shows up, vividly, in my dreams. New Yorkers by Craig Taylor review – extraordinary city storiesRead moreMy favourite New York books are about people.

MusicObituaryCarl Smith obituaryPopular country singer in the early 1950s Carl Smith, who has died aged 82, was a key figure in the changing sound of country music in the early 1950s. Like Eddy Arnold, he purveyed a softer, warmer vocal manner, while keeping the music muscular by placing it in the bluesy small-group setting of Texan honky-tonk. But as well as an ingratiating ballad style, he had an aptitude for up-tempo rockabilly.

Tribute to the murdered soldier Lee Rigby at Woolwich barracks. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The GuardianThe murder of Lee Rigby five years ago ushered in a wave of ‘easy’ extremist violence. But will such random acts result in radical Islam losing its malign ideological power?by Raffaello PantucciJust under five years ago, two men ran down and then butchered with knives Fusilier Lee Rigby as he walked back to his barracks in Woolwich, south London.

Minqin County swallowed by the desert Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email In north-west China, desert sands are swallowing up farmland and towns. Mingqin is a shrinking oasis area that government advisers privately describe as an "ecological disaster area", and yet eco-refugees have been resettled here because their home environments became no longer fit for habitation. Villagers must battle the encroaching desert that is destroying their homes and their crops Tue 19 May 2009 00.