Five Great Reads: how Animalia became a global bestseller, hand-me-down recipes, and the genius of Miles Davis

‘I was thinking, what an idiot – as if the world needs another English-language alphabet book’: Graeme Base’s ‘L’ illustration from his picture book Animalia. Illustration: Graeme Base

Good morning. Food, books, jazz … today’s spread of good stories from around the Guardian takes in some reliable ingredients for a pleasant weekend. The two other great reads here (about a post-nuclear ghost town, and the fear of dying alone) may not exactly fit that bill … but you can save them for Sunday night.

Put on a record, butter yourself some toast, and enjoy.