Winter readsLeo TolstoyWinter reads: Master and Man by Leo TolstoyThe lethal cold is clearly freighted with symbolism in this wintry parable, but it is realised with tangible biteWhen winter starts to bite the story I think of is Tolstoy's "Master and Man" (1895). Winter cold is integral to this sophisticated parable on a concrete and spiritual level. It is an evocative tour de force: snow and biting winds gust from its pages.

Candover Investments This article is more than 13 years oldCandover Investments winds itself up after writedownsThis article is more than 13 years old Private equity fund Candover to return cash to investors No fire sale of businesses, CEO Malcolm Fallen insistsCandover Investments today became the latest high-profile victim of the financial crisis, as the private equity firm announced plans to wind itself up, selling its remaining assets and returning the cash to shareholders.

The ObserverElvis PresleyEven at the height of his fame, the singer called on God to calm his stage nerves, his stepbrother reveals in a new biography While his fans worshipped him as a rock’n’roll deity, Elvis Presley would say a prayer before going on stage, reading the Bible and looking to God for guidance in everything he did, his stepbrother has recalled. “When we saw him bow his head, then we knew,” Billy Stanley, who also worked for the singer, told the Observer, noting that Presley did not recite the prayer aloud.

Kevin Smith This article is more than 13 years oldFilm director is thrown off US plane for being 'too big for seat'This article is more than 13 years oldKevin Smith has unleashed a tirade on Twitter after being told by Southwest Airlines that he was a 'safety concern'In the age of micro-blogging it will never be a wise move to bar an outspoken and popular filmmaker from a passenger aeroplane because of his size.

Italy This article is more than 9 months oldLavish ancient Roman winery found at ruins of Villa of the Quintilii near RomeThis article is more than 9 months oldExcavation shows facility included luxurious dining rooms with views of fountains that gushed with wine Of all the Roman ruins that populate what is now a pleasant landscape of pine trees and meadows, under the distant gaze of the Alban Hills, the Villa of the Quintilii is perhaps the most impressive – almost a city in miniature, covering up to 24 hectares.