The Best of All Possible Worlds by Michael Kempe review – portrait of an optimistic thinker

A newly translated biography rescues Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz – the 17th-century German philosopher – from Voltaire’s parody of him as a sunny but deluded soul

Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo review – a playful tale of interspecies affection

The Finnish novelist’s reissued debut, about a man who rescues and cares for a troll, still feels fresh and bright 20 years on

The House of Gazes by Daniele Mencarelli review – a slow-burn tale of lives on the margins

A poet’s job in a children’s hospital relieves his depression in the Italian’s rewarding debut novel

In brief: Eurotrash; Overcoming: A Workbook; What Writers Read – review

An unsettling semi-autobiographical road trip; practical life advice from Michelle Obama; and essays by leading writers on the books they love

Freedom by Angela Merkel review – her lips are sealed

The ex-German chancellor’s memoir details the myriad issues she faced, from the 2008 financial crash to Covid-19, but studiously avoids much in the way of insights and analysis

The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon review – a survivor’s account of 7 October

Tibon, an eyewitness to mass-murder in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, uses the day as a lens through which to view recent Israeli history

The best translated fiction – review roundup

Fathers and Fugitives by SJ Naudé; Untold Lessons by Maddalena Vaglio Tanet; A Man with No Title by Xavier Le Clerc; Command Performance by Jean Echenoz

The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh by Ingrid Persaud audiobook review – portrait of a dangerous charmer

The charisma and brutality of the real-life Trinidadian gangster is seen through the eyes of four women who knew him

Hum by Helen Phillips review – an all-too-plausible vision of the future

This thoughtful novel about a family trying to breathe clean air and not spend too long on their devices is mesmerising and scary

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz review – tale of murdered girls is gripping but flawed

In her second novel the crime author cannily uses the trappings of her genre to explore the ways society and the justice system fail women

Thirst by Giles Foden review – adventures on the Skeleton Coast

An environmental scientist goes in search of a hidden aquifer, in an action-packed novel that reads like a movie pitch

Poor Artists by The White Pube review – how to make it in the art world

An aspiring young artist’s journey makes for a critique of the art world, in novel form

All That Matters by Chris Hoy review – a champion’s shattering diagnosis

The Olympic medal-winner describes his treatment for cancer and reflects on lessons learned through sport

Conclave review – Ralph Fiennes shines as papal election results in high-camp gripper

Fiennes is broodingly compelling as a potential English pope caught up in murky Vatican intrigue around choosing the next pontiff

That Christmas review – seasonal Richard Curtis yarn is kid-friendly but short on ho-ho-hos

There’s a nice nod to Love Actually, but this tale of a seaside town hit by a blizzard may still leave you cold