The Outrun by Amy Liptrot review – brutal yet poignant account of life on the edge
The humour and poeticism in the prize-winning memoir of nature-led recovery from addiction are amplified with skill by voice actor Tracy Wiles
The Little Prince review – twinkling spin on Saint-Exupéry’s flight of fantasy
Performance poet Toby Thompson has a breezy rapport with the young audience as he retells the bittersweet novella with modern trimmings
Odyssey by Stephen Fry review – a jaunty version of Homer
The last in Fry’s four-book retelling of the Greek myths is relatable and full of humour
Unleashed by Boris Johnson review – memoirs of a clown
All the fancy verbiage in the world cannot disguise the emptiness at the heart of this self-serving, solipsistic book
The Deal by Alex Miller review – the failure and the fire of an artist’s life
The two-time Miles Franklin winner’s latest book revisits familiar characters from his life and work, interrogating art, friendship and fatherhood
Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell review – a woman of influence
The extraordinary story of one of the greatest, most gossiped-about political fixers of the 20th century
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich review – a multifaceted rural tale
A love triangle in a farming community provides the central theme in this garrulous small-town satire
Muslims Don’t Matter by Sayeeda Warsi review – a stinging rebuke to former colleagues
Islamophobia is rife, says the former cabinet minister, with Conservative hypocrisy and inaction partly to blame
My Animals, and Other Animals by Bill Bailey review – dogs and monsters
The comedian’s endearingly zany tribute to the creatures that populate his life, from guinea pigs to peacocks
All My Precious Madness by Mark Bowles review – biting humour
This keenly observed debut brilliantly captures the internal monologue of a misanthrope, in a portrait of intellectual melancholia
Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell review – the superspreader returns
The acclaimed popular science writer follows up his highly influential study of social contagion
The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgård review – a visionary epic
Book three in the Norwegian novelist’s Morning Star series takes in devils, black metal and revelation, and provides a masterclass in what fiction can offer
Crime and thrillers of the month – review
A black girl goes missing in Attica Locke’s latest, brutal murder is all the rage across the US – and Londoners aren’t welcome in rural Wales
The Strangers by Ekow Eshun review – inside the minds of extraordinary Black men
The author inhabits the perspective of five figures, from Malcolm X to footballer Justin Fashanu, in this lyrical account of their lives, a thrilling affront to the archives that exclude them
The Mystery of Little Angel Theatre review – Robin Stevens brings juicy intrigue in dynamic whodunnit
As you would expect from the queen of kids’ crime fiction, there’s a grisly murder to solve and a lineup of dubious suspects that leaves the audience abuzz with theories