Way out East, innit?

Kevin Rushby is transported by Tarquin Hall's life among the immigrants, Salaam Brick Lane.

A creature of lightning

King of Iceland, prisoner, writer and fearless campaigner, Jorgen Jorgenson was a 19th-century man for all seasons. Thomas Keneally is fascinated by Sarah Bakewell's account of his eventful life, The English Dane.

Saint Michael, sinner Michael

Michael Crick's shrewd, finely researched biography, In Search of Michael Howard, points out the many contradictions that form the Tory leader, says Peter Preston.

More can be a bit too much

Obsessives will love the wealth of detail collected in Kevin Booth and Michael Bertin's biography of comedian Bill Hicks, says Stephanie Merritt.

Confused by Dylan? You will be

Greil Marcus is inspiring and baffling in his exploration of Bob Dylan's great song, Like a Rolling Stone, says Sean O'Hagan.

Babbling on Brook

Peter Brook remains opaque as Michael Kustow explores the work in his biography of a theatrical hero, says Samantha Ellis.

A Mickey Mouse act

James B Stewart gives a compelling account of the machinations at Disney in Disneywar.

Back to Bloomsburyland

We may not need another book about Virginia Woolf, but Julia Briggs's biography is a good place to start, says Victoria Glendinning.

Culture-bound

Josh Lacey is captivated by Vesna Goldsworthy's account of a life divided between former Yugoslavia and England, Chernobyl Strawberries.

It’s a shore thing

Kathryn Hughes finds surprising modern twists in Bella Bathurst's The Wreckers, a tale of those who plunder ships they have lured to their doom.

Seeds and weeds

Carole Cadwalladr is impressed by Jamaica Kincaid's casual brilliance in Among Flowers, a literate memoir of three weeks in Nepal.

Stuart’s succession

Rachel Cooke is unexpectedly bowled over by Alexander Masters's beautiful, important portrait of an itinerant, Stuart: A Life Backwards.

Inside the Lighthouse family

In Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life, Julia Briggs uses letters and diaries to paint a portrait of the writer at work. Jane Stevenson finds the result compelling.

Dead clever

Magical Thinking, Augusten Burroughs's collection of true stories, is outrageous, hilarious and a touching tribute to his partner, says Kim Bunce.