Marcia Williams: The Life and Times of Baroness Falkender by Linda McDougall review – notes on a scandal
A much-needed retelling of the extraordinary story of Harold Wilson’s right-hand woman
Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions by John Brewer review – seismic social history
A lively account of the poets, artists and tourists who trooped up the mountain during a period of immense societal change
Mistletoe Malice by Kathleen Farrell review – a snarky stocking filler
This witty postwar classic about a terrible family Christmas raises a bitter cocktail to the festive season
A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett audiobook review – brimming with wit
David Tennant, Claire Foy and Derek Jacobi are among the narrators of early short stories that offer a glimpse into how the writer found his voice
The best recent translated fiction – review roundup
The Delivery by Margarita García Robaya; The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger; The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada; Nothing Belongs to You by Nathacha Appanah
Becoming a Composer by Errollyn Wallen review – from Belize to the Proms
Wallen’s patchwork of notes, essays and diary entries tells the story of how she became one of the world’s most performed living composers
A Cold Spell by Max Leonard review – from cube to crisis
A fascinating exploration of how ice has shaped human existence
Innards by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene review – a stunning Sowetan debut
Tales of heartbreak and horror in the South African township explore the legacy of life under apartheid
Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright review – an Australian epic
Fake news, fascists and firestorms in a brilliant satire about the wresting of identity from Indigenous people
Lou Reed: The King of New York by Will Hermes review – beauty and the beast
Genius, queer pioneer, influencer: a vivid new biography presents rock’s poet of the shadow self for a new generation
The Color Purple review – a heartfelt new version supercharged by a powerhouse cast
The rough edges of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation have been softened but the evocative energy of this movie-musical’s three female leads is magical
Frank Moorhouse: two biographies reckon with a literary life and legacy
Eighteen months after the Australian writer’s death, his early work, activism and personal life are revealed in two complementary titles
Run to the Western Shore by Tim Pears review – a Celtic odyssey
A Roman slave and a Welsh tribal leader’s daughter flee to the coast in a story that illuminates the lives of forgotten people
Society of the Snow review – cannibalism in the ice in incredible real-life survival tale
JA Bayona’s powerful retelling of the 1972 rugby team’s flight that crashed in the Andes and the agonising decisions passengers took in order to stay alive
The Britannias by Alice Albinia review – our island story
Autobiography is interwoven with dreams of island matriarchies in this exploration of the British archipelago