Stephen Sondheim by Daniel Okrent review – a superb biography of the musical master
Packed with gossip and incident, this book is also a fascinating study in the gestation of genius
Astell and Woolf review – feminist writers unite and share a sherry in the afterlife
In Shelagh Stephenson’s spiky comedy, Virginia Woolf and Mary Astell become celestial companions, discussing religion, science and independence
Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt review – is culture the best medicine?
A professor of psychobiology argues that art – from painting to theatre – has a measurable impact on our health
Caroline Aherne by David Scott review – portrait of a comedy maverick
A biography of the creative force behind Mrs Merton and The Royle Family focuses on the stories behind her work
I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder review – romance for the terminally online
What makes this love story fresh is the precise attention to the contemporary environment: the way characters live both in and out of the physical world
John Kearns: Tilting at Windmills review – a handful of dust (and prawn cocktail crisps) in riff on TS Eliot
The comedian addresses a relationship breakup via The Waste Land, Aldi and a dimwit estate agent
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp review – wry comedy of a frazzled teacher
Sharp’s deadpan debut reads like a gen Z update on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, playfully skewering modern literary tropes
If This Be Magic by Daniel Hahn review – how on earth do you translate Shakespeare?
Is Hamlet still Hamlet when every word has changed? A superbly diverting book about language and creativity
Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa review – lost voices from an Irish asylum
Forgotten psychiatric patients are resurrected with imagination and compassion in this extraordinary book
Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard review – the stories behind the Windrush scandal
In this warm and tender debut, the family of Barbados-born Lucinda must try to document her decades in Britain after the Home Office threatens her with deportation
Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean review – a dashing retrospective for a cinematic titan
Cannes film festival: Barnaby Thompson’s documentary on the great British director is an exhilarating delve into the ebb and flow of Lean’s peerless career and sometimes complex personal life – with a grand cast of talking heads
Clarissa review – Sophie Okonedo mesmeric as Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway decamps to Nigeria
Cannes film festival: Commanding performances and a great musical score underpin this seductive drama about regret, memory and young love
Propeller One-Way Night Coach review – John Travolta family plane fantasy is a short-haul joyride
Travolta directs and narrates this 60-minute adaptation of his own short story about a boy who dreams of being a pilot
The 100 best novels of all time
The top 100 novels of all time published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?
Tell us: what are your top three novels of all time?
Find out how we compiled our list of the 100 best novels published in English – and nominate your favourites