Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
A pair of historical novels focus on different aspects of the 70s, while gender identity is a theme in an array of strong new adventures
Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld by William Middleton review – planet fashion’s caped crusader
With his dinner parties for 900 and weakness for Coca-Cola in Lalique goblets, the designer was a great eccentric whose sense of absurdity is largely absent from this thorough profile
Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery review – adventures of a Factory girl
A lonely teenager lands a job as the artist’s typist in a wry and quietly bold coming-of-age tale
Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began by Leah Hazard review – the body’s misunderstood marvel
An eloquent, vigorous study by an NHS midwife speaks eloquently for the uterus, the organ on the frontline of the culture wars
In brief: Lady MacBethad; Inshallah United; Moon Witch, Spider King – reviews
A distinctive reimagining of dark Scottish history; a thoughtful celebration of faith and football; and the second novel in Marlon James’s immense Dark Star trilogy
All Your Children, Scattered by Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse review – invisible scars of Rwandan survivors
This searing debut novel lyrically follows the after-effects of the 1994 genocide through three generations
The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan review – why humans have always been under the weather
The historian reveals how our lives have been shaped by environmental changes since the emergence of Homo sapiens in this sweeping, riveting study
Quartet: How Four Women Changed the Musical World by Leah Broad review – off-key hymn to pioneers
This gushing celebration of composers who triumphed against the odds never quite communicates their place in history and leaves a hole at the centre where the music should be
In Ordinary Time by Carmel McMahon review – the trials of inherited trauma
The writer uses her own story of emigration, uncertainty and alcoholism as one thread in a wider historical tapestry
Trust the Plan review: How QAnon – and Trump – unhinged America
Will Sommer of the Daily Beast paints a troubling picture of a conspiracy theory showing few signs of decline
Everyday Hate by Dave Rich review – how antisemitism is built into our world
This wide-ranging and disturbing account of Jewish persecution from the 12th century to the present day is strikingly relevant
The Real Work by Adam Gopnik review – the art of expertise
The New Yorker writer explores what it takes to get good at something, from baking and boxing to mastering his own mind
Manifesto by Bernardine Evaristo review – how she became a Booker winner
The writer’s no-nonsense delivery adds extra bite to her guide to turning a creative passion into a profession
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Balladz by Sharon Olds; Material Properties by Jacob Polley; Was It for This by Hannah Sullivan; Brother Poem by Will Harris; Couplets by Maggie Millner
The Time Machine: A Comedy review – malfunctioning merriment
This riff on HG Wells’s sci-fi novella has a sharp cast but relies on a wearisome play-within-a-play concept and lacks momentum