The Fall of Númenor by JRR Tolkien review – masterful world-building from the father of fantasy
Following Amazon’s Rings of Power series, this beautiful compendium of Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth stories offers the ideal palate cleanser
Dinner With Groucho review – table for two mismatched geniuses
Frank McGuinness conjures the bizarre but real encounter between TS Eliot and the Marx brother in a leaden piece a talented cast can’t save
The Thirteenth Angel by Philip Gross review – on Earth and in heaven
Gross’s attractive intelligence and questing eye are to the fore in his 27th collection, a contender for the TS Eliot prize
You Don’t Know What War Is by Yeva Skalietska review – Ukrainian child’s poignant diary
This intimate and immediate account of a 12-year-old girl under siege in Kharkiv includes photos and WhatsApp texts to heart-rending effect
The Madness by Fergal Keane review – running towards a world of pain
The BBC correspondent unpicks a lifetime of trauma and compulsion that damaged him – but also brought him success
Dying of Politeness review – Geena Davis’s journey to ‘badassery’
The Thelma & Louise star bewails the treatment of women in the film industry in a conversational and often humorous account of her career
In brief: Papyrus; The Weather Woman; My Life in France – reviews
Irene Vallejo uncovers the history of the book, Sally Gardner relays a magical Regency tale, and Julia Child’s warm, witty memoir gets a reissue
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey review – a New York story of ballet and betrayal
A choreographer’s long estrangement from her father drives this compelling novel shaped by the 80s Aids crisis, written with detail by a former dancer
1000 Coils of Fear by Olivia Wenzel review – in the glare of the white gaze
In this powerful debut, a cast of voices help the Black German narrator track back and forth through a life scarred by racism
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa review – tales of a moral giant
With this important memoir cum manifesto, the Nobel peace prize-winning journalist who took on Facebook and the murderous Duterte regime in the Philippines exposes the abuse of power
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama review – a guide for life from the former first lady
Obama’s ‘disarmingly honest’ follow-up to the powerful autobiography Becoming shares her strategies for overcoming adversity
So Help Me God review: Mike Pence’s tortured bid for Republican relevance
Trump’s VP is surprisingly critical of the boss whose followers wanted him dead. But surely the presidency won’t be his too
How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa review – facing down despots
The Nobel winner on her fight for the truth in the Philippines
The Other Side of Prospect review: murder and injustice in New Haven
In telling the story of a monstrous Connecticut injustice, Nicholas Dawidoff achieves a novelistic power and intensity
Pinocchio review – a truly bold take on Carlo Collodi’s classic
Mosquitos, cats and smartly defined morals feature in a complex and well-crafted reimagining of the beloved tale