Putting It Together review – how Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George was born
James Lapine’s account of how he and Stephen Sondheim braved bad previews and cast members jumping ship to create a hit musical is fascinating
Burntcoat by Sarah Hall review – sex on the eve of destruction
A sculptor recalls her fling with a restaurateur as the world succumbs to a deadly virus in Hall’s urgent lockdown tale
A Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris review – a magpie with an eye for the absurd
The second volume of the American humorist’s diaries is full of his trademark wit but best consumed in small bites
Rationality by Steven Pinker review – it all stands to reason
The cognitive psychologist makes perfect sense in his defence of rational thinking and why our brains often lead us astray
In brief: Love & Deception: Philby in Beirut; The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings; Ghosts of the West – reviews
A fresh take on the Kim Philby saga, a chilling retelling of a medieval tale and the third of Alec Marsh’s colourful mysteries
The Survivors by Alex Schulman review – bloody family reunion
The Swedish writer’s international debut novel uses a tricksy narrative structure to tackle the meeting of three brothers driven apart by tragedy
Shutdown by Adam Tooze; After the Virus by Hilary Cooper and Simon Szreter – review
While Tooze brilliantly chronicles Covid-19’s impact on political thinking and our working lives, Cooper and Szreter identify the lessons we must learn from our forebears to rebuild
The Contrarian review – inside the strange world of PayPal founder Peter Thiel
Max Chafkin’s thorough study of the tech titan reveals a man with his eye on the main chance, rather than a visionary
Spider Woman by Lady Hale review – a tangled web she weaves
The former supreme court president’s memoir illustrates her incredible strength in triumphing over institutional sexism, but is light on personal revelations
I’ll Take Your Questions Now review: Stephanie Grisham’s tawdry Trump tell-all
The press secretary who wouldn’t brief the press wants to talk. Like all else to do with Donald and Melania, truth is a casualty
How to Be a Rock Star by Shaun Ryder review – candid, brilliant and bizarre
The lead singer of the Happy Mondays and star of Celebrity Gogglebox mixes funny stories with moments of real poignancy as he looks back at three decades of rock’n’roll debauchery
Colm Tóibín: will the Brexit fallout lead to a ‘united Ireland’?
With negotiations souring an already uneasy relationship to England, the Irish novelist surveys the mood of his nation, and considers the prospect of unification
The End of Bias by Jessica Nordell review – how to remove your blinkers
This thoughtful case for mounting a lifelong challenge to our own assumptions focuses on unconscious bias – but leaves overt prejudice largely unexamined
The best recent poetry – review roundup
The Owl and the Nightingale, translated by Simon Armitage; Winter Recipes from the Collective by Louise Glück; Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles; Five Books by Ana Blandiana; The sea is spread and cleaved and furled by Ahren Warner
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke audiobook review – narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor takes flight
A mysterious building containing sea, clouds and wildlife is the setting for this intense and enigmatic tale read by the Hollywood actor – plus this week’s other picks