Come Away review – an indigestible lump of kid-lit stodge
Combining elements of classic children’s books and starry cameos, this leaden family fantasy is flatter than an empty sweet wrapper
Wollstonecraft by Sylvana Tomaselli review – trailblazing feminist
A fine portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft as an Enlightenment intellectual neglects the complexity of her views on the ‘oppression of my sex’
Spirit of Place by Susan Owens review – idylls and nightmares
From Bede to WG Sebald ... a wide-ranging study of artists, writers and the British landscape asks whether what we see is shaped by what has already been depicted
The Habsburgs by Martyn Rady review – negative genetic feedback loop
Glory, grief, loss – and incest – are all covered in this panoramic account that makes more sense of the great European dynasty than its rulers often did
Waves Across the South by Sujit Sivasundaram review – the age of revolutions reconceived
From the Bay of Bengal to Tasmania ... a subversion of established history, giving the perspectives of the colonised and with a cast of enjoyable characters
A World Beneath the Sands by Toby Wilkinson review – the golden age of Egyptology
From Napoleon and the Great Pyramid to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb ... archeological explorations and European colonialism
My Brilliant Career review – a joyously angry take on Stella ‘Miles’ Franklin’s complicated legacy
New stage adaptation sees Nikki Shiels inhabit Franklin’s heroine Sybylla in storm of wild romantic adolescence
The best children’s books of 2020 for all ages
From Covid-19 to Black Lives Matter, children’s books tackled the world-changing events of 2020. Here, Fiona Noble looks back on the year and, below, our picks in each age group
Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency; What Would Nature Do? – review
A bromide-laden view of the threats to the planet, by Ruth DeFries, is less convincing than Andreas Malm’s call for an urgent reform of capitalism
After Trump review: a provocative case for reform by Biden and beyond
Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer, a Republican and a Democrat, consider how to mend a broken government
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald review – a collection of natural wonders
Essays that test the boundaries of our relationships with animals and, above all, birds
The Last Good Man by Thomas McMullan review – a viciously captivating debut
A village runs its own brutal system of justice, in this slippery fable of mob morality
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The System by Ryan Gattis; The Spiral by Iain Ryan; The Last Resort by Susi Holliday; The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji; and Crocodile Tears by Mercedes Rosende
Gossip, scandal and forgotten stars: 10 of the best books about film
From Peter Biskind’s account of 70s movie brats to the making of The Big Lebowski, you can now peek behind the silver screen
Expert by Roger Kneebone review – the value of expertise
The pandemic has made the necessity of relying on experts evident to all ... this is a rich exploration of lifelong learning