Lives of Houses review – the enduring appeal of writers’ homes
From a tent in a field to Winston Churchill’s Chartwell, a rich and eclectic collection of essays, edited by Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee
1312 by James Montague review – inside the world of football’s ultras
The hardest edge of football’s soft power – a daring insider’s guide to the violent but complex world of ultra fans
As If by Chance by David Lan review – a glowing memoir
From guerrilla warfare in Zimbabwe to drama at the Young Vic, the playwright and stage director captures a varied life well lived
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell review – immersive Shakespearean drama
In her profound study of grief and love, longlisted for the Women’s prize, O’Farrell explores the lives of the playwright’s family and the death of his only son
Conclusions by John Boorman review – film gossip and nostalgia
The filmmaker on Gerard Depardieu’s snoring, Burt Reynolds’s sexual skills and why boxset TV is disappointing
Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones review – a sparky yet sad vision of gay subculture
This slim portrayal of an abusive gay relationship in the 1970s is the biggest small book of the year
The Rules of Contagion by Adam Kucharski review – outbreaks of all kinds
Modellers have a saying: “If you’ve seen one pandemic, you’ve seen … one pandemic.” But patterns can be established to do with how things spread
The best recent thrillers – review roundup
Murders linked to fictional killings, a bereaved parent seeking justice, marital tension spilling into obsession, and a strange disappearance in Sweden’s midsummer
No Modernism Without Lesbians by Diana Souhami – review
A new book arguing that the 20th century’s pioneering lesbians created the conditions for modern art and manners is not wholly convincing
Keeper by Jessica Moor review – atmospheric, timely
Male violence in all its forms is at the heart of Jessica Moor’s confident and skilful debut
A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry review – a compelling tale of identity and revenge
Sebastian Barry’s powerful, sweeping saga continues with this sequel to his Costa-winning Days Without End
Liberation Through Hearing: Rap, Rave and the Rise of XL – review
Richard Russell’s story of his journey from rave entrepreneur to pioneering record boss and musician is quietly revealing
In brief: Dead Famous; The Voice in My Ear; Appeasing Hitler – review
A vivid romp through celebrity down the ages, a set of elegant short stories and the failures of the English political class in the 1930s
Dominicana by Angie Cruz review – disenfranchised in the USA
Angie Cruz’s story of a teenage illegal migrant in 1960s New York is absorbing but lacks local detail
Cold Wars: Asia, the Middle East, Europe by Lorenz M Lüthi – review
A weighty reassessment of the cold war reminds us of the battles that raged during the world’s so-called ‘long peace’