Palaces of Pleasure by Lee Jackson review – how the Victorians were amused

From tightrope walkers with firework hats to raunchy music hall songs – an engaging account of how mass entertainment was invented in the 19th century

Where Shall We Run to? by Alan Garner review – a hauntingly beautiful memoir

From keeping a hedgehog to trying on gas masks, this wartime memoir is filled with the innocence of childhood

White by Bret Easton Ellis review – sound, fury and insignificance

Bitter rants and petty score settling drive this attack on political correctness in the Twitter age

The best recent thrillers – review roundup

Two different tales of madness in East Anglia are among the pick of this month’s mysteries

Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri review – groundbreaking

The personal becomes political in this highly charged history of black people’s hair

The Price of Paradise: How the Suicide Bomber Shaped the Modern Age by Iain Overton – review

An attempt to understand suicide attackers’ motivations is timely and informative

Machines Like Me review – a very modern menage a trois

Ian McEwan is on top form in this counterfactual tale of love between man, woman… and robot

Small Days and Nights by Tishani Doshi review – a howl of hatred and grief

Questions of duty in a well-to-do Indian family shade into murderous rage

In brief: Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece; The Road to Grantchester; Hey! Listen! – reviews

A lavish look at Sergio Leone’s western, a Grantchester prequel and a romp through video-game history

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins review – bold and timely

A compelling gothic novel for our times

The Brink of Being by Julia Bueno review – we need to talk about miscarriage

A thoughtful study of pregnancy loss offers a candid discussion that few are prepared to have

The Chief review: John Roberts and the decline of American democracy

The chief justice presided over Citizens United, gutting voting rights and more. An admiring biography leaves a bitter taste

Good Morning, Mr Crusoe by Jack Robinson review – the road to Brexit starts here

This clever takedown of the classic novel blames Robinson Crusoe’s xenophobia for our political turmoil

Book clinic: which books can help me cope with the existential dread of our times?

Alex Preston recommends reading that can help make sense of the current madness

Ships of Heaven by Christopher Somerville review – the wonder of cathedrals

A hymn to cathedrals underlines their fragility, and how their story is one of continual rebuilding and renewal