Chasing the Dark by Ben Machell review – the original ghostbuster

An entrancing biography of Tony Cornell, who displayed a scientist’s commitment to impartiality as he investigated the paranormal

Bambi: A Tale of Life in the Woods review – chilled-out, heartwarming baby deer drama

Actual wildlife footage with voiceover, rather than over-the-top CGI ‘live action’, gives charm to this family-friendly adaptation of the classic novel

Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon review – the ex-first minister opens up

Scotland’s former leader addresses conflict with Salmond and rumours of a lesbian affair, but stops short of full disclosure

Unmoored review – Scandi thriller delves into hidden truths of a toxic marriage

Atmospheric but unresolved drama pits a seedy academic against his ill-used wife, uneasily staying by him as he faces a rape charge

The Benson Diary by AC Benson review – musings of an Edwardian elitist

At four million words he beats Pepys, but the daily jottings of a judgmental don fail to transcend his rather stuffy millieu

Super Charlie review – superhero baby yarn channels resentment of older kids at new arrivals

An adaptation of Swedish author Camilla Läckberg’s series explores an important theme but doesn’t compare to Pixar in fun or heart

Tiny Bookshop review – a truly cosy escape made with readers in mind

Real titles from Shakespeare to John Green line the shelves of your seaside shop in a rhythmic, mellow management simulator worth relaxing into

The Adversary by Michael Crummey review – dark humour and depravity at the edge of the Earth

This prize-winning take on a biblical tale set in 1800s Newfoundland is grim, but has energy, empathy – and a wickedly colourful way with words

Alexandrian Sphinx by Peter Jeffreys and Gregory Jusdanis review – the mysterious life of Constantine Cavafy

The enigmatic queer poet admired by EM Forster and Jackie Onassis takes centre stage in this unconventional biography

Mare’s Nest review – an opaque, challenging reflection on the end of the world

Ben Rivers’s cine-poem, based on Don DeLillo’s climate crisis play The Word for Snow, follows a child’s strange encounters as she wanders in a postapocalyptic world devoid of adults

The Genius of Trees by Harriet Rix review – how trees rule the world

The story of how the Earth, and human beings, have been shaped more than we know by these forces of nature

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup

Where the Axe Is Buried by Ray Nayler; The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King; Hemlock & Silver by T Kingfisher; Secret Lives of the Dead by Tim Lebbon; The Course of the Heart by M John Harrison

Wodehouse in Wonderland review – less than spiffing portrait of the artist as a light comedian

Robert Daws stars as the great comic author in this one-man show but is let down by lukewarm humour

Learned Behaviours by Zeynab Gamieldien review – murder mystery probes privilege and class politics

An ascendant lawyer from western Sydney is pulled back into his past in this pacy thriller interrogating the possibilities – and traps – of social mobility

The Names by Florence Knapp audiobook review – a Sliding Doors-style debut

What happens to a boy called Gordon, Julian or Bear? Irish actor Dervla Kirwan narrates this smart tale about a how a boy’s name influences his life