Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years by Nelson Mandela and Mandla Langa review – an impossible act to follow
This account of Mandela’s years in power, compiled from his own notes, reveals why he was irreplaceable
1922 review – bleak, slow-burn Stephen King adaptation burrows under the skin
A lesser-known novella from the bestselling author lands on Netflix with a transformative performance from Thomas Jane and a mounting sense of dread
La Sonate de Vinteuil CD review – Milstein sisters play detective in search of Proust’s lost phrase
The mysterious ‘petite phrase’ of A la Recherche du Temps Perdu is the starting point for this hugely enjoyable disc of French violin sonatas
The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison review – the language of race and racism
The author of Beloved reads that novel alongside the real-life story that inspired it, in one of a resonant set of lectures on literature and the fetishisation of skin colour
Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin review – moving story of a child migrant
The team behind the graphic novel versions of Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series change direction with this very real and affecting tale
Saigon Calling by Marcelino Truong review – an amazing achievement
This second part of the author’s Vietnam war memoir skilfully combines history and politics with a witty and poignant family story
Christmas: a Biography review – ‘a feast of illusions’
There’s no point moaning about Christmas being tawdry and commercial. As Judith Flanders’s exhaustive history shows, it has always been that way
Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn review – King Lear as model of a modern media mogul
St Aubyn’s reworking of Lear for the Hogarth Shakespeare series of novels is authentic, affecting and funny
Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen review – the decline of America
Donald Trump’s presidency is the cue for a caustic deconstruction of US history that portrays a country in irrevocable decline
Black Tudors review – hidden lives revealed
Miranda Kaufmann’s account of the lives of 10 black people who made their homes in Tudor England sheds new light on our island’s story
Ferocity by Nicola Lagioia review – layers of darkness and corruption
This tale of a family tragedy in Bari is full of bad business and musings on the nature of humanity
A Wood of One’s Own – captivating and grounded
Ruth Pavey’s unassuming memoir celebrates the imperfections of rural life and the virtues of spontaneity
The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks review – ‘a lifetime of wisdom’
Oliver Sacks’s posthumous essays make for a marvellous series of meditations on his scientific heroes, from Freud to Darwin
The Snowman review – lukewarm serial-killer thriller
Michael Fassbender stars in a disappointing Jo Nesbø adaptation that’s short on subtlety and suspense
Uncommon Type: Some Stories review – Hanks, but no thanks
With one exception, Tom Hanks’s stories could be the work of Forrest Gump himself