Armageddon and Paranoia by Rodric Braithwaite – review
A trenchant – and timely – analysis of nuclear deterrence and the arms race
Munich review – inside a compelling conspiracy on the eve of war
Robert Harris is on sure ground in this brilliantly constructed spy novel set amid the politicking of Chamberlain’s last-ditch negotiations with Hitler
Help by Simon Amstell; Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions by Russell Brand – review
Two driven comedians attempt to put their demons to the sword in this pair of entertaining confessional memoirs
Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret – review
A thoroughly rotten royal – perhaps matched only by her mother – is laid uproariously bare by Craig Brown
The Mountain Between Us review – Kate Winslet and Idris Elba heat up snowy romance
A pair of engaging star turns elevate a satisfying, if simplistic, adventure about the blossoming relationship between plane crash survivors
Mary Shelley review – sturdy literary biopic fails to resurrect spirit of author
Elle Fanning plays the Frankenstein author in a dutiful drama that’s adequately entertaining but indistinguishable from other similar films within the subgenre
Clade by James Bradley review – the apocalypse is happening
A convincing family drama merges with our heedless despoiling of the planet in this futuristic novel of climate breakdown
Out of the Wreckage by George Monbiot review – the thrill and danger of a new left politics
With neoliberalism in crisis, it’s time to emphasise the importance to people of belonging and co-operation, argues this optimistic call to action
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz – review
Lisbeth Salander is back – can this latest addition to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series live up to the originals?
The Wife review – Glenn Close is unreadably brilliant as author’s spouse plunged in late-life crisis
As the apparently-perfect wife of a Nobel prize-winning writer, Close gives arguably her best ever performance in an adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s novel
Poppies of Iraq review – the ruins of a lost childhood
Brigitte Findakly’s moving memoir, drawn by Lewis Trondheim, captures a more innocent time both for herself and the home country she had to give up
Till Time’s Last Sand review – a bloodless history of the Bank of England
David Kynaston’s power to entertain eludes him in this exhaustive but dry as dust account of the central bank
Smile by Roddy Doyle review – a bleak picture of institutional abuse
A chance encounter in a Dublin pub leads a middle-aged man to relive his past in a devastating novel with a shocking twist
Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages That Shaped Europe – review
Deborah Cadbury delivers a ripping account of Victoria’s often catastrophic meddling in the lives of her children and grandchildren
Want to be happier? First, work out if you’re an ‘upholder’ or a ‘rebel’
Happiness expert Gretchen Rubin says there are four basic personality types, and improving your life is all about working out whether you conform or rise up