Free by Amanda Knox review – after the acquittal

In her second memoir, Knox writes about her attempts to adjust to normal life after leaving prison in Italy

In brief: 33 Place Brugmann; The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire; A History of the World in 47 Borders – review

Residents of a Brussels apartment block contend with Nazi occupation; the existential threats to humanity explored; and a lively study of national and political boundaries

On the Clock by Claire Baglin review – a fast food novel for a refined palate

Tensions sizzle alongside burgers in the hazy timelines and brisk prose of the French writer’s disorienting debut

The Alienation Effect by Owen Hatherley review – how immigrants reshaped postwar Britain

Behind many symbols of quintessentially British culture – from Picture Post to Pevsner’s guides – were refugees who fled Europe in the 1930s and 40s

I Hope You’re Happy by Marni Appleton review – a darkly comic look at millennial womanhood

Eleven short stories tackle mother-daughter relationships and the curse of social media with insight and humour

A Climate of Truth by Mike Berners-Lee review – a white-hot takedown of environmental policy

The climate professor is justified in identifying the thinktanks, fossil fuel companies and politicians responsible for exacerbating the climate crisis but his list of remedies is underpowered

Hidden Portraits: The Untold Stories of Six Women Who Loved Picasso by Sue Roe review – artist as lothario

Françoise Gilot is the most compelling figure in this biography of the painter’s lovers – but you get the feeling she would have loathed this book

There’s No Time Like the Present by Paul B Rainey review – a funny, unpredictable and wild comic

Three characters stuck in the past are given access to the future in the former Observer/Faber prize winner’s mordant and misanthropic sci-fi graphic novel

What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea by Fara Dabhoiwala review – a flawed polemic

In attempting to contextualise the murky evolution of freedom of expression, the British historian has instead given encouragement to authoritarians of all stripes

Universality by Natasha Brown review – a fabulous fable about the politics of storytelling

A terrific second novel from the British author of Assembly examines what it means to be truthful – and who really benefits when facts come to light

John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie review – let it be the new gold standard in Beatles studies

The author’s brilliant account of Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting relationship challenges myths, finds new meanings in their music, and even throws up a few surprises

John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie review – a Beatles bromance

An intelligent, diligently researched look at the intense bond between Lennon and McCartney

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue review – countdown to disaster

A train on a fateful trajectory is the location for a zippy Agatha Christie-like thriller giving a taste of life in fin-de-siècle France

The Voyage Home by Pat Barker audiobook review – beware the grief of Clytemnestra

The story of Agamemnon’s fateful return to Mycenae is vividly captured in a retelling of The Iliad that gives Homer’s women a voice

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels

Sleepy monsters; a wacky broken robot; a search for magical treasures and more