Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo review – the failing giant and the unlikely geek
John Naughton: Why Marissa Mayer jumped ship from Google – and how she changed a ‘pathologically relaxed’ company
The best books on Algeria: start your reading here
Pushpinder Khaneka’s literary tour of Algeria explores French colonialism, the war of independence and the opaque politics of the post-independence era
Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole review – fascinating tales about the brain
Neurologist Allan Ropper’s journeys into the brain illuminate the number of strange ways it can go wrong, says Andrew Anthony
The Twilight Hour by Nicci Gerrard review – gripping and visceral
A woman in her 90s looks back at her ‘cabinet of secrets’ in a powerful tale of yearning and betrayal, writes Anita Sethi
The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope review – ‘exhaustive and detailed’
Pope Francis is a man whose international influence can only grow, as this useful biography affirms, writes Hugh O’Shaughnessy
10:04 by Ben Lerner review – a great writer, a great novel
Ben Lerner’s second novel is just as revolutionary as his debut, writes Alex Preston
The Miniaturist review – ‘Downton as told by Hilary Mantel’
Jessie Burton’s bestseller set in 17th-century Amsterdam is exquisitely written, says Sophia Martelli
A Man of Good Hope review – a refugee’s tale
The harrowing life story of a man buffeted across Africa by violence and loss is testament to the human spirit, writes Ian Birrell
Mr & Mrs Disraeli review – a thoroughly modern marriage
Did Benjamin and Mary Anne Disraeli, a self-made odd couple, create a convenient fiction of devotion for the voters, asks Robert McCrum
Discontent and Its Civilizations – Pakistan’s place in the world
In a collection of essays, Mohsin Hamid looks at Pakistan’s role as villain within the global news industry, writes Sukhdev Sandhu
Why Grow Up? by Susan Neiman, and Juvenescence by Robert Pogue Harrison – review
We worship youth – and at the same time respond to idealism with the injunction: ‘Grow up!’ What do we really want?. By Josh Cohen
Esio Trot review – Dench sparkles, Hoffman is perfect; World’s Strongest Man
Lucy Mangan: This adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book about a love affair, starring Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman and 100 tortoises, is a thing of wonder
Books of the year 2014
The twenty-three books this scientist read this year, offered as a guide to the interested and the wary
Topless Cellist: The Improbable Life of Charlotte Moorman by Joan Rothfuss – review
Electrified bikinis, cellos made of ice … Charlotte Moorman created a template for avant-garde and performance art. So why is she still unknown?
The most eagerly awaited non-fiction of 2015
Two biographies of Alexander McQueen, a new Robert Macfarlane, AA Gill’s memoir of alcoholism… Rachel Cooke finds plenty to excite