The most eagerly awaited fiction of 2015

Alex Clark looks forward to Ben Lerner’s second novel and the return of Kazuo Ishiguro

Radio Benjamin review – Walter Benjamin’s conversations with strangers in ‘voice land’

The philosopher’s faith in the power of radio is captured in this collection of scripts for his early broadcasts, writes Peter Conrad

The Girl Who Wasn’t There review – ‘intriguingly eccentric’

Ferdinand von Schirach’s slow-burn thriller has already gripped German readers with its strangely sympathetic antihero, writes Alison Flood

Balancing Act review – Joanna Trollope’s expert take on the pressure of combining family and business

Astute characterisation elevates this novel above a simple country-house portrait of family tension, writes Kate Kellaway

Nye: The Political Life of Aneurin Bevan review – lucid account of a flawed hero

As this lucid, warts-and-all biography reveals, Labour’s heroic father of the NHS could be his own worst enemy, writes Chris Mullin

The Secret History of Wonder Woman review – is this what a feminist looks like?

Though born of male bondage fantasies, Wonder Woman still emerges as a frontrunner of emancipation in this impressive account, writes Catherine Bennett

Six Gothic Tales review – Philip French on Roger Corman’s elegant adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe

This box set featuring six of Poe’s horror stories starring Vincent Price are a chilling treat, writes Philip French

Landscape and Industry by Michael Collins review – photographs that put the poetry into post-industrial

Pale light and a perfect stillness characterise this collection inspired by the Victorian pioneers. By Ian Jack

Postcards from the edge: an A to Z of modern architecture

A book of 26 cards that plays on its subjects’ names is charmingly absurd yet respectful of their achievements, writes Rowan Moore

Armchair Nation review – cultural nuggets from the history of British TV viewing

Joe Moran has written a fascinating study of the public’s love/hate relationship with television, says Ben East

Here by Richard McGuire review – an exquisitely drawn ecological warning

Dizzying technique and moral purpose mark out graphic novelist Richard McGuire’s return to the themes he first explored 25 years ago, writes Rachel Cooke

The best cookbooks of 2014

Cookworm: Our favourites from this year’s crop

New York School Painters & Poets: Neon in Daylight by Jenni Quilter – review

The art of collaboration – how a group of artists and writers worked generously and playfully in mid-20th-century Manhattan. By Olivia Laing

Matchbox Theatre by Michael Frayn review – ‘This is a model of what we all do in life’

Where does this exquisite book of playlets sit in relation to the playwright and novelist’s prestigious career?By Marcel Theroux

One Snowy Night review – beautifully pitched staging of the picture book

This show, based on Nick Butterworth’s book about Percy the park keeper, is ideal for the three- to six-year-old age group, writes Lyn Gardner