Royal Society books shortlist: Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik – review

James Kingsland: From chocolate to Samurai swords, a fascinating take on the sensory and social dimension of materials

LSO/Noseda review – pungent immediacy in Beamish’s wartime debut

Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices, on the effects of war, had its first outing, while Nelson Freire delivered a startling Emperor Concerto, writes Andrew Clements

The Churchill Factor review – Boris Johnson’s flawed but fascinating take on his hero

The mayor of London’s paean to Churchill is self-serving but spirited, writes John Kampfner

Funny Girl review – Nick Hornby’s tribute to the golden age of light entertainment

In setting his seventh novel around a fictional 1960s television sitcom, Nick Hornby gives himself great scope to defend the cosy comedy at which he excels, writes Alex Preston

Treachery review – SJ Parris’s Elizabethan sea-romp is rich with intrigue

The philosopher-spy sets sail for Plymouth in SJ Parris’s fourth twisting, turning Giordano Bruno thriller, writes Natasha Tripney

The Underground Girls of Kabul: The Hidden Lives of Afghan Girls Disguised As Boys by Jenny Nordberg – review

A five-year study into the practice of ‘bacha posh’ sheds new light on oppression in Afghanistan, writes Anita Sethi

Lamentation by CJ Sansom review – a new chapter for Shardlake

Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake’s sixth outing builds to a shocking climax, writes Stephanie Merritt

Young Lawrence: A Portrait of the Legend as a Young Man review – compelling, pioneering biography

The Middle East is a source of authentic beauty in Anthony Sattin’s romantic account of TE Lawrence’s early years, writes Lara Feigel

How the World Was Won: The Americanization of Everywhere review – a brilliant essay

Nick Fraser enjoys Peter Conrad’s survey of the unstoppable cultural influence of the US

Mother and Father review – Paddy Summerfield’s chronicle of loss and abiding love

Summerfield’s profoundly sad and beautiful photographs document two lives drawing to a close together, writes Sean O’Hagan

Being Mortal review – a surgeon’s view of how we should end our days

Doctor and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande argues that we should focus less on prolonging life and more on making it meaningful, writes Geraldine Bedell

Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923 review – a rich evocation

As the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising nears, this richly detailed account of its lesser-known players, many of them women, is timely, says Sean O’Hagan

Hold Your Own review – powerful poetry from Kate Tempest

She may have been pipped to the Mercury prize, but her latest collection is a winner. By Sarah Crown

BBC NOW/Llewellyn review – an insightful Dylan Thomas celebration

Daniel Jones’s Fourth Symphony, composed in memory of the poet, was the centrepiece for this evening of striking and sensitive responses to Thomas’s work, writes Rian Evans

Tennessee Williams review – John Lahr’s ‘compulsively readable’ biography

Sex and madness: the troubled playwright who released US theatre from its puritanical straitjacket. By Sarah Churchwell