The Lives of Others review – Neel Mukherjee’s engrossing second novel
In pared-down, poetic prose, Mukherjee traces the fractures in Kolkata society and its drought-ravaged earth, writes Anita Sethi
Hidden Knowledge review – Bernardine Bishop’s subtle modern morality tale
Bernardine Bishop's last novel explores paedophilia and child abuse by priests with great humanity and wit, writes Margaret Drabble
Headhunters: The Search for a Science of the Mind review – what we thought about thought
Psychology meets high adventure in Ben Shephard's choppy account of neuroscience pioneers, writes Alice Roberts
Ten Cities That Made an Empire review – Tristram Hunt’s lively study of imperial outposts
The British empire was built on its cities – and its ruthless ability to change with the times – as this entertaining history shows, writes Robert Service
Moominsummer Madness review – Tove Jansson’s world brought to life with knee-high puppets
This skilful adaptation of a much-loved children's book happily defies expectations, writes Clare Brennan
Sally Heathcote: Suffragette review – a very readable crusade
Flashes of colour illuminate the black and white panels in a book that combines an academic attention to detail with passionate politics. By James Smart
Ten Cities That Made an Empire by Tristram Hunt – review
Englands around the world, from Barbados to New Delhi: this is an ingenious exploration of the original loyalties and complicated legacies of 'Greater Britain', writes Maya Jasanoff
#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso – review
This bestseller is both the life story of a fashion entrepreneur and a guide to female empowerment. The trouble is it's as shallow as a teaspoon. By Helen Lewis
Skinjob review – Bruce McCabe’s thriller crackles and spits, and slips
A clash between the porn industry and the American church is a promising plot, but the characters don't come to life, says Alison Flood
How new parental controls can bribe kids to read – in order to unlock games
From setting time limits to separate profiles there's a sophisticated new generation of controls on Free Time, reports James Bridle
Mammon’s Kingdom: An Essay on Britain Now review – David Marquand’s cry of despair
David Marquand's polemic against our selfish society is highly entertaining, if deeply flawed, writes Richard Reeves
The Lowland review – Jhumpa Lahiri’s second novel is suffused with sadness
With her intricate second novel, Lahiri draws a powerful picture of brotherly bonds broken by politics, writes Anita Sethi
Compelling People review – how to win friends and influence people in the 21st century
The key is to balance nasty and nice, say Neffinger and Kohut, in their entertaining if rather obvious study of success in the modern age, writes Iain Morris
In the Light of What We Know review – Zia Haider Rahman’s ‘epic and intensely moving’ debut
Zia Haider Rahman's brilliant tragedy of love, exile and one man's disintegration bristles with ideas, writes Alex Preston
The House is Full of Yogis: The Story of a Childhood Turned Upside Down review
This memoir of Will Hodgkinson's father's spiritual conversion could have been so much more than a series of family anecdotes, says Ben East