Singing from the Floor review – a story of British folk with nowt taken out
JP Bean's bumper oral history of British folk clubs needed a stronger curator, says Jude Rogers
Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst review – a wealth of inspiration for gardeners
A triumphant return to Sissinghurst will inspire plenty to get pruning, writes Kate Kellaway
Dreams of the Good Life review – a compelling biography of Flora Thompson
Rachel Cooke: The great British nature writer Richard Mabey sheds welcome light on the creator of Lark Rise to Candleford
A Spy Among Friends review: Kim Philby’s treacherous friendship with Nicholas Elliott
Ben Macintyre's account of Kim Philby's long friendship with the MI6 spy is a riveting read, writes Robert McCrum
Bark review – ‘stories that are pretty much 100% brilliant’
Hard to believe but this latest collection of stories finds Lorrie Moore still improving, writes Geoff Dyer
A Spy in the Archives: A Memoir of Cold War Russia – review
Sheila Fitzpatrick's unique take on the Soviet Union in its 'John le Carré era'
Young Skins review – ‘An extraordinary debut short-story collection’
Colin Barrett confidently explores frustrations and longings within a fictional corner of smalltown Ireland, writes Chris Power
The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe – review
David Kertzer's nuanced book investigates an unholy alliance between fascism and the Catholic church. By Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion – review
Tansy E Hoskins's book suggests the entire fashion industry is a dangerous trick, and needs to be overturned. By Fatema Ahmed
The Last Alchemist in Paris, book review: curious tales of chemistry
Tim Radford: From an Agatha Christie plot to a squib by George Bernard Shaw, the stories are fascinating. It's a pity there isn't space to tell some of them properly
Just So Happens review – Fumio Obata’s elegant graphic novel
Japanese exile Fumio Obata's intimate graphic novel explores the dead weight of parental expectation, writes Rachel Cooke
A Bit of Difference review – the individual versus Nigerian society
Sefi Atta deals with questions of identity, conformity and Nigerian society in this thought-provoking novel, writes Anita Sethi
Perv review – Jesse Bering’s engaging study of sexual deviancy
Jesse Bering's polemic on sexual mores and perversion spreads its liberal message with jaunty geniality, writes Zoe Strimpel
My Life in Agony review: Irma Kurtz’s 40 years as an agony aunt
Katharine Whitehorn finds much to enjoy as Cosmopolitan's doyenne of agony aunts muses on her life, 40 years of advice-giving and the huge changes en route
Orlando review – Suranne Jones makes two hours and 400 years pass in a flash
Suranne Jones is superb as Woolf's epoch-hopping hero turned heroine in this carnivalesque, tumble-turning production, says Matt Trueman