The Dark Box: A Secret History of Confession by John Cornwell – review
A study of the Catholic confessional makes valid points about abuse but fails to tell the whole story, writes Catherine Pepinster
I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies by Yaron Matras – review
An immaculately researched study of the Roma's history, language and customs challenges our longstanding prejudices, writes Peter Stanford
Burroughs at 100 – radio review
And 'unpleasant slug' or the Leon Trotsky of counterculture? The jury was out in this entertaining reflection on William Burroughs' life and career, presented by Iggy Pop
Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Pääbo – review
Svante Pääbo's pioneering exploration of ancient DNA may be about to reveal what makes us human, writes Peter Forbes
Him with His Foot in His Mouth – review
This one-man adaptation of a Saul Bellow story lacks the quiet comedy and messy human warmth of the novelist's work, writes Lyn Gardner
The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld – review
This pseudo-scientific account of why certain ethnic groups prosper is a joke, writes Catherine Bennett
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink – review
Sheri Fink's account of events at a New Orleans hospital post-Katrina asks vital questions about the American healthcare system, writes Peter Beaumont
Harvest by Jim Crace – review
A village's age-old way of life is threatened in Jim Crace's powerful novel, writes Sophia Martelli
All One Breath by John Burnside – review
Earthed and ethereal, the latest collection of poems from the author of Black Cat Bone is a marvel, writes Kate Kellaway
Lives in Writing by David Lodge – review
Novelist-critic David Lodge explores the idea of literary biography in his latest collection of essays, writes Lucian Robinson
In the Wolf’s Mouth by Adam Foulds – review
Adam Foulds's second world war novel charts four interweaving lives in poetic prose, writes Frances Perraudin
Debut fiction round-up
A teenage firestarter joins the Shakers, a wartime bride faces heartbreak in Berlin and a New York widow turns landlady, writes Hephzibah Anderson
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert – review
Robin McKie on a rigorous analysis that says not only is the new wave of extinction all our fault, it will probably be our downfall
The Nile: Downriver Through Egypt’s Past and Present by Toby Wilkinson – review
The eminent Egyptologist brings depth of knowledge to his ancient history but can be shallow in the present, writes Anthony Sattin
When the Hills Ask for Your Blood by David Belton – review
David Belton's account of the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath serve as a fitting tribute to the actions of a heroic Franciscan priest, writes Chris Mullin