The Lie by Helen Dunmore – review
The horror of the trenches haunts a soldier's return to his Cornish village in this tender tale about the fallout from war, writes Stephanie Merritt
The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and Think by Julian Baggini – review
Philosopher-cook Julian Baggini roams far and wide in his discourse on food, writes Alex Renton
& Sons by David Gilbert – review
David Gilbert's ambitious second novel slips on its own postmodernist banana skin, writes Alex Preston
The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman by Patrick Barclay – review
Patrick Barclay's biography of football manager Herbert Chapman shows him to have been ahead of his time, writes Ben East
Wolf Hall; Bring Up the Bodies – review
Ben Miles as Thomas Cromwell leads the way in compelling stage versions of Hilary Mantel's great Tudor novels, writes Susannah Clapp
Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain by John Grindrod – review
Crap towns? The idealism, and the mistakes, of the postwar architects and town planners. By Sam Jordison
Swallows and Amazons – review
A revival of this adaptation of the classic children's book, with music by Neil Hannon, touches the heart without being trite, writes Alfred Hickling
How We Invented Freedom by Daniel Hannan; Acts of Union by Linda Colley – review
Two worthwhile attempts to understand our constitutional woes from opposing political angles offer no way forward, writes Nick Cohen
Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge – review
A zippy and rousing graphic biography tells the story of the activist who brought birth control to America, writes Rachel Cooke
The Jungle Book – review
Cultural diversity is explored in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale that ultimately descends into panto, writes Alfred Hickling
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion – review
This affectionate and intelligent story of a middle-aged autistic man's search for love promises to make a literary star of its protagonist, says Sophia Martelli
The Thing About December by Donal Ryan – review
Donal Ryan's second novel, set in rural Ireland, is an exquisite tale of a man-child's struggle to make sense of a greedy world, writes Anne Enright
Down to the Sea in Ships by Horatio Clare – review
Sailors emerge as the heroes in a lyrical account of the modern container shipping industry, writes Sara Wheeler
One Hundred Letters From Hugh Trevor-Roper – review
From great historian to lonely old man awaiting death: a whole life is encapsulated in this riveting collection, writes Peter Preston
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd – review
Sue Monk Kidd's latest novel gives visceral voice to the conflicts surrounding slavery, race and gender, writes Anita Sethi