Observer Food Monthly’s 20 food books of the year
From Tom Kerridge's proper cookbook to Michael Pollan's serious study of food, these are our favourite reads of the year. Chosen by Allan Jenkins and Gareth Grundy
Kill Your Darlings – review
This exploration of the early years of the Beat generation is candid but conservative, writes Mark Kermode
Fiction books of the year – review
From Lionel Shriver on older brothers to the latest Donna Tartt, Viv Groskop picks the best fiction in the 'year of the doorstop'
The best nature books of 2013
From Patrick Barkham's encounters with badgers to a revolutionary look at birdlife, Stephen Moss picks the best nature books of the year
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – review
The second film in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy sets off at full pelt and maintains its energy, charm and mystery throughout, writes Peter Bradshaw
The best drink books of 2013
From the latest edition of The World Wine Atlas to World's Best Cider, Henry Jeffreys rounds up the best drink books of the year
Top 10 science and tech books for December: Brains, refrains and immortal souls
Now you can tell how your mind works, how music affects it and what will happen to it after you die
Stephen Ward Was Innocent, OK by Geoffrey Robertson – review
This coruscating account of the miscarriage of justice at the heart of the Profumo affair is written with gusto and gallows humour, writes Richard Davenport-Hines
The best crime and thrillers of 2013
From serial killers to tartan noir, Laura Wilson rounds up the pick of the crop
Starting at Zero, His Own Story by Jimi Hendrix, edited by Alan Douglas and Peter Neal – review
Ed Vulliamy hails the nearest we'll ever get to an autobiography by the guitarist who redefined pop
Norman Mailer: A Double Life by J Michael Lennon – review
A fascinating biography skilfully traces the contradictions that defined Norman Mailer, writes Philip French
The Secret Life of Mary Poppins; How Video Games Changed the World – TV review
Sam Wollaston: Victoria Coren Mitchell was the perfect guide into the world of the creator of the world's most famous nanny
William Christenberry by William Christenberry – review
William Christenberry's groundbreaking colour photos of the deep south capture a disappearing world, writes Sean O'Hagan
One Way and Another: New and Selected Essays by Adam Phillips – review
Adam Phillips’s literary approach to psychoanalysis is as addictive as it is insightful, writes Daniel Cohen
The Library: A World History by James WP Campbell and Will Pryce – review
It's a shame that a survey of the world's libraries focuses on institutions created for the privileged, says Tom Lamont