Moon Unit Zappa’s memoir of a childhood spent in the chaotic household of her zany rocker father is lyrical, moving and funny
Tim Lankester provides a ringside seat to the policy debacle that led to recession and manufacturing collapse in 1980s Britain
The lesser-known Nazis who did Hitler’s bidding; Bill Gates under the spotlight; David Peace’s novel of a football tragedy; Mishal Husain’s family memoir; England’s justice system on trial; the horse-powered advance of civilisation; a fictionalised life of Peggy Guggenheim; a moving story of deafness — plus new business books and Pilita Clark’s pick of environmental titles
The BBC newsreader pays tribute to the grandparents who witnessed the turbulent birth of an independent India
Anupreeta Das investigates the power of Microsoft co-founder to shape our world — and asks: is it effective and accountable?
David Chaffetz makes a convincing case for why no other animal has had such a profound impact on human history
Susanna Crossman recounts the pain, joy and trauma of communal life
After years at London’s Old Bailey, Wendy Joseph shines a light on the problems facing England’s courts and prisons
The science and art of risk, understanding young people, and the unrecognised workforces powering AI
The latest climate writing offers important messages on ways to wean the world off fossil fuels and protect its wildernesses
An absorbing read and reminder of the young people who don’t make the grade
The political forecaster’s long-awaited second book aims to demystify the habits of successful gamblers — whether they are poker players, investors or astronauts
Book historian Sara J Charles takes a fascinating look at manuscript making in the Middle Ages
Donald Rayfield chronicles how the enclave annexed by Putin in 2014 has suffered centuries of invasion and ethnic cleansing
A clutch of books on British politics aims to diagnose the policy mistakes and leadership failures of recent years
When authors pay tribute to booksellers, it’s not only a virtuous circle — it’s a double dose of joy for readers too
Jenni Fagan’s searing autobiography recounts her ordeal of being shunted from place to place
From ancient Nineveh to Victorian London to the present day — the author’s restless novel flows across epochs and continents
An engrossing and timely book, with some fantastically weird anecdotes, about how the wellness movement took root in the 1970s
A clutch of new memoirs and novels draws on female authors’ lived experience of marital discord
Peter Hessler used his time in Sichuan as a teacher to build a more subtle understanding of a changing country
Alexandra Posadzki on the drama of a Canadian telecoms empire fractured by infighting — and a pocket-dial
An entertaining account of the role that invisible gases have played in the modern world, from neon illuminations to carbon dioxide’s role in global warming
Ann Powers’ portrait of the singer-songwriter is both personal and poetic, and brings a wealth of fresh insight
Mathijs Deen’s affectionate study of Europe’s second-longest river has the measure of a geographic and cultural force
