Humourist and essayist Samantha Irby has moved into a more settled phase of her life, but her observations are still riotously funny

Steorn, led by the irrepressible Shaun McCarthy, provided a lot more noise – and debt – than energy in its attempts to disprove the laws of physics

The American novelist is increasingly uneasy with his home country, so it’s not surprising that his new collection of stories, Sorry For Your Trouble, focuses on interior landscapes, characters and relationships

With quite a lot of darkness and trauma beneath its playful exterior, Holly Bourne’s second novel for adults is a glimpse into post-#MeToo writing about modern love

Dutch historian Rutger Bregman sets out to disprove the theory that civil society is thin protection against our natural savagery

When Dr Kate McGarry was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, she set out to write a memoir documenting her experience as both doctor and patient. After she died, her husband, Dr Finbar Lennon, continued her story

Philippe Sands puts himself into contention for history book of the year with his account of a Nazi who tried to flee from justice and his son’s attempt to clear his name

Razor-sharp writing and a rip-roaring plot put Lynda La Plante in the top rung of murder mystery writers

Catherine Cho’s story of how internal demons compelled her to want to kill her newborn son is gripping and harrowing

Rachel Johnson’s political career went up in smoke, unlike that of her more famous brother, but she has fashioned a highly entertaining book out of it

A new book rigorously examines the core beliefs of both the left and the right

This striking collection of 20 short stories both wallows in the City of Tribes’s bustling festivals and artistry, and meditates on the turbulent landscape surrounding it

Henrietta McKervey’s new novel has its moments, but takes far too long for anything to happen

Pragya Agarwal confronts the biases – whether racial or gender – that most of us hold without realising

The photo-sharing app changed our culture, but its massive growth eventually led to its founders taking a hands-off approach

The acclaimed Canadian writer has followed up Station Eleven with another dystopian tale

Private Eye diarist Craig Brown takes a collage approach to his retelling of the story of the Fab Four, with entertaining results

Steorn was the start-up that claimed it could create free energy using magnets, and tried to prove it for 15 years and €23 million. In his new book, The Impossible Dream, Barry J Whyte traces the company’s journey from maverick upstart to spectacular flame-out. In this excerpt, he meets co-founder Shaun McCarthy, who candidly examines his own vision, errors, and legacy

As a foreign correspondent, Christina Lamb has highlighted the personal sufferings of individuals caught up in conflicts around the world. In her new book, she focuses on how rape is used as a deliberate strategy to humiliate women and devastate their communities

Bina is a brilliantly drawn heroine in Anakana Schofield’s novel of warnings