Eva Menasse’s sprawling bestseller, set in the run-up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, confronts a nation with its murky past
David Safier’s new crime series grants the former German chancellor a lively post-leadership twilight as a super sleuth
A selection of some of the best titles shedding light on the conflict and its place in the wider power struggles across the Middle East
Seven decades on, Wright Thompson casts new light on the brutal night that sparked the civil rights movement
These cynical domestic horror stories by the Guinness heiress seem to speak to a contemporary mindset
Compiled over more than a decade, the Nobel winner’s notebooks combine memoir with his own colourful paintings
Simon Parkin tells the story of heroic botanists who put the safety of their seed bank ahead of their own during the Nazis’ siege
AI could instantly open up a huge range of books in different languages — but fiction really does require that human touch
Author of FT and Schroders prizewinning ‘Supremacy’ stresses importance of oversight of new technology
A mother-and-son road trip is propelled by guilt and unease in Christian Kracht’s hilariously unsettling novel
‘Supremacy’ charts the genesis of artificial intelligence trailblazers and rivalry between founders
Jonathan Watts nimbly dissects the brilliance and flaws of the father of Gaia theory
Most politicians are fundamentally unsuited to the painful and exposing reckoning that is required
A Netflix adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s classic novel promises grit as well as transcendence
The Black boy whose murder still haunts America; Leningrad’s siege-defying botanist heroes; the brilliance and flaws of Gaia scientist James Lovelock; a survey of the 20th-century novel; the making of Handel’s ‘Messiah’; new novels from Jim Schutze and Christian Kracht; short stories by Eliza Clark — plus James Lovegrove’s pick of fantasy titles
The American journalist’s fiction debut is a difficult, beautiful tale of coming of age at a 1960s New England boarding school
More than 180 authors and publishers warn that writers of colours are under-represented in school curriculum
Discover horticultural treasures hidden behind Venetian walls or amid snow in the Arctic Circle — and step inside the private worlds of titans of art, architecture and design
From intergalactic sci-fi to 1970s California, Clark’s unnerving and surreal short stories traverse time, place and genre
Charles King’s stories of the people involved in the music’s creation make for a fascinating exploration of the era’s politics, economics and culture
Guided by enthusiasm, Edwin Frank’s study sidesteps the pitfalls of canonisation
The intertwining lives of Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael play out in re-enactments starring Charles Dance
Brain rot; hotel art; lichen sex; Aristotle; the science of gift-giving
A crop of fantasy novels features female warriors — and Vikings from a cult board game
The writer’s Bloomsbury home offers a glimpse into the development of his concern for social justice — and his flamboyant tastes
The bestselling writer championed women defining themselves on their own terms
This fascinating exploration of the role western business has played in the country’s development shows that lessons have not been learnt
The best tables, shopping and shows for the festive season
Canadian scientist Vaclav Smil crunches the numbers around how we farm, eat and waste food — and proposes sustainable solutions
Susan Minot’s first novel in a decade explores familiar themes with a pared-back tale of mid-life female desire
Thomas Mann might have published his literary masterpiece 100 years ago — but it still speaks with modern clarity
Optimistic thinking on AI, Silicon Valley Bank in China, and considering your goals in reverse
Lesley-Ann Jones’s biography gives voice to a singer-songwriter who often avoided standing centre stage
When a school librarian spoke up for readers’ freedoms she wasn’t prepared for the firestorm of abuse
Malachy Tallack makes his most imaginative journey home to the Shetlands
Books by FT journalists and editors
The Irish author needs a blank wall, a wide desk and a menagerie of inanimate creatures — ferocious Chinese dragons and a wooden mouse in a polka-dot frock among them — to work
