Documentary-maker Julian Evans rekindles a 30-year romance with the country and finds warmth in desperate circumstances
From war and tech, to biographies on Taylor Swift, the Pope and Bill Gates — plus new fiction from Adam Haslett and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a preview of some of the titles to look out for in the coming year
How Wagner’s Ring Cycle shaped the music of Star Wars and more; a sobering dive into the silliness and manipulation central to ‘reality’ TV; an enjoyable ride through 200 years of British rail history; a debut set amid the violence of 1970s Argentina; a belated translation of a 1978 literary novel from Central America — plus Boyd Tonkin on 1925 and all that
An exploration of the history and legacy of this manipulative genre manages to navigate the silly and the serious
Michael Downes’ Story of the Century dives into the making of the composer’s monumental and controversial work
Simon Bradley steams through 200 years of British train history in this enjoyable survey of railway milestones
The Hitler diaries that he claimed to have unearthed were crude forgeries
The historian unearths a rich trove of artefacts and records to tell the tale of the ordinary lives of Vikings
The moral philosopher’s account of the short brutal life of factory-farmed fowl is more just than a vegan polemic
Alejandro Zambra explores the ups and downs of fatherhood in this collection of essays, poems and stories
Two books, by Will Eaves and Simon Critchley, explore how we can broaden our minds through religion, mysticism or music
Fredric Jameson’s enthralling survey emphasises context and considers the impact of European ideas on the US culture wars of today
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
AI could instantly open up a huge range of books in different languages — but fiction really does require that human touch
Most politicians are fundamentally unsuited to the painful and exposing reckoning that is required
Simon Parkin tells the story of heroic botanists who put the safety of their seed bank ahead of their own during the Nazis’ siege
Jonathan Watts nimbly dissects the brilliance and flaws of the father of Gaia theory
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
This fascinating exploration of the role western business has played in the country’s development shows that lessons have not been learnt
Canadian scientist Vaclav Smil crunches the numbers around how we farm, eat and waste food — and proposes sustainable solutions
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
Books by FT journalists and editors
