Sparkling observations dot a sharp and funny tale of Rhode Island nuptials, a love letter to the craft of woodworking and compassionate reflections on mental health

Rutter tells a good yarn as she tours the sheepier parts of Britain and teaches herself knitting via YouTube

This intriguing study of our urge to make scale models is full of bizarre stories and poignant insight

Alexander Langlands’s enjoyable personal history of craft argues that we have much to learn from the ways of the past

George Orwell thought they were ‘sex maniacs’. They thought they were spiritual samurai, rebuilding Britain after the Great War. With their magical rituals, outdoor living and utopian vision, they are the most fascinating of forgotten youth movements – and their ideas still resonate

John Crace whisks the festive baking bible into a crisp meringue of Mel’n’Sue innuendo

A joyous paean to the history of puzzlement and an essential guide to decrypting cryptic clues, writes PD Smith

Sansom wears his learning lightly in this gently revelatory book, writes Victoria Segal

I had gone to ask for a crossword, but fell in love with his mischievous erudition, his humility and his courage, writes Sandy Balfour