Look beyond Guys and Dolls – the Depression-era legend wrote some of the funniest short stories ever published, writes Sam Leith

This fantasy novel brings meticulous craft to its gothic story of fairies and God-fearing Victorians

The self-effacing diarist anxiously trying to keep up appearances in the Great Depression provides consoling comedy in trying times

These tightly focused stories of Jewish life in Nazi-occupied Poland should be be remembered, as vital historical witness and as great literature

Yes, it is very long. But Ellmann’s story mixes profundity with everyday madness in a way that will leave you wanting even more

Rereading this brilliant novella about grief and consolation under lockdown felt like getting the hugs I’ve been missing

In a series where writers make the case for a book they want you to try, author Adam Roberts champions what was once the world’s bestselling novel

Intended to rally home cooks during the second world war, this is food writing that addresses privation ‘with grace and gusto’

As much of a stylist as St Aubyn, Bank tends to be dismissed because she’s writing about being single in New York. But this book is perfect

You’ve seen the films, but the novel is far richer and funnier – and in these locked-down days it’s as comforting as hot buttered toast