Diana Henry’s writing never fails to inspire, and Simple is destined to become a kitchen classic. It’s straightforward but never dull; vivid yet resolutely unfussy.

A fearlessly honest analysis of the 2007-8 financial collapse from the former Governor of the Bank of England. It will enrage some, and will be read for years to come.

In this quiet, well-observed novel, a mother and her mysteriously ill daughter rebuild their relationship in a New York hospital room. Deft and tender, it lingers in the mind.

In this fictional memoir, Dmitri Shostakovich struggles to reconcile his memory with the Soviet state’s version of his life story. Another brilliant reinvention by Barnes.

There is still no better chronicler of the modern British family than Smith, and her writing feels better than ever. The old comic timing is here, but with a new ambition.

This history of glam rock sets Bowie in the context of a genre that elevated narcissism to an art and revelled in fantasy as a rejection of rock’s shift towards authenticity.

It is easier to get to meet the Pope than to handle the Book of Kells, remarks de Hamel. His study of  12 codices, from the sixth to the 12th centuries, is superb.

‘The rock star’s gritty, honest account of growing up in New Jersey in the Fifties and Sixties is so vivid it can trick you into nostalgia for a childhood you didn’t have.

A selective, sly history of studio-era Hollywood by a film mogul’s daughter. This is undoubtedly one of the best books ever written about the movies. It surely deserves the 1# rank in our 10 Best Books 2016 list!