Subtitled 'how the science of dogs changed the science of life', Wonderdog is a history of scientific research into dogs, their origins, behaviour, senses and evolution. It's a rich and fascinating book, full of weird and unusual characters, some deeply flawed assumptions, a great deal of cruelty and arrogance, and much humour and intelligence. This book is a love letter to both dogs and science, written with humour and charm.

In this very powerful epic novel (550 pages) inspired by Dickens' David Copperfield, Barbara Kingsolver describes the impact of opioid addiction in the Appalachian region. That doesn't sound very promising, but Kingsolver is such a master of character and plot that she pulls off a relentless chronicle of poverty and lost opportunity with an unexpected degree of warmth and a propulsive storyline that draws the reader in. It's a masterpiece of love and loss, dripping with truth, anger and compassion.

The third book in Raynor Winn's fantastic series of long walk narratives around the UK, with her unwell partner Moth. It's very nice to be in her company again, as this time they take on the Cape Wrath Trail, a gruelling 200-miles through Scotland's remote and rugged north west. As usual, the landscape and weather are seriously challenging, but brilliantly described, and Moth's health issues loom over the book. Despite everything, Raynor is incurably optimistic and positive, a real enthusiast for the very real health benefits of a long walk. Tremendous stuff.

In this book, Mike Heron, founder member of The Incredible String Band in 1966, chronicles his experiences of the early days of the band. They were founded in Edinburgh, and eventually became, for a short time, big and influential in the psychedelic-folk genre. Following Heron's entertaining 100 page first section of the book, Andrew Greig takes up the story of his own less successful music career with 'Fate & ferret'.

In this creepy, unsettling novel, in a moment, all over the world, all men vanish. Over the next few months, a new kind of society emerges, as women gradually learn to take over the roles previously dominated by men - everything from rubbish collection to flying jumbo jets returns to normal, while the world becomes a much safer place, and train stations no longer smell of urine. Then The Men start to appear in online videos, being herded through bizarre other worldly landscapes.

The Colony is Audrey Magee's second novel, following the award winning The Undertaking. It's set on an tiny unnamed Irish island, home to a small community of islanders scratching out a living from fishing and farming. They supplement their income by accommodating guests each summer for long stays. In this book, there are unexpectedly two guests, My Lloyd, an artist from London, and Mr Masson, a Frenchman studying and hoping to preserve the Irish language. They both object to the other's presence, and become rivals for acceptance by the islanders.