Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain – review

Susan Cain is worried that society is too keen to promote outgoing personalities. Miranda Sawyer and Sara Maitland take issue with her new book

Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters by Ed Smith – review

The ex-cricketer challenges the self-help evangelists who argue that we can always control our destiny. It's a fair knock, says Tim Lewis

Middle Age: A Natural History by David Bainbridge – review

Kathryn Hughes on why the years between 40 and 60 are the best, and evolutionary science agrees

Boredom: A Lively History by Peter Toohey – review

Helen Zaltzman is diverted by Peter Toohey's study of tedium and ennui

Investigating Sex: Surrealist Discussions, edited by José Pierre – review

The leading surrealists' discussions of the mechanics of love will infuriate and intrigue in equal measure, writes Zoe Strimpel

Why willpower matters – and how to get it

Willpower is a mental muscle that you can train. Those who do so are more likely to lead happy and successful lives

A Shed of One’s Own by Marcus Berkmann – review

Marcus Berkmann gets to the heart of the male midlife crisis with insight, humour and some worrying maths, writes William Leith

Maximum Willpower: How to master the new science of self-control, by Kelly McGonigal; Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength, by Roy F Baumeister and John Tierney – review

Who can resist the temptations of our times? If you can you've got it made, say two books on the importance of willpower. By Carole Cadwalladr

Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton – review

Alain de Botton's attempt to encourage secular society to steal religion's most fruitful ideas is admirable but ultimately hollow, says Richard Coles

Calories & Corsets: A History of Dieting Over 2,000 Years by Louise Foxcroft – review

Atkins, Hay, Dukan – are they all the same? By Kathryn Hughes