We take the weekend to highlight some of the recent books coverage in The Times:

Helen Oyeyemi’s sixth novel, “Gingerbread,” has the fairy-tale aura typical of her work. Our reviewer calls the book “jarring, funny, surprising, unsettling, disorienting and rewarding.”

With his new book, “I.M.,” the fashion designer, television star and singer Isaac Mizrahi adds memoirist to his list of achievements. Mizrahi also visits our podcast this week, to discuss the book and his formative years.

Roz Chast and Patricia Marx, both of The New Yorker, talk about their new book, their ukulele band and, of course, their mothers.

Mark Synnott’s “The Impossible Climb” gives context for Alex Honnold’s historic unroped ascent of El Capitan, Yosemite’s 3,000-foot slab of “glacier-polished granite.” Honnold’s climb was recently documented in the Oscar-winning film “Free Solo.” Our review of Synnott’s book is by the intrepid author and dog sledder Blair Braverman.