Latest interviews and book lists

The Best Historical Fiction About Real People, recommended by Louisa Treger

The Best Historical Fiction About Real People, recommended by Louisa Treger

Louisa Treger

Historical fiction brings the past to life, while exploring the feelings as well as the facts. Here, the novelist Louisa Treger recommends five favourite historical novels based on people who really existed, sweeping us from ancient Rome to 1930s Switzerland and everything in between.

New Book Recommendations

Stalingrad by Antony Beevor Stalingrad by Antony Beevor

HISTORY BOOKS
Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
“He’s written a lot of good books and he’s rightly considered to be a preeminent historian of World War Two. For me, Stalingrad is by far his best book, and I’ve read nearly all of them. It’s magnificent and gripping”—Alex Kershaw, historian

Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel by George Saunders Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel by George Saunders

FICTION
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
“A book that combines history, Abraham Lincoln, his son, and ghosts. I loved it, and keep demanding people read it”—Lisa Landmeier, lawyer

The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault
“There are quite a lot of novels about Alexander and I think that, of them all, Mary Renault’s is the most readable and the most entertaining…Mary Renault really knew her sources”—Hugh Bowden, historian

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

NONFICTION BOOKS
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
“During apartheid, one of the worst crimes you could commit was having sexual relations with a person of another race. Needless to say, my parents committed that crime.”—Trevor Noah, comedian

The Scar by China Miéville The Scar by China Miéville

FANTASY
The Scar by China Miéville
“He created this world called Bas Lag, within which exists a massive city called New Crobuzon, which is like a mad fantastical London…He’s got such a fecund imagination, it’s almost like he’s got about a hundred books’ worth of ideas crammed into these novels.”—Richard Swan, novelist

Kindle Paperwhite by Amazon Kindle Paperwhite by Amazon

THE BEST KINDLES IN 2025
Which Kindle to get?
“That’s an easy question for me, Kindle Paperwhite is the most popular Kindle by far…It has all the best features that you would want”—Maneetpaul Singh, Kindle reviewer and author of Kindle Bookworm

Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II by Svetlana Alexievich Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II by Svetlana Alexievich

NONFICTION BOOKS
🏆 Winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
Last Witnesses by Svetlana Alexievich
“She is one of the greatest writers of our age. This is an early work, recording and retelling the stories of elderly Soviet citizens about the days in the Second World War when the war reached their villages. Children’s memories of hell being unleashed. It is the most beautiful, brilliant, heartbreakingly sad book I have ever read”—James Rebanks, writer

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

SCIENCE FICTION
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
“It’s never been filmed, and yet if you ask people of a certain age, ‘What’s your desert island book?’, lots of people will say The Chrysalids“—Amy Binns, biographer

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

CLASSIC LITERATURE
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
“This is the one I’ve read the most…It’s about an outsider who tries to make his way in British society and it’s all a house of cards”—Francesca Simon, novelist

Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins

THRILLERS
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins

“You feel the layers in the book, the density. It’s packed with ideas, with observations. And it’s a mystery as well. You want to know what happened. Where is the girl? What happened to her?”—Cara Hunter, crime novelist

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin

MYSTERIES/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS
A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
“There is this central device that is so clever, that at the end you both hug yourself with glee at how good it is and kick yourself because you didn’t get it”—Simon Brett, mystery novelist

Wilderness At Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent by Ted Morgan Wilderness At Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent by Ted Morgan

HISTORY BOOKS
Wilderness at Dawn by Ted Morgan
“This book shaped my understanding of human geography. It reminds readers that America was settled by several different cultures and countries. It’s a triumph of storytelling about the different frontiers of America”—Brent Glass, public historian

Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

FICTION
Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
“This isn’t a novel using government statistics and scientific studies to preach to the choir: it goes for the reader’s EQ rather than her or his IQ…All cli-fi books should be like this. I couldn’t stop reading, over a period of several days, as I entered Kingsolver’s world”—Dan Bloom, journalist

Glorious Exploits: A Novel by Ferdia Lennon Glorious Exploits: A Novel by Ferdia Lennon

FUNNIEST BOOKS OF 2024
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

“If you can take something like the failed invasion of Sicily in 412BC, and make a buddy comedy out of it—well, you’ve got something very unique.”—Justin Albert, judge, Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction

Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry

THE BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS
Mythos by Stephen Fry
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a humorous retelling of the Greek myths…after listening to it one time, my children (aged 12, 11 and 10) insisted on listening to it again”—Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books

Sophie Roell

The Best Mystery Books of 2025
“On this list, we also include books that have been nominated for prestigious awards, like the Edgars in the US and the Dagger Awards in the UK”

ChatGPT

AI BOOKS
ChatGPT-4 offers its own opinions on artificial intelligence
“These books offer valuable insights into the development, challenges, and future prospects of AI”—ChatGPT-4, AI chatbot

Most Recommended Books

Support Five Books

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce, please support us by .