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Latest Book Recommendations

The best books on Hunger in the United States, recommended by Mariana Chilton

Hunger in the United States is not going to be solved just by giving people more food, says Mariana Chilton, a professor of public health at Drexel University and author of The Painful Truth about Hunger in America. She recommends books to get a better understanding of hunger and argues that food banks have become part of the problem.

Recent Recommendations

Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense Saul Perlmutter, Robert MacCoun and John Campbell

NEW CRITICAL THINKING BOOKS
Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense
“This is a brilliant book by eminent thinkers in their fields who are also superb communicators”

FICTION
The Best Epistolary Novels
“Epistolary novels are told through the form of written correspondence between characters”

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Best Historical Fiction Set in the American South, recommended by Xan Brooks
“There is the sense of it being a haunted land, still screaming, with no clarity or resolution”

Most Popular Expert Interviews

The best sci-fi and fantasy novels—as chosen by the fans
The Hugo Award has been a fixture for speculative fiction since 1953.

Booker Prize-winning novels
As we know that many of our readers like to work their way through the list of Booker-winners, we’ve compiled an overview the winning titles from the last two decades.

Novelist and historian Harry Turtledove introduces us to his favourite works of alternate history
“Alternate history, like any fiction, is not really about the world that you’re creating. It’s about the world you live in.”

Historical Novels Set in Italy, recommended by Tracy Chevalier
“I was curious about Venice, this wealthy center of trade in the 15th century, becoming what it is now”

The Best Historical Fiction of 2024: the Walter Scott Prize with judging chair Katharine Grant
“It’s been a wonderful year for historical fiction”

The best books on Greek myths and mythology, recommended by Lucy Coats
“A Greek myth is basically a way of explaining the world”

Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels, recommended by novelist Paul Carlucci
“I wanted to show how historical fiction can dovetail with other genres—ghost stories, Westerns, horror.”

British military historian Sir Antony Beevor on the best books on World War II
“Goebbels was a diabolical genius. He saw that hatred was not enough and you had to combine hatred with fear if you were going to get the maximum killing potential out of your followers”

**Notable new nonfiction books, a roundup by Five Books editor Sophie Roell**
“There’s a genre of pacy nonfiction books that show up on US bestseller lists, then the UK, and are highly readable. “

Beautiful editions of classic novels
It is a truth universally acknowledged that even if you already own a copy of a book, you can still be tempted by a different, prettier edition

Classic Novels of the American Civil War, recommended by Craig A. Warren
“What is most important, to me, is the union of literary artistry with a serious attempt to understand the meaning of the conflict for everyday Americans”

Books to Read with Book Clubs in 2024
“None of these books are intimidating experimental or dense; they are aimed at the intelligent general reader, who wants a novel that make them think—but also to feel—and therefore to discuss”

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Recent Reader Lists

Our aim is to make Five Books the place to go to on the web for book recommendations, arranged by topic. Help us achieve our goal by making a reading list on a subject you know a lot about. These lists have been created by our readers using our new interactive tool. Browse them all, or make your own.

Five Books For Improving Resilience And Boosting A Confident Mindset, recommended by Jayden Gould

ReThink Resilience: 99 Ways to Recharge Your Career and Life
by Beth Benatti Kennedy MS LMFT, Karthik Venkatakrishnan PhD FCP & Songmao (Ben) Zheng PhD

The best books on Hunger in the United States, recommended by Mariana Chilton

NEW CRITICAL THINKING BOOKS Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense “This is a brilliant book by eminent thinkers in their fields who are also superb communicators”

FICTION The Best Epistolary Novels “Epistolary novels are told through the form of written correspondence between characters”

HISTORICAL FICTION The Best Historical Fiction Set in the American South, recommended by Xan Brooks “There is the sense of it being a haunted land, still screaming, with no clarity or resolution”

The best sci-fi and fantasy novels—as chosen by the fans The Hugo Award has been a fixture for speculative fiction since 1953.

Booker Prize-winning novels As we know that many of our readers like to work their way through the list of Booker-winners, we’ve compiled an overview the winning titles from the last two decades.

Novelist and historian Harry Turtledove introduces us to his favourite works of alternate history “Alternate history, like any fiction, is not really about the world that you’re creating. It’s about the world you live in.”

Historical Novels Set in Italy, recommended by Tracy Chevalier “I was curious about Venice, this wealthy center of trade in the 15th century, becoming what it is now”

The Best Historical Fiction of 2024: the Walter Scott Prize with judging chair Katharine Grant “It’s been a wonderful year for historical fiction”

The best books on Greek myths and mythology, recommended by Lucy Coats “A Greek myth is basically a way of explaining the world”

Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels, recommended by novelist Paul Carlucci “I wanted to show how historical fiction can dovetail with other genres—ghost stories, Westerns, horror.”

British military historian Sir Antony Beevor on the best books on World War II “Goebbels was a diabolical genius. He saw that hatred was not enough and you had to combine hatred with fear if you were going to get the maximum killing potential out of your followers”

Notable new nonfiction books, a roundup by Five Books editor Sophie Roell “There’s a genre of pacy nonfiction books that show up on US bestseller lists, then the UK, and are highly readable. “

Beautiful editions of classic novels It is a truth universally acknowledged that even if you already own a copy of a book, you can still be tempted by a different, prettier edition

Classic Novels of the American Civil War, recommended by Craig A. Warren “What is most important, to me, is the union of literary artistry with a serious attempt to understand the meaning of the conflict for everyday Americans”

Books to Read with Book Clubs in 2024 “None of these books are intimidating experimental or dense; they are aimed at the intelligent general reader, who wants a novel that make them think—but also to feel—and therefore to discuss”

Books like... The Song of Achilles

Books like... The Thursday Murder Club

Books like... Dune

Books like... The Secret History

Books like... Bridgerton

Books like... Normal People

ReThink Resilience: 99 Ways to Recharge Your Career and Life by Beth Benatti Kennedy MS LMFT, Karthik Venkatakrishnan PhD FCP & Songmao (Ben) Zheng PhD

Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before it Manages You by Dr Claire Plumbly

Everyday Resilience: A Practical Guide to Build Inner Strength and Weather Life's Challenges by Gail Gazelle MD

The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from Setbacks by Al Siebert

The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It by Kelly McGonigal

Bomarzo;: A novel by Manuel Mujica Lainez

Dante's Garden: Magic and Mystery in Bomarzo 2nd Edition by Teresa Cutler-Broyles

Michelangelo's Ghost (A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Book 4) by Gigi Pandian

Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery by Linda Lappin

In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel by Crystal King

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