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The best books on Algeria, recommended by Xavier Le Clerc

In his book, A Man With No Title, Xavier Le Clerc tells the story of his father, who was born in extreme poverty in the mountains of Algeria and emigrated to France to give his children a better life. Here he recommends books by some of Algeria's greatest writers—and explains how they shed light on his father's life and Algeria's experience of French colonialism.

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The best books on Algeria, recommended by Xavier Le Clerc

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”

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About

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”

THE BEST SCI-FI BOOKS
Books by John Wyndham (1903-1969), recommended by his biographer, Amy Binns
“All the visions of destroyed London in Day of the Triffids – they’re coming from real experiences”

BEST BIOGRAPHIES
Intellectual Biographies, recommended by Henry Oliver
“Intellectual biography is a wide and slightly disparate genre”

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...
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Dune

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Books like...
Bridgerton

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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

The Martian
by Andy Weir

Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears (Singularity Series)
by William Hertling

Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson

Recursion: A Novel
by Blake Crouch

Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley