Latest interviews and book lists
The Best Audiobooks for a Family Road Trip, recommended by Emily Connelly

A long road trip is the perfect opportunity for children and adults to listen to a good story together. Children's audiobook expert Emily Connelly, Associate Editor at AudioFile magazine, brings you her selection of the best audiobooks for a family road trip.
New Book Recommendations

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Dying Grass by William Vollmann
“If you’re looking for a novel that gives you historical fiction at its most minute and forensic then you should read The Dying Grass”—Bernard Joy, American literature scholar

NONFICTION BOOKS
Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen
“It’s a completely gripping but utterly terrifying scenario”—Isabel Hilton, journalist

SPY THRILLERS
Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway
“This is the book of the year for me, he’s knocked it out of the park”—Shane Whaley, host, Spybrary podcast

FICTION
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
A reimagining of the life of the father of Israel’s PM in the US which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

NEW LITERARY FICTION
We Do Not Part by Han Kang
“We Do Not Part deals—obliquely—with the long shadow of the Jeju massacres…during which an estimated 30,000 were killed by government forces”—Cal Flyn, deputy editor, Five Books

ECONOMICS BOOKS
“If you read just one economics book in 2024—and perhaps if you just read one economics book in your life—it should be this book…How Economics Explains the World is a relatively short and easy read”—Jason Furman, economist, Harvard University

TOP ‘ROMANTASY’ BOOKS to get you started
“I started with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros on the whispered recommendation of a friend. Then, however, I couldn’t stop”—Francesca Martin, journalist
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ROMANTASY
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Book 3 in the Empyrean series)
“Onyx Storm, released 21st January, debuted at number one on the Amazon book charts”

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.”

THE FUNNIEST BOOK OF 2024
NEWS: Glorious Exploits wins the Wodehouse Prize
A historical novel set in 412BCE Sicily by Ferdia Lennon has won the UK’s book prize for comedy.

NEW LITERARY FICTION
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun) is publishing her first novel in more than a decade”—Cal Flyn, deputy editor, Five Books
Most Popular Expert Interviews

SCIENCE FICTION
Five of the best ‘hard’ sci-fi novels, as recommended by Adrian Tschaikovsky
“If you’re writing with the left wall of actually fitting in with the science, then that pushes you into interesting territory.”

SCIENCE FICTION
The Best Sci-Fi Books of the Past Decade, a round-up by Sylvia Bishop
“Fans vote every year for the best of sci fi and fantasy, in both the Hugo Awards and the Nebula Awards”

FICTION
Award-Winning Novels of 2024
A concise rundown of the books that won big during the 2024 award season by Five Books deputy editor, Cal Flyn
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.