Latest Book Recommendations

The Best Ursula Le Guin Books, recommended by Sherryl Vint

Sherryl Vint

Ursula Le Guin's most groundbreaking books are considered landmark texts in speculative fiction, exploring themes of colonisation, gender, nationalism and environmentalism through allegorical means. Here, the science fiction scholar Sherryl Vint selects five of the best books by Ursula Le Guin and examines her legacy as one of the great American writers.

Recent Recommendations

Mona Eltahawy

The best books on Patriarchy, recommended by writer and activist Mona Eltahawy
"Patriarchy is like an octopus and each one of its eight tentacles is one of the oppressions that privilege male dominance"
Toby Green

The best books on the Inquisition, recommended by award-winning historian Toby Green
"The Spanish Inquisition had separate tribunals in Mexico City, in Lima and in Cartagena. They were global institutions at an early time."
Melissa Borja

The best Asian American history books, recommended by Professor Melissa Borja of the University of Michigan
"The idea that Asian Americans are all successful is a myth"

Most Popular Expert Interviews

David Birch

Digital currency expert David Birch recommends books about cryptocurrencies
"It was ironic that the US Treasury was printing and posting stimulus checks in the same week that the Chinese were piloting digital currency in four cities"

Ana Bell

Ana Bell of MIT on books for learning Computer Science
"It’s tough to understand that an algorithm is just a recipe, and even tougher to come up with new recipes yourself"

The best critical thinking books, recommended by British philosopher Nigel Warburton
"Pessimists tend not to notice changes for the better"

Nietzsche expert Brian Leiter recommends the best Nietzsche books
"When he writes about suffering he’s not a tourist"
Anjuli Fatima Raza Kolb

The Best Postcolonial Literature, recommended by Anjuli Fatima Raza Kolb
"Postcolonial literature and theory are important archives for understanding the politics of the present. That’s why I spend so much time thinking about them"
Massimo Pigliucci

Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci recommends the best books on Stoicism
"One of the most rewarding things that has happened to me since I started writing about it is the constant flow of testimonies to the fact that it really helps people"
Susan Quilliam

Susan Quilliam, who updated The Joy of Sex, recommends the best books on sex
"It’s about three things: connection, connection and connection. Really good sex is about a deep, not just physical, but emotional, connection."
Antony Beevor

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"
Jonathan Boff

The Best World War I Books, recommended by historian Jonathan Boff
"There still isn’t much consensus about why it was fought, how it was fought, how it ended, and its consequences. All of those remain contested ground"

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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.

“Acts of Genocide”, recommended by Em Grossmith

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
by Roméo Dallaire & Samantha Power

Cruelty and Silence
by Kanan Makiya

From The Holy Mountain
by DALRYMPLE

Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa
by godwin-peter

Emma's War: A True Story
by Deborah Scroggins

The Best World Literature (Fiction), recommended by Uyi Omoregie

Hamlet
by William Shakespeare

War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy

Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe

Crime and Punishment (Wordsworth Classics)
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

1984
by George Orwell

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