• Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling - Grendel by John C. Gardner
  • Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling - Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel by Luo Guanzhong & Moss Roberts (translator)
  • Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling - The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma translated by Melanie Magidow
  • Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling - Grettir's Saga by translated by Jesse Byock
  • Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling - The Kushnameh: The Persian Epic of Kush the Tusked by Iranshah ibn Abu'l-Khayr & translated by Kaveh L. Hemmat

Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling, recommended by Tuva Kahrs

Long before we published books, tales were told around the campfire, or recited by a professional one episode at a time. So why not go straight to the wellspring of literature, and read stories so good they have been told and re-told for centuries? Here, Five Books contributing editor Tuva Kahrs recommends timeless books that began life in oral storytelling traditions from around the world, whose themes have resonated through the ages.

  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan
  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - Parallel Lines by Edward St Aubyn
  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - Precipice by Robert Harris
  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - The Accidental Immigrants by Jo McMillan
  • The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction - The Harrow by Noah Eaton

The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction

From a book based on the actual love letters a British prime minister sent to his mistress in the run-up to World War I, to a fantastical tale that takes its cue from the Epic of Gilgamesh, there’s a wide variety of novels to choose from on the shortlist of this year’s Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. The comments are from the judging panel, chaired this year by British novelist Jim Crace.

  • The Best John le Carré Books - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
  • The Best John le Carré Books - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
  • The Best John le Carré Books - Single & Single by John le Carré
  • The Best John le Carré Books - The Night Manager: A Novel by John le Carré
  • The Best John le Carré Books - A Delicate Truth: A Novel by John le Carré

The Best John le Carré Books, selected by Nick Harkaway

John le Carré—often credited as the best spy novelist of all time—wrote 26 books over the course of his career. We asked Nick Harkaway, his son and the author of Karla’s Choice (the best spy thriller of 2024, according to our interview with spy book expert Shane Whaley), to select the five best John le Carré novels: from the Cold War espionage stories that made his name to more contemporary thrillers set in a world of international crime syndicates.

  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - On the Calculation of Volume: Book I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J. Haveland
  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson
  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - Under the Eye of the Big Bird: A Novel by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Asa Yoneda
  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes
  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - Heart Lamp: Selected Stories by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi
  • The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize - A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson

The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize, recommended by Anton Hur

Every year, judges for the International Booker Prize search for the best works of fiction translated into English over the previous twelve months. We asked Anton Hur, the novelist, translator and 2025 judge, to talk us through the six-book shortlist—including five novels and this year’s winner, the first short story collection ever to triumph.

  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - The Heart in Winter: A Novel by Kevin Barry
  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - The Mare: A Novel by Angharad Hampshire
  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - The Book of Days by Francesca Kay
  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - Glorious Exploits: A Novel by Ferdia Lennon
  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
  • The Best Historical Fiction of 2025 - The Safekeep: A Novel by Yael van der Wouden

The Best Historical Fiction of 2025, recommended by Katharine Grant

Every year, the judges of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction highlight the very best new books published in that genre over the past twelve months. In 2025, the six book shortlist features historical novels set as widely apart as ancient Sicily, 16th-century England, and 20th century Holland. Here, judge Katharine Grant talks us through their selection.