The Best Fiction Books
Last updated: June 14, 2025
The Best Beach Read Books of 2025
Looking for the perfect books to escape with whilst you’re on holiday? From thrillers to romances and fantasy to cottage core, these are our top page-turners.
Long Novels
Shorter is better is the mantra of the digital age, but for some of us, there is no greater pleasure than reading a really long novel. Here we’ve listed some of the novels recommended on Five Books that are 400,000 words or more long, from literary classics to potboilers.
Psychological Thrillers with a Twist, recommended by Hannah Beckerman
It’s tempting to think that good psychological thrillers are all about plot twists, but in reality it’s the characters that make some books truly memorable. Novelist and literary critic Hannah Beckerman recommends five of her favourites, from Agatha Christie to Alex Michaelides.
The Best Feel Good Books, recommended by Mike Gayle
Sometimes we all need the novelistic equivalent of a hot cup of cocoa and a warm blanket. We asked the novelist Mike Gayle, who appears at the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words this week, to recommend us five heartwarming feel good books that leave their reader comforted and entertained.
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1
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. I: Swann's Way
by Marcel Proust -
2
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. II: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower
by Marcel Proust -
3
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. V: The Prisoner
by Marcel Proust -
4
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. VI: The Fugitive
by Marcel Proust -
5
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. VII: Finding Time Again
by Marcel Proust
The Best Marcel Proust Books, recommended by Joshua Landy
The Best Marcel Proust Books, recommended by Joshua Landy
Marcel Proust’s 3000-page masterpiece In Search of Lost Time might intimidate, but it also enthrals, argues Joshua Landy, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. We asked him to introduce us to the most rewarding of the seven volumes that make up this classic novel, as a helpful guide for the general reader.
Short Novels
A short novel can be the perfect way to occupy the mind during an empty evening or a long journey. One can also appreciate a well-written book’s true complexity when it can be read and digested in a single, immersive sitting. Here, we’ve pulled together a list of short literary novels—most of them fewer than 200 pages in length—that have been recommended on Five Books over the years.
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1
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes -
2
Berta Isla
by Javier MarÃas & Margaret Jull Costa (translator) -
3
Homeland (Patria)
by Fernando Aramburu and Alfred MacAdam (translator) -
4
The Frozen Heart (El corazón helado)
by Almudena Grandes -
5
An Olympic Death (Sabotaje olÃmpico)
by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and Ed Emery (translator)
The Best Novels by Spanish Authors, recommended by Richard Village
The Best Novels by Spanish Authors, recommended by Richard Village
If you like your novels long, Spanish literature has some gems to lose yourself in. Richard Village, translator and publisher of Spanish Beauty, recommends five of his favourites, from the chaos of 17th-century Spain to the traumas of the 20th century, and also including a classic detective novel.
The Best Stephen King Books, recommended by Hans-Ã…ke Lilja
Stephen King—widely dubbed “the king of horror”—has published dozens of books since Carrie, his 1974 debut. We asked Hans-Ã…ke Lilja, who has run a website devoted to King’s output for decades, to recommend five of the best Stephen King novels, offering new readers a place to start.
The Best Norse Mythology Books, recommended by Carolyne Larrington
From The Lord of the Rings to A Game of Thrones and Marvel’s Thor, the Old Norse myths still resonate. Oxford academic Carolyne Larrington introduces her favourite Norse mythology books, and explains how the powerful old stories increasingly inspire modern retellings.
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1
The Surprise Visitor (Quick Reads)
by Cathy Bramley -
2
A Boy Called Saul (Quick Reads)
by Fiona Cummins -
3
A Rising Man (Quick Reads)
by Abir Mukherjee -
4
A New Year (Quick Reads)
by Leila Aboulela -
5
The Mind Manual: Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone (Quick Reads)
by Dr. Alex George -
6
Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page (Quick Reads)
by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Quick Reads, recommended by The Reading Agency
Quick Reads, recommended by The Reading Agency
Quick Reads, published every year by the Reading Agency, are short books designed to help struggling readers, particularly those who find a longer text challenging. The books are often written by bestselling authors and are designed to encourage reading for pleasure.