The Best Fiction Books

A new TV adaptation of Marian Keyes' beloved book series about the Walsh family has brought a fresh flush of readers to the Irish author's warm and funny domestic novels. We put together a list of Keyes' full back catalogue to assist those searching for a new-to-them book to sink into the sofa with.

In recent years, there has been a slew of novels retelling old myths and epics from the perspective of a female character, but books with strong female leads are nothing new. From classic fiction to memoirs, from fantasy to thrillers, literature is populated with female leads — both fictional and real — who are strong in different ways.

With its music and fashion and the ever-present threat of nuclear war, the 1980s are ripe for fiction, argues Eleanor Anstruther, author of Fallout, a novel about the decades-long protest against cruise missiles at Greenham Common. She recommends five of her favourites—including two Booker Prize winners—from the excesses of Thatcherite London to a coming of age on the slagheaps of Glasgow.

The Edgar Award for Best Novel is one of the most prestigious prizes in the mystery and crime fiction genre, and an excellent starting point if you're looking for a flavour of what kind of books are out there. As we start our list of the best mystery books of 2026, Five Books editor Sophie Roell runs us through this year's shortlist, from Dickensian London to the wilds of the Southern Ocean.

Since cuneiform symbols were first used on clay tablets 5,000 years ago, humans have been recording not only information, but also stories. Some of the oldest writings were works of literature that speak to us across the millennia and continue to be published as books today. Five Books contributing editor Tuva Kahrs brings you five of the oldest books that have made it all the way from clay tablet or papyrus scroll to printed edition or e-book, influencing countless generations of readers and writers.

In the 1980s 'bonkbuster' novels flourished. Authors like Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins became household names, as readers couldn't get enough of books with lots of sex that often told tales of revenge and women taking control. Melanie Blake, author of the Ruthless Women trilogy, talks us through her favorite novels in a genre that inspired her, both in her writing and in her life.

The Victorian era—defined by its imperial ambition, strict moral and social codes, and flashes of brutality—serves as fertile ground for historical fiction, argues Virginia Feito, whose acclaimed new book Victorian Psycho satirises the hypocrisy of the age. Here, she recommends five boundary-pushing novels that expose the darker underbelly of a most mannered age.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was set up after the fall of the Soviet Union to support countries in transition. The EBRD Literature Prize has been running since 2018 and can be won by any novel, translated into English, written by a living author from a country where the Bank invests. Literary critic Maya Jaggi, chair of the prize's independent judging panel, talks us through the novels that won between 2021 and 2025, a wonderful introduction to some excellent contemporary novels from Central and Eastern Europe.

Shakespeare's plays and even his life have inspired many other writers over the years. Here, Sally O'Reilly, author of Hagtale: A Macbeth Origin Story, recommends five creative retellings of Shakespearean stories—from a brilliantly absurdist Tom Stoppard play to an elliptical short story by Jorge Luis Borges.

Often, great fantasy writers will be best known for one work or world in particular. There’s a delight to discovering what else these great dreamers imagined, says our fantasy editor Sylvia Bishop. She picks out five works by household names that you might not already have read – ranging from sprawling multiverses, to miniscule worlds in carpets.