Interviewer
Five Books editors
Interviews by Five Books editors
Historical Fiction Recommended by Historians
When they’re done well, historical novels are a really exciting way to learn about history, because they combine the emotional involvement of fiction with the narrative of events that took place and details of how life was lived in the past. For that reason, we’re always excited when a historian chooses a work of historical fiction as one of their expert recommendations.
Science Fiction Novels Recommended by Scientists
“The best science fiction is heavy on science and light on fiction,” Professor Chris Mason told us in his interview on science fiction and space travel. A geneticist and computational biologist at Cornell, he is just one of several scientists who have recommended the best sci-fi books on our site. Below, we’ve collected all our sci-fi books recommended by scientists—good choices for readers who love their fiction scientific.
Kristin Hannah’s Books, In Order
If you have recently discovered the work of Kristin Hannah following her recent hit The Women, a story of female fighters in the Vietnam War, then you may be excited to learn that she has an extensive back-catalogue of more than twenty books to catch up on. Here they are, in order.
-
1
The Odyssey
by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson -
2
The Mahabharata
by Anonymous & translated and abridged by John D. Smith -
3
The Epic of Gilgamesh
by Anonymous & Sophus Helle (translator) -
4
Paradise Lost
by John Milton -
5
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
by Dante Alighieri -
6
Pharsalia
by Jane Wilson Joyce (translator) & Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
Epic Poems
Epic Poems
Epic poems are amongst the first works of literature that survive, the earliest poems—like the Epic of Gilgamesh—likely part of oral traditions that were written down only after writing developed from the third millennium BCE. Later writers often took inspiration from earlier works and poems like Homer’s Iliad have had a huge impact on Western literature into the 21st century.
Special Edition Books
Publishers regularly bring out special edition books to entice readers to buy a copy of a book they already own. Often, these are books that are either literary classics or more recent bestsellers with a cult following. Here, we’ve collected together five special editions that have come out recently. These are books that have been recommended on Five Books and are well worth reading.
-
1
The Death of Stalin
by Sheila Fitzpatrick -
2
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
by Kathleen DuVal -
3
Augustus The Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
by Tim Blanning -
4
Battleground: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East
by Christopher Phillips -
5
The Shortest History of Austria
by Nicholas T. Parsons -
6
The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism
by Yanni Kotsonis
New History Books
New History Books
It’s a golden age for historical writing, as well-researched and sometimes quite specialist books by historians are written in an engaging style for a broad audience. On our new history books list, we keep track of some of the books coming out by Five Books interviewees and frequently recommended authors. We’re also scanning catalogues and highlighting interesting new history books being published that come to our attention.
The Best Mystery Books of 2025
Welcome to our running list of the best mystery books of 2025, which we'll be updating throughout the year. Our definition of mystery is broad, and can include any novel that has a crime at its heart with (ideally) an unexpected plot twist. Throughout the year, we'll be looking out for new mystery books as they're published and adding them whenever we think they're worth reading.
-
1
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
by Kathleen DuVal -
2
Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War
by Edda L. Fields-Black -
3
Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life
by Jason Roberts -
4
To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement
by Benjamin Nathans -
5
Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
by Tessa Hulls
2025 Pulitzer Prize Nonfiction Book Winners
2025 Pulitzer Prize Nonfiction Book Winners
Earlier this month, the winners of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes, awarded annually by Columbia University in New York and founded by Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911), were announced. The prizes are awarded for a variety of categories across journalism, but also celebrate outstanding books. Below we’ve listed all the books that won in nonfiction book categories (James by Percival Everett won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction).