Interviewer

Sophie Roell, Editor
Sophie Roell is co-founder and editor of Five Books. Previously she worked as a journalist in London, Beijing, Shanghai and New York. As a financial reporter, she covered the early years of the Chinese stock markets and the transition of its economy after Deng Xiaoping’s 1992 tour of the south. She wrote about the North Korean economy from Pyongyang in 2001.
She studied modern history as an undergraduate at Oxford and, after travelling the world as a reporter for five years, took the Master’s in Regional Studies-East Asia at Harvard University. This wonderfully flexible program insists on at least one East Asian language and some courses on East Asia, but leaves plenty of room to roam about the university taking courses on random subjects. Five Books, set up in 2009, is an attempt to continue that experience.
Below, you’ll find Sophie’s Five Books interviews with experts. Her own recommendations, normally nonfiction, are here. She also reads a lot of mysteries.
Interviews by Sophie Roell
The best books on Modern Greek History, recommended by Yanni Kotsonis
If you’re heading to Greece this summer, it might be worth learning more about the modern history of the country you’re visiting. Yanni Kotsonis, a professor of history at NYU and author of The Greek Revolution, recommends a variety of books to get you started, from a short history of Greece to a novel by one of the country’s greatest writers.
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1
Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire
by Howard Amos -
2
The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin
by Lucy Ash -
3
To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement
by Benjamin Nathans -
4
Patriot: A Memoir
by Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel -
5
To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power
by Sergey Radchenko -
6
‘A Seditious and Sinister Tribe’: The Crimean Tatars and Their Khanate
by Donald Rayfield
The Best Nonfiction Books on Russia: The 2025 Pushkin House Prize, recommended by Gulnaz Sharafutdinova
The Best Nonfiction Books on Russia: The 2025 Pushkin House Prize, recommended by Gulnaz Sharafutdinova
The Pushkin House Book Prize is awarded annually for a nonfiction book that encourages “public understanding and intelligent debate about Russia.” Political scientist Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six fantastic books shortlisted in 2025, illuminating different parts of Russia’s politics and history — from the memoir of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in 2024, to a history of the Russian Orthodox Church and its role in propping up political regimes from the Middle Ages to the present.
The Best Sports Romance Novels, recommended by Tegan Phillips
After reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata on the recommendation of a friend, Tegan Phillips was instantly hooked on all things sports romance. As she publishes her own first book, Melting for You, a romance set in the world of ice hockey, she recommends five of her favourite sports romance novels.
The Best Naval Historical Fiction, recommended by Katie Daysh
Whether based on fact or fiction, novels set aboard ships can make for some of the best stories around. Novelist Katie Daysh, author of A Merciful Sea, introduces us to five of her favourites from the classic American novel that inspired Jaws to a horror story set aboard a U-boat in World War I.
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1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling -
2
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling -
3
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K. Rowling -
4
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling -
5
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling -
6
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter Books in Order
Harry Potter Books in Order
We’ve listed all the Harry Potter books in the order they were written below, from the first book, The Philosopher’s Stone (aka The Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States), which appeared in 1997, to the final book in the series, The Deathly Hallows, a decade later, in 2007.
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.
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1
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes -
2
Berta Isla
by Javier Marías & 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 olímpico)
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 18th-Century Novels, recommended by Sophie Gee
There’s nothing in modern works of fiction that wasn’t already there in the great novels of the 18th century, argues Sophie Gee, a professor of English at Princeton University and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She talks us through five of her favourites, from the irrepressible Moll Flanders to the melancholic beauty of Sense and Sensibility.
Spy Novels Based on Real Events, recommended by Charles Beaumont
James Bond novels may be a lot of fun to read, but as a depiction of life as a spy, they are pure fantasy. Novelist and ex-spy Charles Beaumont recommends five brilliant novels based on true events—and the manipulation and dishonesty that lie at the heart of espionage work.
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1
In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote -
2
A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder
by Mark O'Connell -
3
This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial
by Helen Garner -
4
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann -
5
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone
by Richard Lloyd Parry
The Best Historical Nonfiction Books, recommended by Kate Summerscale
The Best Historical Nonfiction Books, recommended by Kate Summerscale
British author Kate Summerscale has mastered the art of writing historical nonfiction books that are real page-turners. Here, she shares some of her own favorites, from the murder of a family in 1959 Kansas to the tragedy of Japan after the 2011 tsunami.