
Sophie Roell
Sophie Roell is editor and one of the founders of Five Books.
Interviews with Sophie Roell
Books Robert Redford Starred In
We love books here at Five Books, and OK, we might be a bit snooty at times and insist that a book is always better than the movie based on it. And yet…there are many beloved books we wouldn’t have read if they hadn’t hit the big screen. In honour of Robert Redford (1936-2025), a list of some of the books recommended on our site that he starred in the film versions of. One of them changed my life.
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1
King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East
by Scott Anderson -
2
The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom
by David Woodman -
3
The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner -
4
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
by Selena Wisnom -
5
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb
by Garrett Graff -
6
The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life
by Sophia Rosenfeld
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. History books out in recent months range from ancient Assyria to the CIA in the 21st century.
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1
Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China
by Linda Jaivin -
2
The Death of Stalin
by Sheila Fitzpatrick -
3
Putin's Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia’s Collapse into Mercenary Chaos
by Candace Rondeaux -
4
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion
by Manvir Singh -
5
Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History
by Vali Nasr
Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
From the death of Stalin and the career of Putin’s chef to shaministic rituals on the Indonesian island of Siberut, Five Books editor Sophie Roell gives an overview of some of the excellent new nonfiction books that have appeared since April.
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.
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1
The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism
by Yanni Kotsonis -
2
Abortion: A History
by Mary Fissell -
3
Maria Theresa: Empress
by Richard Bassett -
4
Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives
by Michael Joseph Gross -
5
House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company
by Eva Dou
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
As March draws to a close, Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books, looks at some of the nonfiction books that have come out in the first three months of 2025, from the biography of one of the world’s great female leaders to better ways to measure a country’s economy.
The Best Cozy Mystery Books, recommended by Sophie Roell
If you’re looking for a murder set in a pleasant environment—often an English village—with a charming sleuth and minimal bloodshed, cozy mysteries could be the genre for you. Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books and a keen mystery reader, introduces some of her favourites—from classics of the genre to more recent bestsellers.
Books Becoming Movies in 2025
As a way of choosing books, selecting those that are being made into movies should be a good way to go. Why spend millions bringing a book to the screen unless it has an unusually spellbinding plot or is a particularly wonderful evocation of a time and place? Below are some of the books film directors have seen worthy of turning into movies in 2025.
The Best Crime Novels of 2024, recommended by Sophie Roell
From the latest detective novels and cozy crime to unsettling psychological thrillers, Five Books editor Sophie Roell does a round-up of some of her favourite crime novels of the past year.
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1
Question 7
by Richard Flanagan -
2
Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World
by Parmy Olson -
3
France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain
by Julian Jackson -
4
The Picnic: A Dream of Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain
by Matthew Longo -
5
Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century
by Joya Chatterji -
6
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama
by Nathan Thrall
10 Award-Winning Nonfiction Books of 2024
10 Award-Winning Nonfiction Books of 2024
The nonfiction book prizes we cover at Five Books are a great way to keep up with books on important subjects that are written in an accessible and engaging way. We keep an eye on prizes in a range of nonfiction genres—including history, politics, business, science, sports and general nonfiction.
Award-Winning Crime Novels of 2024, recommended by Sophie Roell
Crime novels are one of the most popular fiction genres, catering to a wide range of tastes and interests. Our editor, Sophie Roell, takes us through the books that won prestigious US and UK awards this year, from a historical novel set during the American Civil War to a spy thriller that raises interesting questions about Western policy in the Middle East.