Five Books - Expert Book Recommendations
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The Best Books of 2025 - Five Books Expert Recommendations
The best books of 2025, our annual best-of-the-year lists including fiction and nonfiction, history and historical fiction, philosophy and many more
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Browse all our 'best books of 2025' lists (both fiction and nonfiction):
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“Anglophone writers and translators are always seeking new ways to bring the music and traditions of our non-English languages into our English works”
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The Best South Asian Novels in Translation
Five of the best South Asian novels, as recommended by the writer and translator Jenny Bhatt, the founder of Desi Books.
fivebooks.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:02 PM
“Anglophone writers and translators are always seeking new ways to bring the music and traditions of our non-English languages into our English works”
fivebooks.com/best-books/t...
fivebooks.com/best-books/t...
If you have recently discovered the work of Kristin Hannah following her recent hit The Women, a story of female nurses 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.
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fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
Kristin Hannah's Books, In Order
Kristin Hannah, author of The Women and The Four Winds, has written more than 20 more books over her career. Here they are, in order.
fivebooks.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM
If you have recently discovered the work of Kristin Hannah following her recent hit The Women, a story of female nurses 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.
fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
"Bonkbusters are a misnomer because they’re actually the most difficult books of all to write."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/t...
The Best Bonkbuster Novels
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…
fivebooks.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:00 AM
"Bonkbusters are a misnomer because they’re actually the most difficult books of all to write."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/t...
"Enemies-to-lovers build a trust with each other over time and an honesty that romance lovers keep wanting to come back to time and again."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
The Best Enemies-to-Lovers Books
The best enemies-to-lovers books, featuring crackling repartee and sizzling sexual tension, recommended by novelist Lauren Ford
fivebooks.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"Enemies-to-lovers build a trust with each other over time and an honesty that romance lovers keep wanting to come back to time and again."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
“It’s not a naive apology for unregulated markets, but Adam Smith is quite keenly aware of the problems of financial regulation.”
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His Intellectual Influences
Niall Ferguson tells us about the diverse influences on his work, from Keynes and Tolstoy to an Austrian satirist, and explains why he sees the world as a complex place on the edge of chaos
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February 9, 2026 at 10:00 PM
“It’s not a naive apology for unregulated markets, but Adam Smith is quite keenly aware of the problems of financial regulation.”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/n...
“She famously comes up with the image of irrigation. The soul is like a garden, it needs rain in order to grow. How do you irrigate the soil?”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/s...
Saint Teresa of Avila
Best books on Saint Teresa of Avila recommended by former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, looking at her life and achievements
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February 9, 2026 at 7:01 PM
“She famously comes up with the image of irrigation. The soul is like a garden, it needs rain in order to grow. How do you irrigate the soil?”
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"A thriller is often all about someone having a really bad day. I’d be terrible in that sort of situation. I would survive about five minutes in any of my own books."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/t...
The Best Thrillers for Teens
Young Adult author Kathryn Foxfield recommends five fast-paced thrillers for teens, from new books to classics of the thriller genre
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February 9, 2026 at 4:02 PM
"A thriller is often all about someone having a really bad day. I’d be terrible in that sort of situation. I would survive about five minutes in any of my own books."
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"Writing under a different name, I didn’t have to think about my column and maintain any kind of consistency between the two."
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The Best Classic Thrillers
The bestselling author tells us how his other job as a political journalist helps with thriller writing, and what makes le Carré, Forsyth and Buchan such masters of their trade
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February 9, 2026 at 2:02 PM
"Writing under a different name, I didn’t have to think about my column and maintain any kind of consistency between the two."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/s...
“What does it mean to be true to yourself, if the self that you are is always shifting? That question launched Kierkegaard’s philosophical career”
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Søren Kierkegaard
The best books on philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Philosopher Professor Clare Carlisle picks the best Kierkegaard books.
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February 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM
“What does it mean to be true to yourself, if the self that you are is always shifting? That question launched Kierkegaard’s philosophical career”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
"It’s the 41st millennium. The tagline of the game says it all: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”"
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The Best Warhammer 40k Books
There are over 370 books in the Warhammer 40k series. As veteran Warhammer author Graham McNeill explains, the books offer a chance to introduce complexity and depth, while respecting the Lore the…
fivebooks.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:00 AM
"It’s the 41st millennium. The tagline of the game says it all: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”"
fivebooks.com/best-books/w...
fivebooks.com/best-books/w...
"My glib one-liner is that it’s almost impossible to be anything other than pessimistic about Nigeria in the short term, but in the long term there is that greater hope that does burn on."
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Nigeria
The best books to understand Nigeria, as recommended by FT journalist, Michael Peel.
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February 9, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"My glib one-liner is that it’s almost impossible to be anything other than pessimistic about Nigeria in the short term, but in the long term there is that greater hope that does burn on."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/n...
"Now many people bravely use ze and hir as pronouns. They might actually get accepted into the English language as useful gender-free pronouns."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
Gender Outlaws
The author, gender theorist and self-described “SM femme tranny dyke” tells us why gender isn’t binary, and recommends books that give long-suppressed voice to the transgender community
fivebooks.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM
"Now many people bravely use ze and hir as pronouns. They might actually get accepted into the English language as useful gender-free pronouns."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/k...
"My evolution is that we need to find our inner voice and our inner healing and see our own beauty. Only when we see that we have inner peace and love can we progress."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/z...
Women’s Empowerment
Founder and CEO of Women for Women International Zainab Salbi says we need to make the 21st century the time for women’s rights, and describes how reading Rumi’s poems helps her to find inner peace
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February 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
"My evolution is that we need to find our inner voice and our inner healing and see our own beauty. Only when we see that we have inner peace and love can we progress."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/z...
NEW: The World's Oldest Books - five great works of literature that have made it all the way from clay tablet or papyrus scroll to printed edition or e-book fivebooks.com/best-books/o...
The World's Oldest Books
The oldest books known to us, from religious hymns and love poetry to the Epic of Gilgamesh and the quest of its hero for immortality
fivebooks.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
NEW: The World's Oldest Books - five great works of literature that have made it all the way from clay tablet or papyrus scroll to printed edition or e-book fivebooks.com/best-books/o...
“It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike. At first, it can be a bit of a challenge, but once you get the hang of it you think, ‘How was I ever unable to do this?’"
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fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
Baking Bread
The best books for baking bread, as recommended by Chris Young of the Real Bread Campaign.
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February 8, 2026 at 4:00 PM
“It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike. At first, it can be a bit of a challenge, but once you get the hang of it you think, ‘How was I ever unable to do this?’"
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"Time is an extremely weird phenomenon. It can’t be managed, at least in the way that money or physical possessions can be managed. It just keeps implacably rolling on."
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Time Management
The best books on time management, as recommended by Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
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February 8, 2026 at 2:02 PM
"Time is an extremely weird phenomenon. It can’t be managed, at least in the way that money or physical possessions can be managed. It just keeps implacably rolling on."
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“These books bring more depth to our lives: that’s why I chose them”
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The Best Books For Environmental Learning
Best environmental learning books, recommended by Mitchell Thomashow, educator and author of 'To Know the World'
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February 8, 2026 at 12:00 PM
“These books bring more depth to our lives: that’s why I chose them”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
"Racism can start at that level as a very young child, where you begin to be set apart from your peers as a consequence of the colour of your skin (or maybe if you have red hair, or are a woman)."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/r...
Racism
The best books on racism, as recommended by author, broadcaster and journalism professor, Kurt Barling.
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February 8, 2026 at 6:00 AM
"Racism can start at that level as a very young child, where you begin to be set apart from your peers as a consequence of the colour of your skin (or maybe if you have red hair, or are a woman)."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/r...
"Government thinks about projects in a hugely broad way. If it is a something that’s got to be achieved, that you can’t do just by writing a regulation or publishing a guideline, then typically government will treat it as a ‘project.’"
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Five Books: The best books on Big Projects, recommended by Jonathan Simcock
In order to have fewer failed projects, we need to address some of the deep structural incentives in the system, argues Jonathan Simcock, who spent 16 years leading and advising on large UK government...
fivebooks.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"Government thinks about projects in a hugely broad way. If it is a something that’s got to be achieved, that you can’t do just by writing a regulation or publishing a guideline, then typically government will treat it as a ‘project.’"
fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
“It was Mill who said, ‘While not all conservatives are stupid, all stupid people are generally conservative.’”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
Five Books: The best books on Traditional and Liberal Conservatism, recommended by Brink Lindsey
Modern conservatism is being driven by an historically unlikely coalition of libertarians and traditionalists, says the vice-president for research at the Cato Institute.
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February 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM
“It was Mill who said, ‘While not all conservatives are stupid, all stupid people are generally conservative.’”
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"An anecdote is a moment in time that, for me, epitomises the essence of the subject. In this case, the theatre."
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fivebooks.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:01 PM
"An anecdote is a moment in time that, for me, epitomises the essence of the subject. In this case, the theatre."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/f...
"I think it’s important to choose books for children that are inspirational and do leave an impression, because when you’re reading with them, what they take is beyond the circle time story, it gives them aspirations and ambitions."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
Best Books for Preschool Kids
The best books to inspire preschool kids, perfect for storytime or reading at home, recommended by author and educator Janice Stewart-Yates
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February 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
"I think it’s important to choose books for children that are inspirational and do leave an impression, because when you’re reading with them, what they take is beyond the circle time story, it gives them aspirations and ambitions."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/b...
“Celebrity allows us to surrender to our voyeurism, our need to pry into other people’s lives”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/c...
Five Books: The best books on Celebrity, recommended by Sharon Marcus
The best books on celebrity and the industry of Hollywood and Broadway stardom, recommended by Columbia English Professor Sharon Marcus.
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February 7, 2026 at 2:01 PM
“Celebrity allows us to surrender to our voyeurism, our need to pry into other people’s lives”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/c...
"Irmina’s story powerfully illustrates a woman’s limited options for achieving any semblance of autonomy in those dark and complex times."
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fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
The Best European Graphic Novels
The European graphic novel scene has unparalleled range. From indie science fiction to historical fiction, from France to Slovenia, there's a sheer diversity of styles, palettes, and stories on…
fivebooks.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:01 PM
"Irmina’s story powerfully illustrates a woman’s limited options for achieving any semblance of autonomy in those dark and complex times."
fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
fivebooks.com/best-books/e...
“The last two years have felt like twenty, so much has changed—for the worse”
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fivebooks.com/best-books/f...
Five of the Best Works of Belarusian Literature
Five of the best books by Belarusian authors, as recommended by the poet, translator and activist Hanna Komar
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February 7, 2026 at 6:00 AM
“The last two years have felt like twenty, so much has changed—for the worse”
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