Five Books

We invite specialists to share their top five book picks in their field and discuss their choices in an interview format. Our website features a collection of over 1,700 interviews, showcasing around 8,000 book recommendations. We add at least two new interviews every week. Five Books is a part of the Amazon Associate program, allowing us to earn a commission on eligible purchases.

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Harry Potter Books in Order

1 week ago | fivebooks.com | J.K. Rowling |Sophie Roell

Given the development of the characters and the plot over the course of the series, it’s important to read them in order. We’ve listed them individually to give a sense of what each of them is about, but it’s also quite nice to buy them all together as a Harry Potter: The Complete Series box set, particularly if you’re buying them as a gift for a child. We also have recommendations of illustrated Harry Potter books, put together by our children’s editor.
The Best Novels: The 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Aria Aber |Miranda July |Sanam Mahloudji |Elizabeth Strout

recommended by Kit de Waal The 2025 shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction features a family saga about formerly rich Iranian refugees, a surprisingly funny tale of ISIS brides and a "weird" midlife crisis adventure in suburban California. We asked the bestselling novelist—chair of this year's judging panel—to talk us through the six finalists. Thank you for joining me to discuss the 2025 shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. What were the judges looking for?
Novels Set In Paris

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Victor Hugo |Patrick Modiano |Barbara Wright |Hilary Mantel

The romantic boulevards and thriving nightlife of Paris have inspired writers from all over the world. We’ve compiled a list of novels set in the city, recommended by our expert interviewees, to help every Francophile find their next favourite book.
The Best Travel Books of 2025

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Noo Saro-Wiwa |Clare Hammond |Tom Chesshyre |James Rebanks

Thank you for joining us to discuss the 2025 Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year, and the five finalists. How did the judging process work? There were five of us judges. Stanfords put together the shortlist, then we read the six books over a couple of months before coming together to discuss them. Each of us spoke about each book, what we liked, what we didn’t. Then we tried to persuade each other, make the case for the book we thought should win.
Funny Short Stories

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | George Saunders |Lorrie Moore |David Sedaris |Katherine Heiny

Here at Five Books, we are often asked to recommend funny short story collections. This is a tall order. It’s unusually difficult to recommend comic writing—sense of humour being so specific to the individual—but here are five brilliantly original stories, from popular collections, all of which take a wry or surreal approach to their troubling subject matter. ‘Ghoul’ by George Saunders, in his collection Liberation Day: Stories George Saunders is a modern master of the short story.
The Best Vampire Books

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Jewelle Gomez |Sheridan Le Fanu |Whitley Strieber |Fred Saberhagen

recommended by Grady Hendrix The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix There are two essential features of a vampire, says award-winning author Grady Hendrix: they look just like us, and they need us.
Novels Based on Mythological Retellings

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Colm Toibin |Madeline Miller |John Gardner |T White

What is the appeal of mythological retellings, as a reader and as a writer? For both a reader and a writer, the plot is not the point. We know that Iphigenia is going to be sacrificed; we know that the Greeks are going to win the war in Troy; we know that Clytemnestra is going to kill Agamemnon. So the point, and the reason these stories have survived, is that these are modern retellings. These are modern interpretations. Obviously, our age has different interests than previous ages.
Prizewinning Audiobooks for Teens and Young Adults

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Tony Keith Jr. |Nick Brooks |Ryan La Sala |Elizabeth Acevedo

Here we bring you a roundup of winners of top audiobook awards for teens and young adults of recent years. These audiobook productions have all been singled out for their great storytelling, from the artistry of verse novels performed by the author to full-cast adaptations of graphic novels.
The Best Historical Nonfiction Books

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Truman Capote |Mark O'Connell |Helen Garner |David Grann

Looking at some of the books you’ve chosen today—as well as the ones that you write—I was trying to figure out what genre they are. I think it’s historical nonfiction—but done in a way that really brings the past alive and takes you to a time and place like a novel does. Is that one way of describing it? I love books that tell real stories in a way that’s emotional, sensory, suspenseful. They explore ideas, but also evoke a different time and place.
The Best Horror Novels: The 2025 Bram Stoker Awards

1 month ago | fivebooks.com | Josh Malerman |Gabino Iglesias |Stephen Jones |Gwendolyn Kiste

The Horror Writers Association use the Bram Stoker Awards shortlists to highlight the best new publications in lots of different categories—including short stories, anthologies, screenwriting and criticism—but here at Five Books we specifically like to feature the books shortlisted for ‘superior achievement in a novel.’ The five finalists in 2025 are: House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias Gabino Iglesias—who scooped the 2022 prize for best novel with his reluctant hitman tale The Devil...