Five Books - Expert Book Recommendations

NEW Must-read novels of summer 2026: five must-read books from Ben Lerner (@grantabooks), Maggie O’Farrell, Caro Claire Burke, Missouri Williams (@misery_williams) and @RosaRankinGee fivebooks.com/best-books/mus…

“To explore the history of the BBC is basically to consider the history of the last century of British life” fivebooks.com/best-books/bbc…

RIP "Once you’ve understood what the real world is about...and that grownups aren’t gods, they’re actually human beings with the normal quota of faults and foibles …you can never ever go back." RIP Ann Widdecombe (1947-2026) fivebooks.com/best-books/ann…

"Alongside the question of fear and coercion, powerful forms of excitement and deep identifications and desires were also to be considered." fivebooks.com/best-books/psy…

This is nice, thanks Sue! Susan Greaney recommends the best books on Stonehenge fivebooks.com/best-books/sto… via @five_books

“I think that—particularly in the theatre—a lot of Shakespeare is too long.” fivebooks.com/best-books/emm…

The personal and professional qualities that go into making a good leader are not always obvious. And different situations often call for different qualities. In this section experts recommend books to unlock the secrets of good leadership. buff.ly/TJHZmTd

NEW: “It never gets forgotten. It’s not a site that has to be rediscovered – it’s there all the way through.” Big thank you to @SueGreaney for recommending books on Stonehenge: fivebooks.com/best-books/sto… Books by @JulianRichards @pittsmike @Mike_P_Pearson @GuantanamoAndy

"He was always funny about women. He was a wild drinker, smoker and reveller but he was prudish about sex – a fallen away but still tormented Catholic." fivebooks.com/best-books/joh…

“It was an empire of colossal size and really hung together because of its remarkable administration” fivebooks.com/best-books/ach…

China is a complex country that is also rapidly changing. With our interviews about which books to read on China we aim to at least introduce you to the country’s history, economy, literature, poetry and politics, depending on your particular interests. buff.ly/4LJ4wcl

"Men and women are still not in the same occupations, and even when they are in the same occupations—for example, physicians—they are in different specialities. Women are in the lowest paying specialities, so in the US, that’s paediatrics and psychiatry." fivebooks.com/best-books/wom…

"From the history books we had at school we were taught that people, apart from the bourgeoisie, were happy to surrender to the Red Army, but it wasn’t true. The whole population was fighting to the last drop." fivebooks.com/best-books/aze…

Reading can play an important role in helping young people navigate the world or provide welcome escapism. We have fiction and nonfiction recommendations, including interviews with teenagers who discuss their favourite reads. fivebooks.com/category/best-…

"The strange paradox is that the people most attracted to getting things done are the people who need it the least. They’re already the most productive, aspirational, positively-focused folks." fivebooks.com/best-books/pro…

"It turns out that already, at age four, you can predict with about 77 per cent accuracy who is going to graduate from high school – based on childhood patterns and things like that." fivebooks.com/best-books/dav…

Best books on the theatre recommended by playwrights, critics and academics. Everything covered from Sophocles to Shakespeare to Puppeteering. fivebooks.com/category/theat…

"Always feeling that they haven’t done enough, which in turn induces the tendency to cynicism and indifference often associated with the condition." fivebooks.com/best-books/bur…

"North Korean authorities are doing their best to keep the façade of a non-changing country. When Kim Jong Il became the new leader of the country he said: “don’t expect any change from me.”" fivebooks.com/best-books/nor…

“Wordsworth is in all sorts of ways just as indebted to Coleridge as Coleridge ever was to Wordsworth.” fivebooks.com/best-books/sam…

“Schools are frontiers for civic engagement. Engaging in improving the educational system can pay dividends for generations.” fivebooks.com/best-books/peg…