Guest Newsletter: Five Books


Five Books features in-depth author interviews recommending five books on a theme. You can read more interviews on the site, or sign up for the newsletter.

The Best Biographies: The 2025 NBCC Shortlist

We always look forward to the shortlists for the National Book Critics Awards, on the basis that literary critics are probably the best-read people out there. Here, we asked the garlanded critic Mary Ann Gwinn to talk us through the five biographies highlighted in 2025. Read more


The Best Historical Mysteries

Do you enjoy being immersed in the detail of a well-observed historical novel, or gripped by the mystery of a detective story? Historical mysteries combine the best of both. From 1st century Rome to Victorian London, from Tang dynasty China to 20th century Bombay, our contributing editor Tuva Kahrs brings you a crop of well-researched mysteries that will transport you to different times and places. Read more


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