Long before we published books, tales were told around the campfire, or recited by a professional one episode at a time. So why not go straight to the wellspring of literature, and read stories so good they have been told and re-told for centuries? Here, Five Books contributing editor Tuva Kahrs recommends timeless books that began life in oral storytelling traditions from around the world, whose themes have resonated through the ages.
HISTORICAL FICTION The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault
“There are quite a lot of novels about Alexander and I think that, of them all, Mary Renault’s is the most readable and the most entertaining…Mary Renault really knew her sources”—Hugh Bowden, historian
NONFICTION BOOKS The Tiger by John Vaillant
“It’s about Siberian tigers, the largest predator on earth. They can weigh 600lbs. Their numbers are greatly reduced, they are living in a reserve near the Chinese border”—T.C. Boyle, novelist
FANTASY The Scar by China Miéville
“He created this world called Bas Lag, within which exists a massive city called New Crobuzon, which is like a mad fantastical London…He’s got such a fecund imagination, it’s almost like he’s got about a hundred books’ worth of ideas crammed into these novels.”—Richard Swan, novelist
THE BEST KINDLES IN 2025 Which Kindle to get?
“That’s an easy question for me, Kindle Paperwhite is the most popular Kindle by far…It has all the best features that you would want”—Maneetpaul Singh, Kindle reviewer and author of Kindle Bookworm
NONFICTION BOOKS
🏆 Winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature Last Witnesses by Svetlana Alexievich
“She is one of the greatest writers of our age. This is an early work, recording and retelling the stories of elderly Soviet citizens about the days in the Second World War when the war reached their villages. Children’s memories of hell being unleashed. It is the most beautiful, brilliant, heartbreakingly sad book I have ever read”—James Rebanks, writer
SCIENCE FICTION The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
“It’s never been filmed, and yet if you ask people of a certain age, ‘What’s your desert island book?’, lots of people will say The Chrysalids“—Amy Binns, biographer
CLASSIC LITERATURE The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
“This is the one I’ve read the most…It’s about an outsider who tries to make his way in British society and it’s all a house of cards”—Francesca Simon, novelist
HISTORY BOOKS Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
“He’s written a lot of good books and he’s rightly considered to be a preeminent historian of World War Two. For me, Stalingrad is by far his best book, and I’ve read nearly all of them. It’s magnificent and gripping”—Alex Kershaw, historian
THRILLERS The Invitation by Lucy Foley
There’s a bit of Sleeping with the Enemy in there, the film with Julia Roberts. A haunting, unsettling vibe. It’s very glamorous, and I love the location. Lucy’s such a beautiful writer.”—Rachel Wolf, thriller writer
FICTION Circe by Madeline Miller
“It’s about a goddess and witch from the Odyssey. She’s best-remembered as the witch who turned Odysseus’s men into pigs. But what Miller does so cleverly is that she reframes Circe’s story”—Flora Carr, historical novelist
MYSTERIES/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
“There is this central device that is so clever, that at the end you both hug yourself with glee at how good it is and kick yourself because you didn’t get it”—Simon Brett, mystery novelist
HISTORY BOOKS Wilderness at Dawn by Ted Morgan
“This book shaped my understanding of human geography. It reminds readers that America was settled by several different cultures and countries. It’s a triumph of storytelling about the different frontiers of America”—Brent Glass, public historian
FICTION Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
“This isn’t a novel using government statistics and scientific studies to preach to the choir: it goes for the reader’s EQ rather than her or his IQ…All cli-fi books should be like this. I couldn’t stop reading, over a period of several days, as I entered Kingsolver’s world”—Dan Bloom, journalist
FUNNIEST BOOKS OF 2024 Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
“If you can take something like the failed invasion of Sicily in 412BC, and make a buddy comedy out of it—well, you’ve got something very unique.”—Justin Albert, judge, Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction
THE BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS Mythos by Stephen Fry
“Mythos by Stephen Fry is a humorous retelling of the Greek myths…after listening to it one time, my children (aged 12, 11 and 10) insisted on listening to it again”—Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books
The Best Mystery Books of 2025
“On this list, we also include books that have been nominated for prestigious awards, like the Edgars in the US and the Dagger Awards in the UK”
AI BOOKS ChatGPT-4 offers its own opinions on artificial intelligence “These books offer valuable insights into the development, challenges, and future prospects of AI”—ChatGPT-4, AI chatbot
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