New Books
Last updated: September 22, 2024
With so many new books coming out, what’s the best way to choose what to read? At Five Books, we believe that any book that helps with either enjoying life or understanding the world better is worth reading, and those are the qualities we look for in books. If you’re interested in a particular area—new historical fiction or new history books–we’ve also got more detailed lists you can click on, with a wider range of books.
Publishing these days is very focused on identifying bestsellers and pushing them via highly focused marketing campaigns. We love bestsellers as much as the next person, but we try to focus on books of lasting value or that have something a bit special about them.
(Note: We also have a list of the best books of all time. These have to be picked again and again in our expert interviews, so tend to be older books, with a few exceptions. Many of them are novels or historic texts already in the public domain and available as free ebooks).
New Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels: The 2024 Nebula Awards Shortlist, recommended by Sylvia Bishop
Every year, members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association nominate and vote for the best works of speculative fiction published over the previous year. Here, Sylvia Bishop introduces us to the books shortlisted for the 2024 Nebula Award for the best new novel – and the “astonishing” debut that ultimately triumphed. See all our science fiction, fantasy and best novels of 2024 recommendations
Notable New Novels of Summer 2024, recommended by Cal Flyn
Another year, another summer stretching out before us… another reading dilemma? Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn offers a succinct round-up of the novels that should be on your radar in the summer of 2024: highly anticipated works of fiction from well-known literary figures and ‘breakout’ books that have quickly amassed significant critical attention – to guide you on your way. See all our best novels of 2024 recommendations
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1
Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline
by Paul Cooper -
2
The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War
by Nick Lloyd -
3
1177 BC: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed
by Eric Cline & Glynnis Fawkes (illustrator) -
4
Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City
by Dennis Romano -
5
An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence
by Zeinab Badawi
New History Books, recommended by Sophie Roell
New History Books, recommended by Sophie Roell
A magisterial account of the Eastern Front in World War I and a lively graphic history of the Late Bronze Age are among the new books that’ll be out in coming weeks. Our running list of new history books, picked out by Five Books editor Sophie Roell.
New Literary Fiction, recommended by Cal Flyn
To keep up to date with the latest novels coming out, a good place to bookmark is our ‘new literary fiction’ page. Our deputy editor Cal Flyn keeps an eye on the myriad of new novels being published and picks out some of her favourites.
Popular Fiction Highlights of Spring 2024, selected by Cal Flyn
Popular fiction is popular for a reason: confounding mysteries, devastating love stories, and spectacular visions of speculative worlds offer us an escape hatch from everyday life. Here we offer a handy Five Books round-up of superior genre novels of spring 2024 including unmissable new titles from firm fan favourites. See all our best novels of 2024 recommendations
The Best Spy Thrillers of 2023, recommended by Shane Whaley
2023 was a fabulous year for spy thrillers, with some fans saying there hasn’t been a year like it since the 1970s, says Shane Whaley, host of the Spybrary podcast. He picks out five of his favourites from the year, all works of fiction that nonetheless give a sense of what it’s like to work as a spy.
