Books

It’s the middle of the year, and many people will be well on their way to achieving their Goodreads reading goals for 2025. But how many five-star reads have you consumed this year?One woman, Jen, who posts on TikTok as @sillylittlebookss, shared that she’d only given out the coveted five-star rating seven times this year.She said that she was trying to be a little more “conservative” with how many books she rated five-stars because she’s “known” for giving them out freely, but these are her favourites of the year so far.1. Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham-YoungShe said that this five-star rating was “absolutely deserved,” because the book is now one of her “favourite romance books of all time”.Jen explained that it follows a boy and a girl who meet at a party, and their “initial click is...

Fans have praised an overlooked Stephen King book that some have even called one of his best. Stephen King has published over 65 works and has gained loyal fans around the world. Plus, some of his most notable novels have been turned into blockbuster cinema hits, such as IT and The Shining. The American author has so much work behind him that it can be easy for some underrated books to get overlooked.One book has consistently been ranked as one of Stephen King's most underrated works. US publication Screen Rant is among those calling it so. They describe it as having "incredible imagery, characters, and thematic depth", making it "truly one of Stephen King’s most underrated novels". The book that many consider one of Stephen King's most underrated is Duma Key, which was originally relea...

Karin Slaughter's brilliant new thriller starts with the kidnap-murder of two teenage girls (Image: Getty)Donald Trump might disagree, but America doesn’t have kings. At least not since 1783 when the young colony won independence from Britain. But while the idiosyncratic US President has likened himself to a monarch, the real and constant power, according to veteran crime writer Karin Slaughter, lies in America’s dynasties.It’s a theme the creator of the hit Disney+ Will Trent series explores in her stellar new thriller, We Are All Guilty Here, which introduces a brand new cast of characters and a deliciously twisty, psychologically tinged plot set over several decades. Good and bad, rich and poor, the extended Clifton Family has dominated business, governance and law enforcement in sou...

I’d heard of In Search of Lost Time before mostly in passing, usually mentioned with a mix of awe and dread by literature students and professors. I knew it was long, famously long, and I knew it had something to do with memory and a madeleine. But I didn’t really understand what reading it would involve until I was assigned it at university.At over 1.3 million words, Marcel Proust’s seven-volume novel is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest book ever written. And reading it? It was a challenge. The prose is dense, the sentences often spiral for pages, and at times I wondered if I’d ever make it to the end but the experience of reading it ended up somewhat shifting the way I think about time, memory, and even how we process the moments that shape us.At first, reading Prou...

Tom Hanks has written a collection of short stories (Image: Getty)Away from the studio lights and red carpets, Tom Hanks is also defined by his thoughtful literary tastes – with quality that extends far beyond the scripts he’s chosen.The Oscar-winning actor is an avid reader and even penned Uncommon Type, a collection of 17 short stories inspired by his beloved manual typewriter, which he calls his favourite object on Earth.In a list shared with One Grand Books, Hanks revealed the ten books he holds most dear - a mix of gripping history, political drama, and sweeping fiction.Here are his top picks, ranked, from a meditation on totalitarian Russia to the medieval world’s march toward modernity.10 - The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia by Masha Gessen“Current events...

There really is nothing better than getting stuck into a good book. And with sunny days and warmer evenings, summer is the perfect time to head outside for a spot of al fresco reading.But while everyone has their own go-to genres, romance novels are arguably the best books to read during the summer. They're fun, easy to follow and often take place in sunny destinations themselves. If you're looking for your next favourite romance novel, author Katie Ginger, who writes contemporary romance as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollinsUK, has shared her top reading recommendations for this summer. Her latest book, The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop, is a slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine love story perfect for anyone looking for some summer escapism. Here are Katie's top 10 romance recommendations. ...

Author Mark Billingham pictured at home in north London for the Daily Express (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)Would Mark Billingham ever kill off his fictional detective Tom Thorne? It’s a question that clearly keeps fans awake at night. But he chuckles when I suggest high cholesterol and heart disease would be far more likely culprits if the cop with the notoriously poor diet keeled over one day. “That’s right, or a dodgy curry,” he smiles.We’re discussing mortality because his sensational new novel, What The Night Brings, opens with the appalling deaths of four police officers, killed by poisoned doughnuts left on their squad car with the message, “Thanks for everything you do!”The uniforms are providing traffic control and support during the early-morning arrest of a suspected a...

Five booksellers have shared their favourite reads of all time (Image: Luis Alvarez via Getty Images)There's nothing quite like settling down with a good book. However, with such an array of choices available, selecting your next read can be somewhat daunting. For reliable recommendations, there's no better source than a fellow bibliophile. In honour of Independent Bookshop Week, we've gone a step further and asked five book-loving booksellers to share their all-time favourite reads.Independent Bookshop Week, running from 14–21 June, is a flagship campaign by the Booksellers Association that celebrates independent bookshops and the unique cultural, economic, and community value they contribute to the retail sector and society at large. From timeless classics to a 2023 novel hailed as "h...

David Attenborough is a huge lover of books and has named his six favourites.In 2014, in an interview with the Folio Society, the beloved broadcaster and naturalist Attenborough recalled his lifelong favourites.He said: "There is something about a book that is just recently printed. It does have a smell, it does have a thrill to it, and I am subject to it because I thought I was going to be a publisher…I took a course in Graphic Reproductions at the London School of Printing and I loved the smell of printers' ink and I loved the feel of print on paper. I find them quite irresistible."He expressed the importance that books have had on preserving human history.Attenborough explained: "As a biologist, I have to say that printed books are a one of a very important category of things which R...

This thriller has been billed by as the "best book of the year" by Amazon and fans describe it as "life-changing". Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a mystery thriller that was originally published in March earlier this year.Amazon Books Editors have helmed the book as the best of the year so far. Sarah Gelman, Amazon Books’ editorial director, said: "Over thousands of hours, we read across genres from authors both new and established, searching for the very best books that make us smile, think, cry, cringe, and pique our sense of wonder. Our top pick of the year so far, Wild Dark Shore, is a novel that masterfully evoked each of these emotions in our team, and beautifully highlights the imperfections of human nature even when we have the best intentions."The book synopsis reads...