READ AND BE MERRY

Leading authors from Ben Elton to Lisa Jewell and David Baldacci share their favourite books of 2025

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Writer and comic Ben Elton, whose brilliant memoir, What Have I Done? (Macmillan) came out in October, says: “I love history books, particularly when they intersect with popular culture. Two great new books I have on the go are Dark Renaissance (Vintage), Stephen Greenblatt's riveting and evocative biography of Elizabethan playwright and spy Christopher Marlowe. Also 1929 (Allen Lane), Andrew Sorkin’s account of the Wall Street crash, which has many lessons for today. I don't read a lot of fiction but have just become a late convert to audio books and have started listening to them while on my cross trainer. I am sweating away to John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga (Penguin) and loving it ~ marvellous soap opera and great history combined!”

Psychological crime queen Lisa Jewell, whose new book, Don't Let Him In (Cornerstone) is out now, says: “The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins) is a chilling and unforgettable psychodrama told through the voices of a long-divorced, middle-aged couple forced to come together to navigate the trial of the man who invaded their home decades earlier and committed unthinkable atrocities. There is a surprising amount of dry humour in both characters’ voices, which offsets the horrific nature of the crimes. I also adored Helena Echlin’s Clever Little Thing (Headline). I'm a big fan of creepy kids in thrillers and Charlotte's young daughter Stella is a brilliantly unsettling literary creation. Truly disturbing, utterly gripping and brilliant on the challenges of motherhood.