My Top 5 History Reads of 2025

I’ve been doing these top history reads since 2021 as a helpful guide to some gift ideas for the history lovers in your life. They have proved fairly popular so here we are with the 2025 edition. I really can’t quite believe it’s that time of year again! Anyway, the list is the usual mix of different periods, as well as a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, so hopefully there’s something for everybody there.

Brothers of the Gun by Mark Lee Gardner

This book is a duel biography of the infamous Wyatt Earp and his best friend, Doc Holliday. Of course the even more infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is also mentioned, but what is interesting is learning more about the intertwined lives of both men and how they entered the public imagination.

I was very blessed to have been sent an electronic review copy of this book via Netgalley and the publishers, Dutton. This was the third book by the author I have reviewed and he has quickly become my favourite author of all things Wild West. If you’d like to know more, you can see the review here.

If you know someone who is just as interested in the Wild West, this is a great addition to their library. Please be aware though, that if, like me, you live in Britain, due to current issues of posting to America or out of America, it may take months. I had pre-ordered a physical copy as I knew I would want one, but on publication day on 11th November, I was sent an email saying it wouldn’t be with me until March-May 2026!

Uproar: Georgian Printmakers by Alice Loxton

I really love the Georgians and was very thrilled to have received this book for a Christmas present last year. I only got a chance to read it in the Spring though, but very glad I did! Alice Loxton in this very well written non-fiction book on the Georgian era satirical printmakers, Thomas Rowlandson, James Gillray and Isaac Cruickshank. I have seen many examples of the satirical prints they produced, but didn’t know anything about their processes or their lives. Loxton explains that’s because they have been hardly written about in their own right. This book does a brilliant job at fixing that and is very readable. I also reviewed it here.

Little Penguin Bookshop and A New Chapter at the Little Penguin Bookshop by Joanna Toye

I have decided to include the novels Little Penguin Bookshop and its sequel, A New Chapter at the Little Penguin Bookshop, in the same listing as I read them one after the other, which felt as if you were continuing the same story. They focus on Carrie, a young woman who sets up a small bookshop selling Penguin books on her town’s railway station during the Second World War. They are probably the books I’ve enjoyed most this year as they are full of loveable characters, community and of course, a bit of love too. I found them very readable and definitely hard to put down. I have been recommending these two lots of people I know and will continue to recommend. If you want to know more about some of the characters, then do take a look at this review here.

Mistress Cromwell by Carol Mcgrath

This is another fiction novel. If you know anyone who’s a fan of Wolf Hall, then this is probably a good book for them. It is the story of Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Cromwell, and what her life was like both before and after her marriage to Cromwell. Little is known about the facts of Elizabeth’s life, other than she was married before Cromwell. I personally loved this and it had a similar immersive feel to Wolf Hall, which made it feel like reading a period drama. If you have a Tudor fan in your life, or someone, like me, who isn’t that keen on the Tudors, but loves Wolf Hall, this is the book for them!

Derbyshire Fighter Aces of World War Two by Barry M Marsden

Until earlier this year, I would have said that this wasn’t my kind of book. It’s only after a visit to the Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge in Kent that I’ve become interested in the Battle of Britain. I purchased this book from the museum shop as I couldn’t resist learning more about some of the World War Two pilots from my home county. I learnt so much about the men mentioned in it because sadly, I knew nothing of any of them. Coming to this as a newbie in terms of aviation, I didn’t entirely get some of the pilot jargon, but still enjoyed learning of the service, bravery and sacrifice of those involved. This edition was published in 2004, but there is an updated version I have managed to get my hands on called Portraits of Heroes: Derbyshire Fighter Pilots in the Second World War. I haven’t got a chance to read it yet, but I’m sure it’s just as good as the previous edition. I would certainly recommend this to anyone interested in the Second World War or aviation history. Both editions are readily available to buy online.

I have just started reading a Christmas themed historical romance novel set in the Second World War. I thought why not add it to this post, even if it’s not officially part of the list as I haven’t finished reading yet. I am quite enjoying it, so it feels apt. That book is Army Girls: Operation Christmas by Fenella J. Miller.

I haven’t read any books by the author before, but now realise just how many historical fiction books, including many series, she has written. This is a cute book based on Clara, who has joined the Auxiliary Transport Service, to prove how well she can drive. She’s confident and whilst there seems to be mishaps around her, you warm to her very quickly. It also helps there’s a handsome officer on the scene. I haven’t done too well with the Christmas romance books this year as I’ve read a lot I really didn’t like, but this had me hooked from the moment I started writing it. It has it all, humour, romance, a slight touch of feminism. Would highly recommend so far! I might even do a review of it in January, if I have a chance.

Finally, it’s time to add one final book that’s not officially part of this list: my own! Anthony Woodville: Sophisticate or Schemer is available to buy on Amazon and other good book retailers such as Waterstones. I can’t believe that in February, it will be two years old already. I would like to thank everyone who has purchased, read and reviewed this already. I certainly can’t believe people have enjoyed it after it took 9 years of work from the idea until publication.

If you know someone who’s a fan of Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen, either the books or the BBC adaptation from 2013, or even the Wars of the Roses era, this one is for you. I am very proud to have been the first person to bring Anthony Woodville (brother-in-law of Edward IV) to life in this full biography, showcasing his various activities, talents, and to bring all the aspects of his life together.