Reading is such a simple and inexpensive joy but if you're anything like me you sometimes struggle to find the time. With so much competition for our attention these days, from multiple streaming services to mobile gaming and social media, books are now competing with forces we'd barely even imagined a decade or two ago.

And with so much information not just available to us, but actively fighting for our attention at pretty much all times of the day and night, it's understandable if you don't always find the idea of sitting down to absorb yet more information appealing.

But there are lots of reasons to pick up a book instead of a phone — from learning something new to exploring a topic in depth or just enjoying a story for the entertainment and escapism it provides. On top of that, there is research to suggest you are actively improving your health by reading. Studies have shown that you activate more parts of your brain when reading, strengthening it and allowing you to process information better in future.

Other research has shown reading significantly reduces your stress levels, with blood pressure and heart rate falling after a few minutes of reading.

Of course, if you can really enjoy something while you're subconsciously making all these improvements then that's even better. And with that in mind, here are my recommendations for the best books I have read in the last five years. They were not necessarily all first published in the last five years but most are within that timeframe or not far outside it. They are a mixture of fiction and non-fiction — I think the benefits of both benefit you in different ways, all of which go that little bit towards making you a better person. If you enjoy the recommendations, please feel free to let me know and to share your favourites in the comments too.

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1. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, 2023

I can say with confidence that this book has been literally life-changing for me and, from what I can tell from the social media communities that have sprung up around it, thousands of others too. In the book, the NHS doctor and BBC science presenter looks in-depth at how much of the "food" we eat today is barely worthy of the name.

The book asks the important question: "Why do we all eat stuff that isn't food... and why can't we stop?" It is a staggering look at how a huge proportion of what we now eat (as much as 60% by some estimates) in developed western countries is ultra-processed and a long way from what our families were eating just a few decades ago. Dr van Tulleken looks at the chemical processes and indsutrial ingredients that go into our food, and how the obesity epidemic has exploded at the same time. It's jaw-dropping stuff. Buy it here.

2. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, 2019

This book is truly extraordinary. The chances are you know all about Jack the Ripper but (if you've not read this book) nothing of the women he murdered. This book sets out to change that. The level of research involved to piece together the lives of these five women, who lived and died in the 19th century, is staggering. In doing so, it gives them the identities, the histories and the personalities that they deserve but have never had. They lived, loved and were loved. They had been wives, mothers or both. They weren't just "Jack the Ripper's victims". As one critic described it, it is "urgent, eloquent, angry and beautifully put together". Buy it here.

3. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, 2021

This is another book that has taken almost superhuman levels of research. It tells the story of oxycontin, the legally-available drug that sparked an unprecedented epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States, and the family behind its creation, the Sackler family, one of the wealthiest and most secretive in America. Through their pharmaceutical firm, the Sacklers made billions as people became devastatingly addicted to, or killed by, oxycontin. Keefe received "several dozen letters and emails" from lawyers representing the family as he researched the book, which also goes to show it took extraordinary bravery as well as research. Buy it here.

4. In Memoriam by Alice Winn, 2023

Alice Winn's beautiful writing brings even more emotion to this hearbtreaking novel about the love between two young men (boys, really) during World War One. She tells the story from the perspectives both of the main characters but also the reports printed in their school newspaper. It was, in fact, reading an old school newspaper and finding real tributes from pupils to their brothers and friends who were dying in horrific numbers on battlefields across the Channel that gave Winn the idea for the story, which she tells in vivid, haunting language. Buy it here.

5. Brooklyn and Long Island by Colm Toibin, 2009 and 2024

These two novels follow Eilis Lacey as she leaves her small town in Ireland alone in the 1950s to make a new life in Brooklyn because those around her are convinced she faces better prospects than at home in Enniscorthy, whether she wants to go or not. It was the real-life experience of millions of people who emigrated from Europe to the USA in the 20th century and never saw their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers again. In Brooklyn, Eilis leaves behind the sister she adores, and the man she may have loved, and begins to build a new life in New York City.

The second novel starts 20 years later. Eilis' life, now in Long Island, is shattered by the actions of her husband and she returns to Ireland and the people she last saw two decades ago. It begins as a temporary visit but as she is reacquainted with those she once spent all her time with, she needs to decide if she will ever go back to the USA. Buy Brooklyn here and Long Island here.

6. How To Win The Premier League by Ian Graham, 2024

This is a football insider story unlike any other. Plenty of players and pundits have written autobiographies, but this is an insider account from the heart of one of the world's biggest football clubs which shows in fascinating detail just how much goes into achieving success.

Between 2012 and 2023 Graham worked as Liverpool Football Club's director of research, during which time the club won its first league title in 30 years. He and his team used astonishing levels of data to better understand almost every aspect of the game you can think of and led to the signings of both Jurgen Klopp and Mohammed Salah.

They also used data to uncover the truth about the effectiveness of set-pieces like corners and free-kicks and the real value of possession and home advantage. One especially intriguing segment shows just how many things need to go right to make the purchase of a player a successful one — and therefore how much it matters to choose based on evidence. Buy it here.

7. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall, 2021

This book is a fascinating look at how geography has shaped the fortunes of nations, how much they need to think about as a result, and how all that feeds into the global rivalries that shape our world, our headlines and all our fortunes as a result. For example, most of us probably never think of the Sahel in sub-Sarahan Africa. But its unique circumstances may be what causes the next refugee crisis in Europe.

Similarly, we may all assume that Australia cares far more about its relationship with the USA than China — but it's twice as far away and Australia very much needs to think about what happens should China decide to become more influential in the seas to its south (and Australia's north). The best thing about this book is how it tells complicated issues in a very accessible way. But it here.

8. The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 1992

Back to fiction, and The Secret History tells the story of a group of academically high-achieving students at an elite New England unviersity who share a terrible secret. It's another beautifully-written work of fiction (even if the regular references to Greek mythology went a long way over my head). It is by far the oldest book on this list but it has found a whole new generation of fans thanks to TikTok. Buy it here.

9. Putin's People by Catherine Belton, 2020

Like Empire of Pain and The Five (above), a truly outstanding level of research has gone into this book looking at the rise of Vladimir Putin through the KGB and into the role of one of the most influential people on the planet. That rise includes roles as an agent in Dresden and as the deputy mayor of St Petersburg. At every step, Putin and his network learned the skills that we see in their toolkit (and in the headlines) today, from money-washing and disinformation to blackmail and the relationships forged with other notorious organisations. It is a fearless piece of work. Buy it here.

10. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*** by Mark Manson, 2016

The attention-grabbing title might make you think this is a guide to nihilism but it's far from it. Manson's central point is that people need to focus on the important things in life and not stress about things that really aren't important, while accepting that there are things in life that we all just have to live with. Like many books written to try and help us live better lives, there is often one basic point turned into several thousand words. However, Manson does it in such an engaging way that you just have to keep reading.

There is one anecdote I don't think I'll ever forget: it's the true story of a guitarist kicked out of a band in its early days. The guitarist, Dave Mustaine, went on to found a globally successful new band which sold 20 million records. But Dave was reportedly never happy because the band he'd left went on to become Metallica, one of the biggest bands of all time. It's all just a question of perspective. Buy it here.