I've played VtMB and delved the wikis a bit but if I wanted to substantively flesh out my knowledge of the lore/setting which books should I be reading?
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I would also like some additional info not very familiar with the setting especially as the reboots etc are very confusing
From the novels I've read both in old and rebooted editions. I prefer the original clan novels, they are easiest obtainable from drivethroughrpg. I don't like the Saga novel where they bunched all the clan books into a massive tome, it feels disjointed when you read it. It's much better to read in their clan focused release order starting with Toreador.
It's not quite a novel but I've heard really good things about Damnation City, reading it might give you an idea about the kind of politics you'll have to deal with in Bloodlines 2.
It depends on what you're looking for. The novels are very much focused on the characters more than the wider world. The actual RPG gamebooks are more expensive but they do flesh out the setting.
When it comes to gamebooks, I'd have to recommend the Revised Edition Rulebook or the V5 Rulebook (especially since this appears to the be the Edition for the game). I know some will ask why V20 isn't also included, that's because V20 wasn't really written for new people as it was a celebration of VtM and expects readers to already be familiar with VtM. Yes, it does have information but only in the barest sense. While both Rev Ed and V5 present more information and do it in a lot more engaging way. For example the Rev Ed starts with a fluff bit where the reader is put in the role of what presumably is a mortal woman in a conversation with several century old vampire as he talks about himself, vampiric nature and society before ending with the reveal that he intends to Embrace her tonight hence why he's told her all this.
For information on the Clans, the Revised Edition Clan Books and V20 Lore of the Clans is the way to go. Some of the First Edition Clan Books aren't too bad but some are awful (like the utter garbage Malkavian Clan Book) and most have a lot of early edition weirdness that was later ironed out.
For the major Sects, the Revised Edition has the excellent Guide to the Camarilla/Sabbat/Anarchs books though keep in mind those are books from the early 2000s. V20 also has Anarchs Unbound which is a big update and improvement on Guide to the Anarchs.
If the V5 Anarch and Camarilla ever get redited and released again, I'd get those as well since again, V5 is the setting of the game.
There's also Beckett's Jyhad Diary which does explore a lot of the big events that happened in VtM through the eyes of Beckett as well as build up to some of the events in V5. It even brings up VtMB a couple times, including introducing us to the Twins' Sire. But at the same time it does talk a lot about the VtM metaplot and it can be easy to get lost if you don't know about those events already.
That's a Vampire: the Requiem book. That's set in a different universe, with a different kind of vampire. While it is an excellent book for city-building for the TT game, it's not really useful for teaching newcomers about VtM and it's setting.
When it comes to gamebooks, I'd have to recommend the Revised Edition Rulebook or the V5 Rulebook (especially since this appears to the be the Edition for the game). I know some will ask why V20 isn't also included, that's because V20 wasn't really written for new people as it was a celebration of VtM and expects readers to already be familiar with VtM. Yes, it does have information but only in the barest sense. While both Rev Ed and V5 present more information and do it in a lot more engaging way. For example the Rev Ed starts with a fluff bit where the reader is put in the role of what presumably is a mortal woman in a conversation with several century old vampire as he talks about himself, vampiric nature and society before ending with the reveal that he intends to Embrace her tonight hence why he's told her all this.
For information on the Clans, the Revised Edition Clan Books and V20 Lore of the Clans is the way to go. Some of the First Edition Clan Books aren't too bad but some are awful (like the utter garbage Malkavian Clan Book) and most have a lot of early edition weirdness that was later ironed out.
For the major Sects, the Revised Edition has the excellent Guide to the Camarilla/Sabbat/Anarchs books though keep in mind those are books from the early 2000s. V20 also has Anarchs Unbound which is a big update and improvement on Guide to the Anarchs.
If the V5 Anarch and Camarilla ever get redited and released again, I'd get those as well since again, V5 is the setting of the game.
There's also Beckett's Jyhad Diary which does explore a lot of the big events that happened in VtM through the eyes of Beckett as well as build up to some of the events in V5. It even brings up VtMB a couple times, including introducing us to the Twins' Sire. But at the same time it does talk a lot about the VtM metaplot and it can be easy to get lost if you don't know about those events already.
That's a Vampire: the Requiem book. That's set in a different universe, with a different kind of vampire. While it is an excellent book for city-building for the TT game, it's not really useful for teaching newcomers about VtM and it's setting.
Only fan fiction, as far as I'm aware, and I don't know where you could look for it.
Only the White Wolf Wiki. Everything else has to be paid for.
Other than that, if you have lore questions ask.