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Best non-fiction 2021: Memoir, essays, biographies and history, from Candice Brathwaite to Craig Brown

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Love , grief, sex, marriage , art, literature , family and nature: our favourite non-fiction reads this year cover a truly brain-expanding range of topics.

If you’re looking for something to get you thinking, here’s our edit of the very best non-fiction to read this year. Looking for a fiction fix? You can find our round-up of the best new novels here .

Real Estate by Deborah Levy

Deborah Levy’s ‘living autobiography’ series has become something of a talisman for many readers. The final instalment is full of evocative writing about food and travel, meditations on home and hard-won wisdom about being a female writer.

Buy it here

Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

After the death of her father last year, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie penned this powerful essay about loss. It’s both a tribute to him and a raw, articulate study of grief.

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

This intelligent study of love is full of clever nuggets that will have you underlining sentences and turning down the corners of pages. It combines interviews with interesting figures like Philippa Perry, Esther Perel and Lemn Sissay with the author’s own essays.

Everything Under the Sun by Molly Oldfield

What are toes for? And why can’t penguins fly? These are just a couple of the (actually very good) questions answered in this gorgeous compendium, full of curious queries from kids. QI Elf Molly Oldfield has based this book on her successful podcast, in which experts field questions from children. It’s accompanied by beautiful pictures by 12 different illustrators, and makes for a wonderful gift for families.

First Comes Love by Tom Rasmussen

What is marriage these days - a beautiful symbol of commitment, an excuse for a fancy party or an outdated patriarchal institution? Tom Rasmussen, who is queer, non-binary and in a relationship with a man, but grew up in a working class community where marriage was massively important, grapples with the question in this intriguing new book.

My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett

Georgia Pritchett is TV royalty - Succession, Veep, The Thick of It, Smack the Pony and Spitting Image are just a few of the shows she’s written for. We can probably consider her literary royalty now too, since her new memoir, documenting her struggles with anxiety, is already this year’s most Instagrammed book cover.

Oh What a Lovely Century! By Roderic Fenwick Owen

If you’ve got a penchant for posh goss, don’t miss this riotous memoir by Roderic Fenwick Owen, an Etonite who became a well-connected travel writer. Fans of Anne Glenconner’s Lady in Waiting will love it.

Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again by Katherine Angel

Best history books to expand your knowledge: Ancient Egypt to medieval witch hunts

Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler review: Thoughtful, but very dense indeed

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul: This drag queen does not care if you hate him

Buying a new car? Here's why Omoda needs to be on your radar

These excellent essays on female desire, consent and vulnerability are a must-read for anyone searching for a more nuanced perspective on sex in a post-#MeToo world. One of the most important books you’ll read all year.

Everybody by Olivia Laing

Olivia Laing uses psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich as the linchpin for this free-wheeling look at bodies and freedom . She stylishly skips from artists to thinkers to illuminate the subject in a way that makes your brain hum and always feels fun.

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

The remarkable life of Ruth Coker Burks is set for the big screen - next year, she’ll be played by Ruth Wilson in a new film. Before it arrives, read her memoir , in which she recounts how she cared for hundreds of men suffering from Aids in the 1980s, while she was a single mother in her twenties.

Many Different Kinds of Love by Michael Rosen

This deeply affecting record of Michael Rosen ’s experience of being hospitalised with Covid-19 might make you do a little sob. He spent a month in an induced coma, during which time nurses would write hopeful messages in a diary at the end of his bed. They are included here along with Rosen’s own memories, poems and illustrations by Chris Riddell.

One Two Three Four by Craig Brown

Craig Brown’s playful, collage-like style made his Princess Margaret biography, Ma’am Darling , a must-read. He uses a similar style for his story of the Beatles , which includes fan letters, diaries, interviews, news announcements and essays, and won him the Baillie Gifford Prize last year.

An Extra Pair of Hands by Kate Mosse

Kate Mosse is best known for her spell-binding historical novels and being the founder of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, but her foray into memoir is set to become an important read too. Here she writes with hope and humour about caring for her elderly parents and mother-in-law, showing that caring is a feminist issue.

Too Young Too Loud Too Different ed. Maisie Lawrence and Rishi Dastidar

Twenty years ago, poets Malika Booker and Roger Robinson set up a meeting place for poets at Booker’s kitchen in Brixton. From there grew a groundbreaking collective for writers who were marginalised elsewhere, known simply as Kitchen. A new anthology celebrating its work includes poems by Booker and Robinson as well as Inua Ellams, Warsan Shire, Kayo Chingonyi and Dean Atta.

Consumed by Arifa Akbar

This moving memoir by journalist Arifa Akbar is a touching love letter to her sister, who died from TB at the age of just 46. In it, Akbar recounts not only the bafflement of doctors throughout the ordeal but her journey to better understanding her sister’s life.

Chaise Lounge by Baxter Dury

Sex and drugs and rock and roll, sang Ian Dury, but not the school run. His son Baxter, also now a musician himself, has written a memoir about his bohemian upbringing, which Dury often disappeared from, leaving Baxter supervised by a depressed drug dealer called the Sulphate Strangler. A must-read for pop culture fans.

Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles

Nature writing lovers will adore this collection of lyrical essays from award-winning writer and poet Nina Mingya Powles. Traversing Borneo to New Zealand to North London, it explores what bodies of water have meant to her while navigating girlhood and growing up.

The Burning Man: The Ascent of DH Lawrence by Frances Wilson

At a time when it feels like we don’t always know what to do with the work of complex historical literary figures, this new biography looks past the noise around DH Lawrence to present an illuminating portrait of a contradictory man.

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

After his unputdownable Say Nothing, the story of a woman’s disappearance in 1970s Belfast, Patrick Radden Keefe unpicks the story of the Sackler family and their controversial fortune. Art galleries, prescription drugs and addiction combine in a shocking story that’s grippingly told.

Hype: How Scammers Took over the Internet by Gabrielle Bluestone

Has there ever been a better illustration of Instagram vs. reality than the hot mess that was Fyre Festival? If you can’t get enough of stories about grifters going viral, Hype should be next on your reading list.

Sista Sister by Candice Brathwaite

Candice Brathwaite follows her bestselling first book I Am Not Your Baby Mother with a series of wise, witty essays about the things she wishes she’d been told as a young black woman.

The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne

If your idea of Barbara Pym is a twee spinster novelist who had her ailing career saved by Philip Larkin, this new biography from Paula Byrne shows a very different side to her, including several passionate love affairs.

Landslide by Michael Wolff

Trump who? Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the news again, Michael Wolff brings dispatches from the final days of the Trump administration. And yes, it was as messy as it seemed on CNN .

All in It Together by Alwyn Turner 

Struggling to make sense of our divided society? You’ll find plenty of answers in Alwyn Turner’s highly accessible and very enjoyable history of England since the year 2000. He traces the warning signs of fragmented communities that eventually materialised as the Brexit vote, stopping to chart the cause célèbres and TV shows of the time too.

Lost in Work by Amelia Horgan

The pandemic blurred the boundaries between work and home for many of us, so this new book from Amelia Horgan feels timely. It promises to explain ‘how work stole our lives and what we can do about it’.

The Barbizon: The New York Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren

Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Grace Kelly and Liza Minnelli are just a few of the notable guests who have stayed at The Barbizon, an iconic women-only hotel in New York. Paulina Bren’s new history charts how it became an important place for women with ambition.

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Sun 19 May 2024

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The best non-fiction books of 2022, from Notes on Heartbreak to White Debt

Books have the power to change the way we see the world. anna bonet selects this year's mind-expanding must-reads.

Hysterical by Pragya Agarwal

Why are women more likely to be branded hysterical than men – and is there any truth to it? Behavioural scientist Agarwal debunks well-worn myths in this fascinating account of gendered emotions.

(Canongate, £16.99)

brother. do. you. love. me. by Manni & Reuben Coe

The title of this book is the disconcerting text Mannie received from his brother, who has Down’s Syndrome, which prompted his mission to remove him from the care system. An enriching read.

(Little Toller, £22)

About a Son by David Whitehouse

Morgan Hehir enjoyed football , the pub and making music – until he was stabbed to death by strangers. This is the story of his father’s reckoning with grief and search for justice – a desperately sad, yet rallying book.

(Phoenix, £16.99)

What We Want by Charlotte Fox Weber

Offering a fly-on-the-wall look at her therapy room, Fox Weber explores our 12 most common desires – from power to belonging. What We Want is one of those books that will make you look at your life (and self) anew.

(Wildfire, £20)

Happy Mind, Happy Life by Dr Rangan Chatterjee

From the renowned GP comes a book on happiness bursting with tips that are both genius and easy to implement, making it one of the most practical wellbeing books on the shelves.

(Penguin Life, £16.99)

How to Live When You Could Be Dead by Deborah James

You’d be hard pressed to find a single person who wasn’t moved by the story of Dame Deborah, who passed away this year from bowel cancer. Her legacy continues with this life-affirming book.

(Vermilion, £14.99)

Don’t Forget to Scream by Marianne Levy

Every person – parent or not – ought to read these first-person essays on modern motherhood . Beautifully written and searingly honest, the book propels silent truths to the fore.

(Phoenix, £14.99)

Let’s Talk by Nihal Arthanayake

While this book from the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter will teach you how to be a great conversationalist, its power extends beyond that, offering a path to effective dialogue in an increasingly divided world.

(Trapeze, £16.99)

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith

From managing anxiety to dealing with criticism, this is a toolkit of deceptively simple strategies for life’s troubles. Everyone could benefit from the wisdom of Dr Smith, a clinical psychologist.

(Michael Joseph, £16.99)

Bitch by Lucy Cooke

Chronicling examples of dominant, promiscuous, competitive and aggressive female species across the animal kingdom, Cooke turns everything you thought you knew about evolution and female biology upside-down.

(Doubleday, £20)

Sex Bomb by Sadia Azmat

Azmat is both a sex-loving comedian and a hijab-wearing Muslim. Sex Bomb is the wickedly entertaining story about marrying up these two factors – as well as an important stereotype-smashing read.

(Headline, £18.99)

The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight

A magnificent journey into fate, coincidence and prognostication, this is a deep-dive into the investigations of a psychiatrist who monitored people’s forebodings in the 60s.

(Faber, £14.99)

The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

This eye-opening read is an overdue revisionist history of art – ignoring the pale, male canon to celebrate female artists who have been overlooked for centuries.

(Hutchinson Heinemann, £30)

This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan

A heartbreaking account of what happened when The Split creator’s husband went into a coma, only to wake up and need round-the clock care – and also the joyful story of their lives together.

(John Murray, £14.99)

A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney

This tender memoir, about the actor losing his two-year-old son to a brain tumour, is achingly sad but his meditations on loss, family and hope are so profound you’ll come out the other side of this book a different person.

(Coronet, £16.99)

White Debt by Thomas Harding

After the author found out his family had made money from plantations worked on by enslaved people, he set about investigating Britain’s sinister and unspoken legacy of slavery in this vital read.

(W&N, £20)

Quilt on Fire by Christie Watson

Subtitled “The Messy Magic of Midlife”, nurse Christie Watson is deliciously funny and candid about life as a perimenopausal woman in all its (sweaty) glory. A book to gift all your sisters, mothers and friends.

(Chatto & Windus, £16.99)

The Life Inside by Andy West

West teaches philosophy in prisons – and learns a great deal himself about guilt, free will and forgiveness in doing so. A compassionate look at our justice system and the complexities of those behind bars.

(Picador, £16.99)

Notes on Heartbreak by Annie Lord

After reading this memoir, a raw dissection of Vogue columnist Lord’s break-up and everything that led up to it, your perception of love, life and starting afresh will be altered for the better.

(Orion, £16.99)

Raven Smith’s Men by Raven Smith

In weaving memoir with an exploration of modern masculinity, Vogue columnist Smith has produced a witty, highly readable collection in which he grapples between his love for, and dismay about, men.

(Fourth Estate, £14.99)

Takeaway by Angela Hui

Many of us feel a fondness toward our local takeaway but this memoir, recounting Hui’s childhood living above her family’s Chinese takeaway in rural Wales, will instil an even deeper appreciation.

The Go-Between by Osman Yousefzada

Yousefzada depicts his childhood growing up within a devout Pashtun patriarchal community amid the red-light district of 80s and 90s Birmingham with such vividness, it is as though you are there with him.

(Canongate, £14.99)

How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa

Journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner pens an astonishing account of holding truth to power, becoming enemy of the Philippines’ former president and facing a lengthy jail sentence.

(WH Allen, £20, out 17 Nov)

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21 of the best non-fiction books

From memoirs to self-help, you won't want to put them down.

While some prefer to be immersed in novels , the books we've selected below all have on thing in common - you'll want to read them cover to cover, just like a good fiction book.

From older classics like Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic to more recent gems such as I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Brathwaite, here are 20 of the best non-fiction books you can buy now.

HQ Quite by Claudia Winkleman

The broadcaster and Strictly star’s memoir sees her reflect on everything from parenting to the importance of a good eyeliner. 

Filled with wry humour and perfectly balanced with thoughtfulness and wisdom, reading  Quite makes you feel like you're having a good gossip with Claudia.

Bloomsbury Business Belonging: The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Work

This thought-provoking book couldn't be more timely. Looking at diversity, inclusion and equality in the work place, its authors explain why it's in everyone's interests to have a truly diverse work force and most especially a diverse leadership team. As well as a call to arms, the book offers a practical advice on how best to go about making such changes. A must-read for anyone in business. 

Simon & Schuster UK It Takes Blood and Guts by Skin

As a Black, gay woman fronting '90s rock band Skunk Anansie, Skin has broken her fair share of ground – but it has come at quite the personal cost. 

This is a story of resilience and courage, prejudice and passion.

Macmillan The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

There’s much more to Mariah than glitter, glamour and All I Want for Christmas Is You, as her first autobiography shows. 

Digging into both the triumphs and the trauma she’s experienced from her childhood to now, this one gives you an unfiltered glimpse into Mimi's world.

HarperCollins Life in Pieces by Dawn O'Porter

Dawn O'Porter's reflection on 2020 is poignant and funny. Written as a daily diary, it's more than just a Covid memoir; it's an intimate look at grief (having lost her friend Caroline Flack), parenting (particularly when it doesn't go so well) and strength ("When life was stripped right back to the bones, she writes in the introduction, 'I realised how strong my skeleton was.")

Fourth Estate How to Fail by Elizabeth Day

Inspired by her podcast of the same name, Elizabeth's book is an exploration of failure as a concept as well as a memoir of all the things that haven't gone right in her own life.

Comforting, uplifting, and filled with wisdom that we could all do with, this book is a true gem.

Quercus I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Brathwaite

This brilliant memoir about Black motherhood became an instant Sunday Times bestseller when it was released in May. 

Exploring everything from pregnancy to white privilege, Candice writes with vim in this book which is as much an astoundingly good read as it is an essential one. 

Hutchinson How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes

Journalist and co-host of the hit podcast The High Low releases her  brilliant debut book of essays this month. 

With her trademark wit, wisdom and warmth, Pandora seems to leave no stone of modern life unturned in this thought-provoking read.

Coming Undone: A Memoir by Terri White

From the outside, editor Terri White's life looked shiny and perfect, but inside she was falling apart. This exceptionally brave and brilliant memoir tells the story of how she picked up the pieces again.

Jonathan Cape The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood

Celebrity interviewer Sophie Heawood was living the high-life in Hollywood when she unexpectedly became pregnant. Her debut book recounts what followed - and how, on her return to London to single-handedly raise her daughter, she came to find true love as a mother.

As funny as it is moving, The Hungover Games is a gorgeous read.

Bloomsbury Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Reni Eddo-Lodge's bestselling book sparked a conversation that was long overdue.

Looking at everything from white allyship to the erasure of Black history, this is both a wake up call and a vital handbook that everyone should read. 

Yellow Kite Languages of Loss by Sasha Bates

Psychotherapist Sasha Bates went from expert to patient when she suddenly lost her husband Bill. A beautifully written and honest look at grief, this is an exceptional and much-needed book.

Fig Tree Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

This memoir spent weeks on end in the bestseller chart, and for a good reason. Alderton reflects on her twenties with such warmth, it's one of those books that makes you laugh as much as it makes you cry. 

Penguin Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Let Elizabeth Gilbert coax out your creativity and take you on a journey of self-discovery in the process. Brimming with wisdom, this book is a must for anyone who has a creative inkling. 

Simon & Schuster UK In Search of Silence by Poorna Bell

In 2015, author and journalist Poorna Bell lost her husband after he took his own life. Travelling across New Zealand and India, this is the story of how, piece by piece, she began rebuilding herself.

Picador Help Me! by Marianne Power

A funny, heart-warming read, Marianne Power tries one self-help book a month for a whole year to see what they can teach her. 

Bloomsbury Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal

Behavioural scientist, activist and writer Dr Pragya Agarwal carefully unpicks what unconscious bias is exactly and what we can do about it to create a fairer society. A fascinating and vital read.

Tinder Press I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

The bestselling novelist's foray into memoir was a successful one; telling the extraordinary story of her 17 brushes with death with astonishing heart.  

Bloomsbury Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

Feminism might have come a long way but it has even further to go, as this book digs into. This is essential reading that looks at how white feminism is neglecting marginalised communities, and what can be done about it.

Bantam Press Lift as You Climb by Viv Groskop

A handbook for every woman at any stage of her career , this brilliantly inspirational read from Viv Groskop explores how sisterhood intersects with ambition. 

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21 Fascinating Non-Fiction Books That Should Be On Your Radar This Autumn

Life Editor at HuffPost UK

A fascinating work of non-fiction has the ability to change the way we view the world – and there are plenty of new titles on sale.

The first Thursday of September has long been known as “Super Thursday” in UK publishing: the day in the calendar when the largest number of new releases hit shelves. It’s also Bookshop Day – a nationwide celebration of all high street bookshops, big and small – on October 9, making autumn an even better time to stock up.

To mark the most wonderful time of the year for bookworms, we asked a leading bookseller which new non-fiction titles they’re most excited to read. We’ve also added a few suggestions of our own. Happy reading!

10 books recommended by Kate McHale, non-fiction buyer at Waterstones .

Renegades – Barack Obama & Bruce Springsteen , £35 Penguin

“Following on from their brilliant podcast, Obama and Springsteen discuss life, music and America alongside an array of photos and archive material.”

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows – Ai Weiwei , £25 Vintage

“The seminal artist looks back at both his own life and that of his father to create a memoir that is both an intimate personal and family story and a powerful portrait of twentieth century China.”

Windswept and Interesting – Billy Connolly , £20 Hodder & Stoughton

“The first full-length autobiography from the comedy legend, recounting his tough early days and later rise to stardom – with the odd digression along the way…”

Don’t Laugh, It Will Only Encourage Her – Daisy May Cooper , £20 Penguin

“A warm, honest and hilarious autobiography from the star of This Country.”

And Away… – Bob Mortimer , £20 Simon & Schuster

“Irrepressibly funny autobiography from one of our best-loved comedians.”

Beautiful Country – Qian Julie Wang , £16.99 Penguin

“A lyrical memoir of a family’s life as undocumented migrants in America. Written from the author’s childhood perspective, it is a powerful read but one that is full of love and hope.”

Manifesto – Bernardine Evaristo , £14.99 Penguin

“A powerful and urgent manifesto on never giving up from the Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman Other.”

Storyland – Amy Jeffs , £20 Quercus

“A beautifully illustrated mythology of the British Isles that uncovers the founding legends of our islands and brings them vividly to life.”

Powers and Thrones – Dan Jones , £25 Head of Zeus

“An epic new history of the Middle Ages, which grippingly chronicles the forces that defined the period – and which would go on to shape ours.”

A Cook’s Book – Nigel Slater , £30 HarperCollins

“A collection of over 200 favourite recipes from a life in the kitchen.”

3 non-fiction titles the HuffPost UK team are excited about

Black Joy – Edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire , £14.99 Penguin

This uplifting and empowering anthology, edited by award-winning journalist Charlie Brinkhust-Cuff and up-and-coming talent Timi Sotire, sees 28 inspirational voices come together to celebrate being Black British, sharing their experiences of joy and what it means to them.

Rough – Rachel Thompson , £14.99 Vintage Publishing

Rough explores the narratives of sexual violence that we don’t talk about. Through powerful testimony from 50 women and non-binary people, this book shines a light on the sexual violence that takes place in our bedrooms and beyond, sometimes at the hands of people we know, trust, or even love. Read our interview with the author here.

The Transgender Issue – Shon Faye , £20 Penguin

Author Shon Faye reclaims the idea of the ‘transgender issue’ to uncover the reality of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society. The book is a manifesto for change, and “a call for justice and solidarity between all marginalised people and minorities”.

8 recommendations from Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at the Bookseller’s Association.

The Sweet Roasting Tin – Rukmini Iyer, £15.99 Penguin

“From the bestselling author of The Green Roasting Tin comes the last in the Roasting Tin series, offering seventy-five easy yet delicious one-tin bakes. I’m such a fan of this series. Anyone who follows me on Instagram knows I’ve been cooking my way through The Quick Roasting Tin page by page. I will definitely be adding this one to my collection.”

Amy Winehouse Beyond Black – Naomi Parry, £30 Thames & Hudson

“10 years after her untimely death, this affectionate and evocative visual celebration tells the definitive story of the life and career of Amy Winehouse through photographs, memorabilia and recollections of those whose lives she touched. A must-have for anyone who’s a Winehouse fan, and who isn’t?”

Outdoor Europe – DK Eyewitness Travel, £20 DK

“Epic adventures, incredible experiences and mindful escapes. Bursting with beautiful images, this inspirational book rounds up Europe’s most incredible outdoor experiences, covering everything from birdwatching and forest bathing to scuba diving and wild swimming. While holidays are on hold for me, and many others, I shall be doing some armchair travelling and planning for the future with this gorgeous DK title.”

Of This Our Country Acclaimed Nigerian writers on the home, identity and culture they know, £14.99 Harper Collins

“Within these pages, acclaimed and award-winning writers share memories and experiences of Nigeria that can be found nowhere else, bringing to the fore a country whose influence can be found everywhere. The cover is stunning and I can’t wait to read this one.”

The Storyteller – Dave Grohl, £16.99 Simon & Schuster

“I suspect this will be in many a stocking this Christmas and I for one know several people who would be thrilled to receive a copy. You only have to watch an interview with him to know that Dave Grohl is indeed a storyteller. Whether you are a Nirvana and Foo Fighters fan or not, I reckon this will be a great read. Available to pre-order from your local bookshop now.”

The Power of Geography – Tim Marshall, £14.99 Elliott & Thompson

“Marshall explores ten regions that are set to shape global politics in a new age of great-power rivalry: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and Space. Delivered with Marshall’s trademark wit and insight, this is an exploration of the power of geography to shape humanity’s past, present – and future. Tim’s books are a big hit with many of our members.”

Letters of Great Women – Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, £20 Welbeck Publishing

“A collection of the most inspiring, illuminating, poignant and compelling correspondence from remarkable women through history, including Greta Thunberg, Harriet Tubman and Jane Austen. I will definitely be gifting this one to my girlfriends.”

A Year Unfolding – Angela Harding £20 L ittle, Brown Book Group

“A beautifully illustrated guide to nature through the seasons by popular artist and printmaker, Angela Harding. The evocative imagery of the prose makes this a wonderful book for nature lovers everywhere. I’m a big fan of Angela’s work. Simply stunning!”

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The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2022

Featuring bob dylan, elena ferrante, kate beaton, jhumpa lahiri, kate beaton, and more.

We’ve come to the end of another bountiful literary year, and for all of us review rabbits here at Book Marks, that can mean only one thing: basic math, and lots of it.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be calculating and revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2022, in the categories of (deep breath): Fiction; Nonfiction; Memoir and Biography; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror; Short Story Collections; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature; and Literature in Translation.

Today’s installment: Nonfiction .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing  by Elena Ferrante, trans. by Ann Goldstein (Europa)

12 Rave • 12 Positive • 4 Mixed

“The lucid, well-formed essays that make up In the Margins  are written in an equally captivating voice … Although a slim collection, there is more than enough meat here to nourish both the common reader and the Ferrante aficionado … Every essay here is a blend of deep thought, rigorous analysis and graceful prose. We occasionally get the odd glimpse of the author…but mainly the focus is on the nuts and bolts of writing and Ferrante’s practice of her craft. The essays are at their most rewarding when Ferrante discusses the origins of her books, in particular the celebrated Neapolitan Novels, and the multifaceted heroines that power them … These essays might not bring us any closer to finding out who Ferrante really is. Instead, though, they provide valuable insight into how she developed as a writer and how she works her magic.”

–Malcolm Forbes ( The Star Tribune )

2. Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan (W. W. Norton)

14 Rave • 8 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Index here

“The cleverly punctuated title of Dennis Duncan’s book, Index, A History of the, should signal that this isn’t a dry account of a small cogwheel in the publishing machine. Instead, it is an engaging tale of the long search for the quickest way to find what you need in those big, information-rich things called books. It is indeed an adventure, and ‘bookish’ in the most appealing sense … Duncan goes into fascinating detail about all this—page numbers get an entire chapter of their own—with digressions into curious byways of booklore and literature … From ancient Egypt to Silicon Valley, Duncan is an ideal tour guide: witty, engaging, knowledgeable and a fount of diverting anecdotes. The book skews toward the literary, but anyone interested in the 2,200-year journey to quickly find what one needs in a book will be enlightened, and will never again take an index for granted. The well-designed book also includes nearly 40 illustrations. As might be expected, the index—created not by the author but by Paula Clarke Bain—is magnificent.”

–Steven Moore ( The Washington Post )

3. We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole (Liveright) 17 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan

“One of the many triumphs of Fintan O’Toole’s We Don’t Know Ourselves is that he manages to find a form that accommodates the spectacular changes that have occurred in Ireland over the past six decades, which happens to be his life span … it is not a memoir, nor is it an absolute history, nor is it entirely a personal reflection or a crepuscular credo. It is, in fact, all of these things helixed together: his life, his country, his thoughts, his misgivings, his anger, his pride, his doubt, all of them belonging, eventually, to us … O’Toole, an agile cultural commentator, considers himself to be a representative of the blank slate on which the experiment of change was undertaken, but it’s a tribute to him that he maintains his humility, his sharpness and his enlightened distrust …

O’Toole writes brilliantly and compellingly of the dark times, but he is graceful enough to know that there is humor and light in the cracks. There is a touch of Eduardo Galeano in the way he can settle on a telling phrase … But the real accomplishment of this book is that it achieves a conscious form of history-telling, a personal hybrid that feels distinctly honest and humble at the same time. O’Toole has not invented the form, but he comes close to perfecting it. He embraces the contradictions and the confusion. In the process, he weaves the flag rather than waving it.”

–Colum McCann ( The New York Times Book Review )

4. Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

14 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Super-Infinite here

“Rundell is right that Donne…must never be forgotten, and she is the ideal person to evangelise him for our age. She shares his linguistic dexterity, his pleasure in what TS Eliot called ‘felt thought’, his ability to bestow physicality on the abstract … It’s a biography filled with gaps and Rundell brings a zest for imaginative speculation to these. We know so little about Donne’s wife, but Rundell brings her alive as never before … Rundell confronts the difficult issue of Donne’s misogyny head-on … This is a determinedly deft book, and I would have liked it to billow a little more, making room for more extensive readings of the poems and larger arguments about the Renaissance. But if there is an overarching argument, then it’s about Donne as an ‘infinity merchant’ … To read Donne is to grapple with a vision of the eternal that is startlingly reinvented in the here and now, and Rundell captures this vision alive in all its power, eloquence and strangeness”

–Laura Feigel ( The Guardian )

5. Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh (Milkweed) 12 Rave • 7 Positive • 2 Mixed

“Can the Irish border be described as a ‘thin place’? Never have I read such an eloquent description for the omnipresent border in our psyche … Readers will draw their own meaning from Ní Dochartaigh’s words, and she allows space for them to ponder … This debut is not a memoir in the traditional sense; nor is it simply a polemic about the sectarian violence that tore through the author’s childhood in Derry; instead, it combines both of these elements under the insistent gaze of the poet-writer who is always keen to draw our attention to nature … Readers may be surprised at the depths that  Thin Places explores. Do not mistake its appreciation of the natural world for anything twee or solely comforting … This is not for the faint-hearted …

Ní Dochartaigh’s writing is generous and she leaves little for the reader to surmise in those dark days she describes in startling detail … The darkness in her subject matter lends itself to the light, however. The natural world at large is a balm for her … It might sound incongruous to write about the beauty of the whooper swan and the enduring effect of Troubles in the same paragraph, but Ní Dochartaigh’s manages it … This is a book full of hope found in dark places and it confronts some of the realities of the Irish border and the enduring effect it has on our lives.”

–Mia Colleran ( The Irish Independent )

6. Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri (Princeton University Press)

8 Rave • 14 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Lahiri mixes detailed explorations of craft with broader reflections on her own artistic life, as well as the ‘essential aesthetic and political mission’ of translation. She is excellent in all three modes—so excellent, in fact, that I, a translator myself, could barely read this book. I kept putting it aside, compelled by Lahiri’s writing to go sit at my desk and translate … One of Lahiri’s great gifts as an essayist is her ability to braid multiple ways of thinking together, often in startling ways … a reminder, no matter your relationship to translation, of how alive language itself can be. In her essays as in her fiction, Lahiri is a writer of great, quiet elegance; her sentences seem simple even when they’re complex. Their beauty and clarity alone would be enough to wake readers up. ‘Look,’ her essays seem to say: Look how much there is for us to wake up to.”

–Lily Meyer ( NPR )

7. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)

14 Rave • 4 Positive Watch an interview with Kate Beaton here

“It could hardly be more different in tone from [Beaton’s] popular larky strip Hark! A Vagrant … Yes, it’s funny at moments; Beaton’s low-key wryness is present and correct, and her drawings of people are as charming and as expressive as ever. But its mood overall is deeply melancholic. Her story, which runs to more than 400 pages, encompasses not only such thorny matters as social class and environmental destruction; it may be the best book I have ever read about sexual harassment … There are some gorgeous drawings in Ducks of the snow and the starry sky at night. But the human terrain, in her hands, is never only black and white … And it’s this that gives her story not only its richness and depth, but also its astonishing grace. Life is complex, she tell us, quietly, and we are all in it together; each one of us is only trying to survive. What a difficult, gorgeous and abidingly humane book. It really does deserve to win all the prizes.”

–Rachel Cooke ( The Guardian )

8. The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster)

10 Rave • 15 Positive • 7 Mixed • 4 Pan

“It is filled with songs and hyperbole and views on love and lust even darker than Blood on the Tracks … There are 66 songs discussed here … Only four are by women, which is ridiculous, but he never asked us … Nothing is proved, but everything is experienced—one really weird and brilliant person’s experience, someone who changed the world many times … Part of the pleasure of the book, even exceeding the delectable Chronicles: Volume One , is that you feel liberated from Being Bob Dylan. He’s not telling you what you got wrong about him. The prose is so vivid and fecund, it was useless to underline, because I just would have underlined the whole book. Dylan’s pulpy, noir imagination is not always for the squeamish. If your idea of art is affirmation of acceptable values, Bob Dylan doesn’t need you … The writing here is at turns vivid, hilarious, and will awaken you to songs you thought you knew … The prose brims everywhere you turn. It is almost disturbing. Bob Dylan got his Nobel and all the other accolades, and now he’s doing my job, and he’s so damn good at it.”

–David Yaffe ( AirMail )

9. Stay True by Hua Hsu (Doubleday)

14 Rave • 3 Positive Listen to Hua Hsu read an excerpt from Stay True here

“… quietly wrenching … To say that this book is about grief or coming-of-age doesn’t quite do it justice; nor is it mainly about being Asian American, even though there are glimmers of that too. Hsu captures the past by conveying both its mood and specificity … This is a memoir that gathers power through accretion—all those moments and gestures that constitute experience, the bits and pieces that coalesce into a life … Hsu is a subtle writer, not a showy one; the joy of Stay True sneaks up on you, and the wry jokes are threaded seamlessly throughout.”

–Jennifer Szalai ( The New York Times )

10. Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos (Catapult)

13 Rave • 2 Positive • 2 Mixed Read an excerpt from Body Work here

“In her new book, Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative , memoirist Melissa Febos handily recuperates the art of writing the self from some of the most common biases against it: that the memoir is a lesser form than the novel. That trauma narratives should somehow be over—we’ve had our fill … Febos rejects these belittlements with eloquence … In its hybridity, this book formalizes one of Febos’s central tenets within it: that there is no disentangling craft from the personal, just as there is no disentangling the personal from the political. It’s a memoir of a life indelibly changed by literary practice and the rigorous integrity demanded of it … Febos is an essayist of grace and terrific precision, her sentences meticulously sculpted, her paragraphs shapely and compressed … what’s fresh, of course, is Febos herself, remapping this terrain through her context, her life and writing, her unusual combinations of sources (William H. Gass meets Elissa Washuta, for example), her painstaking exactitude and unflappable sureness—and the new readers she will reach with all of this.”

–Megan Milks ( 4Columns )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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21 best new books to read in summer 2024, from historical fiction to romance novels

Discover debut novelists and immersive page-turners from acclaimed authors this season, article bookmarked.

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As we eagerly await stretching out on a sun lounger with a good book in the summer, the spring months offer ample opportunity to power through your reading pile with some of the best new releases for 2024.

Whether you have a penchant for a crime caper or love reading a romantic romp, lighter evenings, bank holidays and lazy weekends are made better with a good book (or two).

From immersive historical epics to novels that transport you to warmer climes, the main criteria for a good spring book is simple: you won’t want to put it down. Luckily, new releases leave you spoiled for choice. From romance novels to Booker Prize-nominated tomes and laugh-out-loud stories, the mix is as eclectic as ever.

This year’s reading pile sees plenty of acclaimed debuts from the likes of Madeleine Grey, Maud Ventura and Alice Winn, as well as eagerly anticipated titles from acclaimed authors such as Kiley Reid, Paul Murray, Dolly Alderton, Zadie Smith and Andrew O’Hagan.

The varied authorship is reflected in the diverse themes addressed, ranging from an Irish family in turmoil and love in the trenches of the First World War to slavery in the Caribbean, and dating across the political spectrum and dark domestic dramas.

Related stories

How we tested the best new books.

We’ve read dozens of new releases over the last year, including both hardbacks and paperbacks. This list includes the best original page-turners with superb quality prose and the most captivating stories that stayed with us after we’d reached the end. From books for history lovers to romance novels, witty romantic comedies and acclaimed prize-winners, there’s something for every type of reader.

The best new books to read in 2024 are:

• Best new release – Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan, published by Faber & Faber: £18.40, Amazon.co.uk
• Best family saga – The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, published by Hamish Hamilton: £15.69, Amazon.co.uk
• Best literary thriller – Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang, published by The Borough Press: £11.60, Amazon.co.uk
• Best war novel – In Memoriam by Alice Winn, published by Viking: £13.19, Amazon.co.uk 
• Best subversive romance novel – Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess: £11.99, Amazon.co.uk

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Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan, published by Faber & Faber

• Best : New book release
• Genre : Social satire
• Release date : 4 April 2024

Andrew O’Hagan (author of the beloved book Mayflies ) is back with his latest novel: Caledonian Road . A vast state-of-the-nation novel that jumps between characters and social worlds, the book’s near-700 pages contain Dukes and Duchesses, drill groups, refugees, journalists, students and more – painting a vivid picture of our post-pandemic, post-Brexit times.

Campbell Flynn is a well-known art historian who now mixes with the upper echelons, despite his Scottish tenement upbringing. As both his material and mental state become increasingly fragile, O’Hagan pays just as much attention to the wider cast of characters, from Milo, a young computer hacker, to Flynn’s publically disgraced old university friend and bitter sitting tenant (the book even comes with a cast list so you don’t lose track). A novel that’s just as much about the city of London and the fall of a man as it is a biting satire on modern society, class and politics, Caledonian Road is a masterful feat of storytelling.

• Kindle: £9.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Audible: £24.87, Amazon.co.uk

‘The Bee Sting’ by Paul Murray, published by Hamish Hamilton

• Best : Family saga
• Genre : Comedy drama
• Release date : 8 June 2023 (hardback), 2 May 2024 (paperback)

Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting is a tour de force of fiction. The Barnes, a once-well-off Irish family, are in the midst of emotional and financial strain. Set during turbulent months in their claustrophobic town (think floods, droughts and the aftermath of recession), Murray expertly gives us each family member’s perspective of the same events – with flashbacks unravelling an intricate story of betrayal, crime and lust.

Profound on the human condition, utterly gripping and peppered with comedy, Murray’s novel is a must-read this year.

• Apple Books: £9.99, Apple.com
• Audible: £14.87, Amazon.co.uk

‘Good Material’ by Dolly Alderton, published by Fig Tree

• Best : Comedy novel
• Genre : Comedy
• Release date : 9 November 2023 (hardback), 1 August 2024 (paperback)

Some writers suffer from second-novel syndrome, but not Dolly Alderton. The author and columinist’s second book Good Material is a cliché-avoiding break-up novel, in the vein of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity .

Told through the eyes of recently dumped Andy, we follow him as he grapples with single life after his girlfriend realised she wanted to be alone. This in itself is a powerful narrative, with Alderton making a case for the happy and single 30-something woman.

Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny – with characters straight out of a Richard Curtis film (the elderly lodger who’s prepping for doomsday is a highlight) – whipsmart dialogue and relatable millennial themes (Alderton’s forte) mean there’s never a dull moment. Despite it being a pleasingly easy read (we tore through it in a single day), Good Material still manages to be thought-provoking and wise.

• Audible: £11.37, Amazon.co.uk

‘Yellowface’ by Rebecca F Kuang, published by The Borough Press

• Best : Literary thriller
• Genre : Thriller
• Release date : 25 May 2023 (hardback), 9 May 2024 (paperback)

A satire of the publishing industry and brazen exploration of cancel culture, Rebecca F Kuang’s literary heist Yellowface is one the most gripping books of the year. It begins with the freak accident death of young, famed writer Athena Liu (she chokes on pancake mixture, setting the preposterous tone for the rest of the book), witnessed by her sometimes-friend and aspiring (currently failing) novelist June Hayward.

After June steals Athena’s unfinished manuscript and publishes it under her own name to acclaim, she is thrown into the fame, money and relevance she’s always desired. But when her secret threatens to become known, June must decide how far she will go to maintain her reputation. Addictive and uncomfortable, with plenty of savagely funny moments, Kuang’s novel is a must-read.

• Apple Books: £4.99, Apple.com
• Kindle: £7.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Audible: £11.38, Amazon.co.uk

‘Green Dot’ by Madeleine Grey, published by W&N

• Best : Affair novel
• Genre : Romance
• Release date : 1 February 2024

There’s nothing new about an affair novel – but, testament to Madeleine Grey’s writing, Green Dot is fresh and modern. Hera, a 24-year-old, has just started an admin job at a newspaper, where she meets Arthur. Older, more senior and attractive, Hera distracts herself from the boredom of her day-to-day life by crashing headfirst into a workplace romance.

When she discovers he’s married, the illicit affair consumes her life. Part Bridget Jones , part Fleabag , Green Dot is funny, fast-paced and witty, with plenty of relatable millennial and Gen Z references (and not to mention a painfully relatable lockdown passage). We tore through it.

• Audible: £7.99, Amazon.co.uk

‘Come and Get It’ by Kiley Reid, published by Bloomsbury publishing

• Best : Society satire
• Release date : 30 January 2024

Kiley Reid’s debut Such a Fun Age was a runaway success in 2020. Now she’s back with Come and Get It , a page-turning take on money and power dynamics. Desperate to get on the property ladder, graduate and land a good job, Millie is working as a student advisor and living in dorms. Meanwhile, visiting professor and writer Agatha is doing research for a new book and wants to interview some of the students in Millie’s dorm.

Jumping at the chance to increase her income, Millie agrees, and the two women become embroiled in a world of student angst, pranks, and theatrics. Despite the story rarely leaving campus grounds, the novel has a gripping wide scope that explores society’s obsession with money, desire, and consumption.

• Apple Books: £10.99, Apple.com
• Kindle: £7.97, Amazon.co.uk
• Apple Books:  £8.99,  Apple.com

‘In Memoriam’ by Alice Winn, published by Viking

• Best : War novel
• Genre : Historical fiction
• Release date : 9 March 2023 (hardback), 24 February 2024 (paperback)

Beginning in a private boarding school for boys, before taking us to the horror of the trenches during World War One, Alice Winn’s blistering debut is an unforgettable read. We’re first introduced to the book’s central figures – Gaunt and Ellwood – in 1914, when both schoolboys are secretly in love with each other. When half-German Gaunt is pressured by his mother to enlist in the British army, he is relieved to run away from his forbidden feelings for his best friend. But when the true terror of the war is revealed to him, he is soon devastated when Ellwood and other classmates follow him to the Western Front.

A love story set against the tragedies of war, Winn’s rousing writing transports you to the trenches, where an entire generation of lost men are brought to vivid life – the characters will stick with you, long after the final page.

• Apple Books: £7.99, Apple.com

‘The Fraud’ by Zadie Smith, published by Hamish Hamilton

• Best : Novel about real people
• Genre : Historical
• Release date : 7 September 2023 (hardback), 6 June 2024 (paperback)

Zadie Smith’s first foray into historical fiction, The Fraud is based on true events and juxtaposes a portrait of Victorian life and slavery in the Caribbean. The titular fraud in question is the Tichborne Claimant – a butcher who claimed to be an aristocratic heir in an 1873 trial that gripped the country. Real-life cousin and housekeeper to the largely forgotten novelist William Ainsworth, Smith reimagines Eliza Touchet’s mostly unknown life and her fascination with the case and its prime witness, an ageing Black man named Andrew Bogle.

The author’s version of Bogle’s backstory provides most of the second half of the book, beginning with his father’s abduction in the 1770s to the Hope Plantation in Jamaica. Affecting and devastating, it’s in stark contrast to the humdrum domestic middle-class Victorian life also explored. In typical Zadie style, the narrative structure and decade leaping require you to pay attention – but you’re heavily rewarded with the sheer breadth of the novel and its vividly painted characters.

‘The List’ by Yomi Adegoke, published by Fourth Estate

• Best : Buzzy summer book
• Genre : Relationships, social media
• Release date : 20 July 2023 (hardback), 25 April 2024 (paperback)

The book that everyone was talking about last year, Slay In Your Lane writerYomi Adegoke’s debut novel is so buzzy that an HBO TV adaptation is already in the works. Podcaster Michael and journalist Ola are a young couple on the cusp of marriage when their world is blown apart by allegations of abuse made against Michael online in “The List”.

Having made a career of exposing such men, Ola is torn between believing Michael’s innocence or supporting the women who anonymously submitted their stories to the list. Thought-provoking and topical in its exploration of life both online and offline, and the fallout of cancel culture, it’s written with sharp insight and is impossible to put down. The hype is real.

• Kindle: £4.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Apple Books: £11.99, Apple.com

‘Big Swiss’ by Jen Beagin

• Best : Sex comedy
• Genre : Dark comedy
• Release date : 18 May 2023 (hardback), 7 December 2023 (paperback)

A sex comedy with darkness at its centre, Jen Beagin’s latest novel is narrated by Greta, a 45-year-old who lives in a decrepit Dutch farmhouse and transcribes for a sex therapist. Knowing everyone’s secrets in the small town of Hudson is no problem when you’re a relative recluse – that is until she bumps into Flavia, aka Big Swiss, her nickname for the 28-year-old married Swiss woman who suffered a terrible beating that she regularly transcribes (and is infatuated with).

Their dog park meeting leads to a passionate relationship with both women trying to escape their own traumas. Greta’s mother committed suicide when she was 13 years old while Flavia’s attacker has just been released from prison. An off-kilter romance with lashings of psychological thriller, darker moments are balanced with Beagin’s witty writing, idiosyncratic characters and laugh-out-loud passages. Naturally, there’s already an HBO adaptation starring Jodie Comer in the works.

• Apple Books: £8.99, Apple.com

‘Everything’s Fine’ by Cecilia Rabess, published by Simon & Schuster

• Best : Subversive romance novel
• Release date : 8 June 2023 (hardback), 6 June 2024 (paperback)

A subversive love story set against the political polarisation of America, Cecilia Rabess’s Everything’s Fine is a funny and punchy debut. Jess – Black and liberal – immediately dislikes her Ivy League college classmate Josh – white and conservative – but when they find themselves working in the same company after graduating, a cantankerous friendship turns into a passionate relationship.

Set against the backdrop of Trump’s presidential campaign, the novel explores if ideological opposites can be together – with its most heated moments taking place over arguments about Maga hats, wealth inequality and wokeism. Commenting perceptively on politics and economics, Rabess’s writing is just as enthralling on lust and sex. Concluding on the eve of the 2016 election, the novel questions whether love really can conquer all. We tore through it in two sittings.

• Apple Books: £0.99, Apple.com

‘The Fetishist’ by Katherine Min, published by Fleet

• Best : Revenge fantasy
• Genre : Darkly comic/romance
• Release date : 29 February 2024

Sadly, Katherine Min’s darkly comic novel The Fetishist was published posthumously following her death from cancer in 2019. The partially finished manuscript was edited and finished by her daughter, which adds to the poignancy of the novel. A riff on Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita , the story is told from three perspectives: Daniel, an ageing violinist who fetishizes Asian woman; Alma, a prodigal cellist with a terminal diagnosis and the love of Daniel’s life; and Kyoko, a mid-Twenties punk singer who is seeking revenge on Daniel for driving her mother to her death through suicide.

Part revenge fantasy and part decade-spanning love story, it gives narrative control to the wronged women (unlike Lolita ) with the story seeing Daniel forced to reckon with his fetishisation. Exploring race and sexual politics, forgiveness and desire, the book is hilariously funny and often sexy, all while being deeply thought-provoking.

• Audible: 99p, Amazon.co.uk

‘Crook Manifesto’ by Colson Whitehead, published by Fleet

• Best : Best crime novel
• Genre : Crime, historical
• Release date : 18 July 2023 (hardback), 18 July 2024 (paperback)

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead is back with the second instalment to his New York crime trilogy. First introduced in 2021’s Harlem Shuffle , furniture salesman and ex-fence Ray Carney returns to the criminal underbelly of the city in Crook Manifesto , in a bid to secure Jackson 5 tickets (which were like gold dust in 1971) for his daughter.

Jumping through the years up to 1976, Whitehead casts a satirical eye on New York during the tumultuous decade, touching on everything from police corruption and the Black Liberation Army to Blaxploitation. Blending family drama with history and culture, the sequel has the feel of a Quentin Tarantino movie and we were hooked.

‘Romantic Comedy' by Curtis Sittenfeld, published by Doubleday

• Best : Rom-com
• Genre : Romantic comedy
• Release date : 6 April 2023 (hardback), 28 March 2024 (paperback)

Having previously given voice to President’s wives in the acclaimed American Wife and Rodham , Curtis Sittenfeld has set her sights on the comedy world in her latest novel – aptly named Romantic Comedy . Protagonist Sally is a successful writer at a Saturday Night Live -inspired sketch show, and has, thus far, been unlucky in love. When she meets pop idol Noah Brewster on the show in 2018, she develops a school-girl crush that challenges her cynicism about love.

Picking up the story two years later, in 2020, during the pandemic, the two reconnect over email (this section is stellar) and meet up in LA.

Sittenfeld explores the world of celebrity, modern dating, lockdown and Covid-19 with wit, humour and often profundity. A light-hearted page-turner that’s funny, romantic and heartwarming.

• Kindle: £8.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Apple Books:  £7.99,  Apple.com
• Audible:  £11,37,  Amazon.co.uk

‘Ordinary Human Failings’ by Megan Nolan, published by Vintage

• Best : Best family drama
• Genre : Crime
• Release date : 13 July 2023 (hardback), 4 April 2024 (paperback)

Megan Nolan’s Acts of Desperation was one of our favourite reads last year and we loved the writer’s second novel just as much. A unique take on the crime genre, Ordinary Human Failings marks a dramatic departure from the tone and plot in Nolan’s debut. Set in the 1990s in London, tabloid journalist Tom Hargreaves believes he’s stumbled upon a career-making scoop when a child is murdered on a housing estate.

As fingers start pointing towards a family of Irish immigrants, the Greens family, Tom hunkers down with them to drive into their history. At the centre of the family is Carmel, a beautiful yet mysterious young mother, who is forced to reckon with how her 10-year-old daughter is implicated in a murder investigation. Tom’s probing soon reveals the regrets, secrets and silences that have trapped the Greens for decades. Intriguing and vast in scope, it’s an old-fashioned page-turner.

‘The Happy Couple’ by Naoise Dolan, published by Orion Publishing

• Best : Anti-romance novel
• Genre : Comedy/satire
• Release date : 25 May 2023 (hardback), 25 April 2024 (paperback)

Naoise Dolan’s follow-up to 2020’s Exciting Times, this book is infused with the same biting social commentary and humour. A satirical spin on the marriage genre, it follows late-20-somethings Luke and Celine – both of whom think the other is out of love with them – on the cusp of their wedding day. Whether they’ll make it to the end of the aisle or not forms the tension of the novel.

Switching perspectives between their nearest and dearest, from best man Archie (Luke’s ex and sometimes-lover) to Celine’s sister (suspicious of Luke’s frequent disappearances), Dolan explores the anxieties of modern love. A wedding novel permeated by emotional turmoil rather than romance, its self-aware characters and comedic-timing cement Dolan as one of the sharpest writers around.

‘Penance’ by Eliza Clark, published by Faber & Faber

• Best : Fictional non-fiction book
• Release date : 6 July 2023 (hardback), 2 May 2024 (paperback)

A fictional story told in the manner of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Eliza Clark’s Penance delves into the grisly torture and murder of 16-year-old Joan Wilson on the eve of the Brexit referendum in the seaside town of Crow. Three years after the murder, obsession with true crime is at an all-time high and an American podcast draws awareness to the case.

Ex-tabloid hack Alec Z Carelli sets out to write the “definitive account” of the murder – which was committed by three school girls – through eyewitness accounts, interviews and correspondence. Living in the town, exploring its history and its people, Carelli recounts the lives of the teenage murderers and the sinister world of online true-crime fandoms. As well as questioning Carelli’s morality in exploiting a horrific murder for his own career, Clark questions society’s preoccupation with gruesome true crime. Unnerving, superbly written and engrossing, the ending is pitch perfect.

• Apple Books: £12.99, Apple.com

‘The Only One Left’ by Riley Sager, published by Hodder & Stoughton

• Best : Gothic thriller
• Genre : Crime, mystery
• Release date : 4 July 2023 (hardback), 28 December 2024 (paperback)

In 1929, three members of the Hope family were murdered in their clifftop mansion. Decades later, the book’s protagonist Kit McDeere takes on a job caring for Lenora Hope who has been in the house ever since and is the only remaining member of the Hope family. She also happens to be the one accused of carrying out the murders.

This book is breathtakingly twisty and while the mystery unravels, the claustrophobia becomes almost unbearable as the Hope’s End mansion itself begins succumbing to the sea and crumbling like the cliffs. We found ourselves literally gasping out loud as secrets were revealed. The Only One Left is a Gothic thriller, with horror elements and is perfect for cosying up with as autumn turns to winter.

• Apple Books:  £4.99,  Apple.com
• Kindle:  £4.99,  Amazon.co.uk
• Apple Books:  £9.99,  Apple.com
• Audible:  £11.37,  Amazon.co.uk

‘My Husband’ by Maud Ventura, published by Hutchinson Heinemann

• Best : Domestic thriller
• Genre : Domestic noir, thriller
• Release date : 27 July 2023 (hardback), 2 May 2024 (paperback)

Obsessed with her husband, the main character of this dark domestic drama spends her days over-analysing her husband’s words, agonising over perceived slights and fantasising about imagined scenarios that send her swirling into flights of jealousy and passion. Her deep obsession eclipses everything else in her life including her relationship with her children, her work and her friendships.

Her roller-coaster of emotions and unhinged antics are fascinating to follow and we found ourselves devouring this darkly humorous work in less than two days. This fresh and easy-to-read book is translated from French by Emma Ramadan.

‘Kala’ by Colin Walsh, published by Atlantic Books

• Best : Coming of age thriller
• Genre : Drama, crime
• Release date : 6 July 2023 (hardback), 4 July 2024 (paperback)

A group of six friends living in a small Irish seaside town are inseparable until one day, Kala goes missing. Fifteen years later, three of the friends are back in Kinlough and human remains are found in the woods nearby, bringing the past screaming back.

Jumping between the time when the group was in secondary school and the present day, the mystery slowly unravels as we explore the heavy family traumas and broken friendships from the past. A complicated small-town community is the claustrophobic backdrop to the story which creates a refreshing mixture of family drama and crime thriller.

The story is told from the point of view of three of Kala’s friends who come back together and delve into the past to try and make sense of Kala’s death. There’s the loyal Mush who has always been in Kinlough, working in his mother’s cafe, hiding his mysterious facial scars from the world. Helen is the hard-headed former best friend of Kala who is now a journalist and is in town for her father’s impending wedding. And Joe, who is now a world-famous musician, has a hometown residency in a local bar, and is trying to reconnect to his old friends.

The use of three distinct narrative voices is well executed with clues cleverly revealed via the three protagonists and concludes with a major twist that you won’t see coming.

• Apple Books: £5.99, Apple.com
• Kindle: £4.68, Amazon.co.uk
• Audible: £15.74, Amazon.co.uk

‘The Guest’ by Emma Cline, published by Vintage Publishing

• Best : Stylish novel
• Release date : 18 May 2023 (hardback), 20 May 2024 (paperback)

A follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Girls , Emma Cline’s The Guest follows 22-year-old escort Alex as she drifts from pool to beach during a chaotic week in sun-drenched Long Island. Cast out by the older man she was staying with, instead of returning to the city, she stays on the island and adapts to survive – believing they can be romantically reunited five days later at his Labor Day party.

In each encounter with individuals, groups at parties or old acquaintances, she leaves disaster in her wake. Though the story is a simple premise, each page is loaded with tension and risk, thanks to Cline’s stylistic writing. The poetic form and metaphorical use of water (swimming is survival) adds to the novel’s hazy feel. The Guest is also a deft exploration of social mobility, as Alex navigates the class system of Long Island.

The verdict: Best novels to read 2024

Andrew O’Hagan’s Caledonian Road is storytelling at its best. Vast in scope, the social satire is a biting tragicomedy about British society, class, politics and money.Moving, witty and funny, Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting will similarly keep you gripped until the very last page.

Zeitgeist-y and engrossing, Rebecca K Kuang’s Yellowface is the perfect literary thriller for diving into this spring while Dolly Alderton’s Good Material is funny and wise. For a historical tome that will linger long in your mind, pick up In Memoriam by Alice Winn .

Discover more great authors and books you’ll love in our fiction review section

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Stylist’s pick of the best non-fiction for 2024

• Entertainment

The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

T he best nonfiction books of the year dug deep, mining both personal and global history to uncover essential truths. John Vaillant captured the horrors of a wildfire to study the consequences of climate change. Matthew Desmond dissected how poverty persists in the United States and made a compassionate call for greater equity. Tracy K. Smith detailed her complicated mission to learn more about her ancestry and urged us to examine whose stories we deem worth preserving. Their books are among the most impactful nonfiction published in 2023. Here, the 10 best books of the year.

More: Read TIME's lists of the best songs , albums , movies , TV shows , podcasts and video games of 2023.

10. King, Jonathan Eig

In the first major biography of Martin Luther King Jr . in decades, journalist Jonathan Eig paints a complex and fully human portrait of an American leader. Drawing on newly released FBI files, telephone transcripts, and more, Eig presents King like he’s never been seen before. The author unveils this research in fresh and exciting turns, unpacking the activist’s public work alongside his private life. King is a nuanced new look at a civil rights icon.

Buy Now: King on Bookshop | Amazon

9. Fire Weather , John Vaillant

At the center of John Vaillant’s Fire Weather is a horrific real-life story that serves as a deafening wake-up call. The book traces the events of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, in which 88,000 Canadians were displaced after their homes and neighborhoods were destroyed in a fiery blaze over the course of just one afternoon. In describing the natural disaster, Vaillant breaks down the science in accessible terms and offers an important account of the consequences of climate change.

Buy Now: Fire Weather on Bookshop | Amazon

8. Liliana's Invincible Summer , Cristina Rivera Garza

For three decades, poet Cristina Rivera Garza has been haunted by her sister’s murder. In July 1990, Liliana, an architecture student living in Mexico City who loved swimming and cinema, was killed. Though an arrest warrant was filed for Liliana’s ex-boyfriend, he disappeared during the investigation. So, in 2019, Rivera Garza decided to seek answers to what happened to her beloved sister herself. She recounts her quest for information and justice, and uses her sister’s story to tell a larger one about domestic violence and femicide .

Buy Now: Liliana's Invincible Summer on Bookshop | Amazon

7. Poverty, By America , Matthew Desmond

In 2017, sociologist Matthew Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize for Evicted, which analyzed why so many American families were facing eviction in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. His latest book revisits similar themes, this time focusing on why poverty is so prevalent in the U.S . With an empathetic hand, he writes about the systems that keep Americans from living above the poverty line, and implores us all to fight for ways to bring prosperity to the masses.

Buy Now: Poverty, By America on Bookshop | Amazon

More: The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023

6. How to Say Babylon, Safiya Sinclair

As a child growing up in Jamaica, Safiya Sinclair had to adhere to her Rastafarian father’s strict rules, which governed everything from the clothes she wore to the people she was allowed to see. But the author managed to educate herself on other ways of living and decided to use her voice to break free. In her memoir, Sinclair captures her turbulent coming of age, and how she grappled with realizing that the traditions she was raised in were suffocating her. The result is a moving portrait of a woman’s self-empowerment.

Buy Now: How to Say Babylon on Bookshop | Amazon

5. You Could Make This Place Beautiful , Maggie Smith

After her marriage falls apart, Maggie Smith inspects the pieces of the life she once knew to pave a path forward. You Could Make This Place Beautiful finds Smith dissecting the very form in which she is writing as she constantly questions the purpose of memoir and the stories we tell ourselves. Mining her heartbreak and memories both with her husband and without him, Smith moves between rage, sorrow, and grief. And through it all, she illustrates her unwavering love for her son and daughter.

Buy Now: You Could Make This Place Beautiful on Bookshop | Amazon

4. A Day in the Life of Abed Salama , Nathan Thrall

In February 2012, 5-year-old Milad Salama boarded a bus with his fellow Palestinian classmates en route to a theme park. But he never made it there. The bus crashed outside Jerusalem, and the children aboard it were injured or killed. This devastating scene propels Nathan Thrall’s book , which follows Milad’s father Abed from his first romance to the day of the collision, all told against the backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . Thrall tackles the subject with care and expertise, introducing the lives of several Israelis and Palestinians to illuminate their struggles and complex histories.

Buy Now: A Day in the Life of Abed Salama on Bookshop | Amazon

3. To Free the Captives , Tracy K. Smith

In her memoir, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith crafts a searing narrative about being Black in America. She excavates her past to better understand the racial violence that persists today, wading through generations of her family’s history. But as she tries to learn more about her lineage, beginning with the Alabama town where her father grew up, Smith realizes that the research process itself is fraught and riddled with missing pieces.

Buy Now: To Free the Captives on Bookshop | Amazon

2. Doppelganger, Naomi Klein

What would you do if all of a sudden people started mixing you up with a person whose beliefs you can’t stand? Leftist activist and author Naomi Klein has been forced to answer this exact question: she is constantly confused with Naomi Wolf, who has spent the past few years spreading antivaccine rhetoric and fringe conspiracy theories. Klein investigates how “other Naomi” became the type of public figure she is today, taking a dizzying trip through the current cultural landscape to examine politics, misinformation, and the slippery path to radicalization.

Buy Now: Doppelganger on Bookshop | Amazon

1. Some People Need Killing , Patricia Evangelista

The title of Patricia Evangelista’s memoir is rooted in a conversation the journalist once had with a vigilante who made that unnerving declaration. Her home country, the Philippines, was full of people who shared the same belief as this man—like those working for the state, who carried out thousands of killings of citizens during President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Evangelista tells the stories of those who were lost in the struggle, and interrogates the language we use to describe violence.

Buy Now: Some People Need Killing on Bookshop | Amazon

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• The New Face of Doctor Who
• Putin’s Enemies Are Struggling to Unite
• Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control
• Scientists Are Finding Out Just How Toxic Your Stuff Is
• Boredom Makes Us Human
• John Mulaney Has What Late Night Needs
• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Write to Annabel Gutterman at [email protected]

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

Whether you’re looking to learn, laugh, or lose yourself in a great story, there’s something here for every kind of reader.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Our favorite nonfiction books of the year, several of them just the very best books of the year , touch on some of the most pressing topics of our time, from autocracy to conspiracy to healthcare reform. They vary in form, from reported nonfiction to memoir to a comic guidebook to supervillainy. Whether you’re looking to learn, laugh, or lose yourself in a great story, there’s something here for every kind of reader.

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, by Paul Newman

After six decades of Hollywood superstardom, it’s difficult to imagine that anything could remain unknown about Paul Newman . But that’s the particular magic trick of this memoir, assembled by way of a literary scavenger hunt. Between 1986 and 1991, Newman sat down with screenwriter Stewart Stern for a series of soul-baring interviews about his life and career. With the actor’s encouragement, Stern also recorded hundreds of hours worth of interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues. The whole enterprise was destined to become Newman’s authorized biography, but his feelings on the project soured; in 1998, he gathered the tapes in a pile and set fire to them. Luckily, Stern kept transcripts—over 14,000 pages worth. Now, those transcripts have been streamlined into this honest and unvarnished memoir, in which the actor speaks openly about his traumatic childhood, his lifelong struggle with alcoholism, and his tormenting self-doubt. But the highs are there too—like his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward—as well as the mysteries of making art, and the “imponderable of being a human being.” All told, the memoir is an extraordinary act of resurrection and reimagination.

Bad Sex, by Nona Willis Aronowitz

When Teen Vogue ’s sex columnist decided to end her marriage at 32 years old, chief among her complaints was “bad sex.” Newly divorced, Aronowitz went in search of good sex, but along the way, she discovered thorny truths about “the problem that has no name”—that despite the advances of feminism and the sexual revolution, true sexual freedom remains out of reach. Cultural criticism, memoir, and social history collide in Aronowitz’s no-nonsense investigation of all that ails young lovers, like questions about desire, consent, and patriarchy. It’s a revealing read bound to expand your thinking.

The High Sierra, by Kim Stanley Robinson

A titan of science fiction masters a new form in this winsome love letter to California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Constructed from an impassioned blend of memoir, history, and science writing, The High Sierra chronicles Robinson’s 100-plus trips to his beloved mountains, from his LSD-laced first encounter in 1973 to the dozens of ​​“rambling and scrambling” days to follow. From descriptions of the region’s multitudinous flora and fauna to practical advice about when and where to hike, this is as comprehensive a guidebook as any, complete with all the lucid ecstasy of nature writing greats like John Muir and Annie Dillard.

My Pinup, by Hilton Als

Has any book ever roved so far and wide in just 48 pages as My Pinup ? In this slim and brilliant memoir, Als explores race, power, and desire through the lens of Prince. Styling the legendary musician in the image of his lovers and himself, Als explores injustice on multiple levels, from racist record labels to the world's hostility to gay Black boys. “There was so much love between us,” the author muses. “Why didn’t anyone want us to share it?” These 48 meandering pages are difficult to describe, but trust us: My Pinup is a heady cocktail you won’t soon forget.

Bloomsbury Publishing Dirtbag, Massachusetts, by Isaac Fitzgerald

In this bleeding heart memoir, Fitzgerald peels back the layers of his extraordinary life. Dirtbag, Massachusetts opens with his hardscrabble childhood in a dysfunctional Catholic family, then spins out into the decades of jobs and identities that followed. From bartending at a biker bar to smuggling medical supplies to starring in porn films, it’s all led him to here and now: he’s still a work in progress, but gradually, he’s arriving at profound realizations about masculinity, family, and selfhood. Dirtbag, Massachusetts is the best of what memoir can accomplish. It's blisteringly honest and vulnerable, pulling no punches on the path to truth, but it always finds the capacity for grace and joy. “To any young men out there who aren’t too far gone,” Fitzgerald writes, “I say you’re not done becoming yourself.”

Dickens and Prince, by Nick Hornby

What do Charles Dickens, nineteenth century chronicler of social issues, and Prince, modern-day music’s master of sensuality, have in common? You’d be forgiven for struggling to come up with an answer, but for Nick Hornby, the ties are obvious—and numerous, too. In Dickens and Prince , the biographical similarities between these two late luminaries come into plain sight. But what really links Dickens and Prince, Hornby argues, is their “particular kind of genius”—as the author reveals, both shared an extraordinary drive to create and generated massive bodies of work, even though they died before reaching sixty. But beneath the surface of this fascinating biography, there lies a warm and wise craft book about what it takes to make great art in any century. Read an interview with Hornby here at Esquire.

Because Our Fathers Lied, by Craig McNamara

How do we reckon with the sins of our parents? That’s the thorny question at the center of this moving and courageous memoir authored by the son of Robert S. McNamara, Kennedy’s architect of the Vietnam War. In this conflicted son’s telling, a complicated man comes into intimate view, as does the “mixture of love and rage” at the heart of their relationship. At once a loving and neglectful parent, the elder McNamara’s controversial lies about the war ultimately estranged him from his son, who hung Viet Cong flags in his childhood bedroom as a protest. The pursuit of a life unlike his father’s saw the younger McNamara drop out of Stanford and travel through South America on a motorcycle, leading him to ultimately become a sustainable walnut farmer. Through his own personal story of disappointment and disillusionment, McNamara captures an intergenerational conflict and a journey of moral identity.

Raising Lazarus, by Beth Macy

Macy’s gripping follow-up to the mega-bestselling Dopesick finds her in a familiar milieu: back on the frontlines of the opioid crisis, where she embeds with healthcare workers, legislators, and activists seeking to save lives and heal communities. Where Dopesick focused on addiction sufferers and their families, Raising Lazarus turns the lens to the fight for justice, from the prosecution of the Sackler family to the reformers pioneering innovative treatments for the afflicted. Enlightening and exhaustive, it’s at once a damning exposé about greed and a moving paean to the power of community activism.

Fight Like Hell, by Kim Kelly

With a galvanizing groundswell of unionization efforts rocking mega-corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, there’s never been a better time to learn about the history of the American labor movement. Fight Like Hell will be your indispensable guide to the past, present, and future of organized labor. Rather than structure this comprehensive history chronologically, Kelly organizes it into chapter-sized profiles of different labor sectors, from sex workers to incarcerated laborers to domestic workers. Each chapter contains capsule biographies of working-class heroes, along with a painstaking focus on those who were hidden or dismissed from the movement. So too do these chapters illuminate how many civil rights struggles, like women’s liberation and fair wages for disabled workers, are also, at their core, labor struggles. After reading Fight Like Hell , you’ll never look at American history the same way again—and you may just be inspired to organize your own workplace. Read an interview with Kelly here at Esquire.

Phasers on Stun!, by Ryan Britt

Whether you're a tried and true Trekkie or a newbie hooked on Strange New Worlds , there's something for every science fiction obsessive in this lively cultural history of Star Trek . Through extensive reporting and research, Britt takes us inside the franchise's nearly sixty-year history, from its influence on diversifying the space program to its history-making strides for LGBTQIA+ representation. Featuring interviews with multiple generations of cast members and creatives, Phasers On Stun! merrily surprises, informs, and entertains. Read an exclusive excerpt about Star Trek 's efforts to diversify television here at Esquire.

Year of the Tiger, by Alice Wong

In this mixed media memoir, disability activist Alice Wong outlines her journey as an advocate and educator. Wong was born with a form of progressive muscular dystrophy; as a young woman, she attended her dream college, but had to drop out when changes to Medicaid prevented her from retaining the aides she needed on an inaccessible campus. In one standout essay, Wong recounts her struggle to access Covid-19 vaccines as a high-risk individual. The author's rage about moving through an ableist world is palpable, but so too is her joy and delight about Lunar New Year, cats, family, and so much more. Innovative and informative, Year of the Tiger is a multidimensional portrait of a powerful thinker.

Fen, Bog & Swamp, by Annie Proulx

The legendary author of “Brokeback Mountain” and The Shipping News delivers an enchanting history of our wetlands, a vitally important but criminally misunderstood landscape now imperiled by climate change. As Proulx explains, fens, bogs, swamps, and estuaries preserve our environment by storing carbon emissions. Roving through peatlands around the world, Proulx weaves a riveting history of their role in brewing diseases and fueling industrialization. Imbued with the same reverence for nature as Proulx’s fiction, Fen, Bog, and Swamp is both an enchanting work of nature writing and a rousing call to action. Read an exclusive interview with the author here at Esquire.

Butts, by Heather Radke

This crackling cultural history melds scholarship and pop culture to arrive at a comprehensive taxonomy of the female bottom. From 19th-century burlesque to the eighties aerobics craze to Kim Kardashian’s internet-breaking backside, Radke leaves no stone unturned. Her sources range from anthropological scholarship to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” making for a vivacious blend, but Butts isn’t all fun and games. Radke explores how women’s butts have been used “as a means to create and reinforce racial hierarchies,” acting as locuses of racism, control, and desire. Lively and thorough, Butts is the best kind of nonfiction—the kind that forces you to see something ordinary through completely new eyes.

Novelist as a Vocation, by Haruki Murakami

In this winsome volume, one of our greatest novelists invites readers into his creative process. The result is a revealing self-portrait that answers many burning questions about its reclusive subject, like: where do Murakami’s strange and surreal ideas come from? When and how did he start writing? How does he view the role of novels in contemporary society? Novelist as a Vocation is a rare and welcome peek behind the curtain of a singular mind.

How You Get Famous: Ten Years of Drag Madness in Brooklyn, by Nicole Pasulka

Pasulka takes us tumbling down a glittery rabbit hole in this engrossing look at the last decade of Brooklyn ballroom culture. How You Get Famous introduces readers to electric performers like Merrie Cherry, who overcame a stroke to continue her drag career; Aja, a multiple-time contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race ; and Sasha Velour, who made waves with her bald head. Through this electric constellation of performers, Pasulka paints a vivid portrait of a singular subculture: joyful and scrappy, it’s gone on to galvanize a community and inspire a wider cultural movement.

The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach, by Sarah Stodola

Quick—picture your perfect vacation. Does it involve staying at a resort and sipping a Mai Tai on the beach? We’re not out to yuck anyone’s yum, but beachgoers everywhere need to read this gripping account about the dark side of paradise. In The Last Resort , Stodola investigates the origins of beach culture, revealing that our understanding of the beach as paradise is actually a modern concept; it wasn’t until the 18th century that the seaside wellness craze changed our views about the ocean, once seen as a fearsome foe. Today, beach travel has become de rigueur, but it carries heavy costs, as it strangles local economies, threatens natural resources, and widens social inequality. After reading The Last Resort , you’ll never look at an all-inclusive vacation quite the same way.

Hollywood Ending: Harvey Weinstein and the Culture of Silence, by Ken Auletta

Twenty years ago, Ken Auletta wrote a definitive New Yorker profile of Harvey Weinsten, which exposed the movie mogul as a violent and volatile person. But one story remained frustratingly ungraspable: though it was rumored that Weinstein was a sexual abuser, none of his victims would go on the record. Award-winning journalists including Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow would later draw on Auletta’s reporting in their quests to expose the truth about Weinstein. Now, with his erstwhile subject behind bars, Auletta is revisiting him anew—and paying dogged attention to the systems that allowed him to operate unchecked. From the executives who abetted him to the brother who covered his tracks, Weinstein didn’t act in a vacuum, Auletta reveals—rather, he was enabled at nearly every turn. Exhaustively reported and utterly enraging, Hollywood Ending is a damning look at Hollywood’s history of corruption and complicity.

The Last Days of Roger Federer, by Geoff Dyer

“Life is weather. Life is meals,” the great James Salter once wrote. Life is also endings, according to Dyer, as fine and curious a cultural critic as they come. In this roving volume, Dyer explores ​​“things coming to an end, artists’ last works, time running out,” from Roger Federer’s impending retirement to Nietzsche’s descent into madness. Assessing the long twilight of his many subjects, Dyer leads us through the peripatetic maze of his free-associative thinking. Expect to emerge from the other side feeling grateful for “this magnificent life, whatever ruin comes in its wake.”

The Gotti Wars, by John Gleeson

For decades, Mafioso John Gotti captivated the American imagination. This notorious mobster, known as “The Dapper Don,” became a sartorial icon and graced the cover of Time (by way of an Andy Warhol portrait)—until it all came crashing down, thanks to federal prosecutor John Gleeson. The Gotti Wars is the riveting story of Gleeson’s fight to bring Gotti to justice, which spanned years, brought him into the crosshairs of organized crime, and ultimately took down five major mob families. It’s an electrifying true crime story of the Mafia-smitten 80s and 90s, to be certain, but also a vivid memoir of Gleeson’s development as a lawyer, and an excavation of the celebrity culture that turned a murderer into a superstar. Suspenseful and multifaceted, The Gotti Wars can’t be missed.

Dress Code, by Véronique Hyland

In an age where what we wear is shaped as much by algorithms and influencers as by personal taste, the fashion landscape looks different than ever before. To make sense of it all, turn to this roving, insightful collection of essays from a bona fide fashion expert, who breaks down everything from normcore to politicians’ wardrobes to the ubiquity of leggings. Rich in historical context and cultural criticism, Dress Code unpacks how clothing is both personal and political, and how it deserves serious consideration as a distinctive lens on the world. After all, as Hyland writes, “With fashion, you have no choice but to opt in.”

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Best of 2022

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Bookish Santa

https://www.bookishsanta.com/blogs/booklings-world

Bookish Santa's blog will help you find your next read! Read book reviews, find best book recommendations, learn more about your favorite authors, their lifestyle, and so much more.

Blogger : Bookish Santa

🌐 Domain authority: 29

👀 Average monthly visits: 23,501 p/mo

The Chrysalis BREW Project

https://thechrysalisbrewproject.com/

The Chrysalis Books, Reviews, and Everything Written (BREW) Project is an up-and-coming platform that aims to help content creators and audiences to grow, thrive, and soar through reviews, interviews, features, news, press releases, podcasts, and promotions. BREW hosts the monthly and annual BREW Readers' Choice Awards, the annual BREW Book Excellence Awards, and the quarterly and annual BREW International Blog Awards.

Blogger : Esperanza Pretila

🌐 Domain authority: 18

👀 Average monthly visits: 100 p/mo

Book Nation by Jen

https://booknationbyjen.com/

Book Nation by Jen features book reviews, recommendations and author Q & A. Jen also hosts a Book Nation Book Club to meet authors and discuss their books live on Zoom.

Blogger : Jennifer Blankfein

🌐 Domain authority: 7

💌 Preferred contact method: Social media

Sarah's Bookshelves

https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com

Please send all review requests to [email protected]. Unfortunately, I cannot accept every review request that I receive, but I am happy to review books that sound interesting to me and for which my schedule allows.

Blogger : Sarah

🌐 Domain authority: 33

👀 Average monthly visits: 5,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Mail

My Writing Life

https://juliahoneswritinglife.blogspot.com

I Blog about unique reads.

Blogger : Julia Hones

🌐 Domain authority: 28

👀 Average monthly visits: 500 p/mo

Bibliofreak.net

https://www.bibliofreak.net

A book blog written by English writer Matthew Selwyn, Bibliofreak.net has been providing content for over 10 years. Featuring in-depth reviews on an eclectic range of books, there is plenty of content to explore.

Blogger : Matthew Selwyn

🌐 Domain authority: 25

http://www.kddidit.com/

I am not a professional reviewer, and I adore books, and I see reviewing books as a way to ‰ÛÏpay‰Û for my addiction to reading. Books are a way of learning more about the world, seeing it from someone else's perspective, traveling to different places and times, discovering how other people live.

Blogger : Kathy Davie

👀 Average monthly visits: 3,000 p/mo

The LitBuzz

https://www.thelitbuzz.com

A book review site featuring a diverse Hive of voices reading and sharing, we have a vast palette. We welcome both indie and traditionally-published authors - at no charge for reviews, ever.

Blogger : The LitBuzz Hive

KellySchuknecht.com

https://kellyschuknecht.com/

Kelly Schuknecht is a marketing director with a background in the publishing industry. She is passionate about all things related to books. Her blog includes posts about book marketing, book reviews (typically non-fiction and women’s fiction but occasionally other genres as well), author features, and more!

Blogger : Kelly Schuknecht

🌐 Domain authority: 23

👀 Average monthly visits: 1,500 p/mo

karl's book blog

https://www.karlcalagan.com/

Karl's book blog features reviews of mostly horror, historical, mystery, thriller, and queer literature. All are welcome!

Blogger : Karl Khumo Calagan

🌐 Domain authority: 5

Indie Reader

http://indiereader.com/

There were over 391,000 books self-published in 2012. That's a lot of company (and competition!) for any author.åÊIndieReader offers the best value for reviews, bar none. IR's reviewers & some of the best in the field & will let you know if you've achieved what you set out to do. Charges may apply. IR also recommends titles to the HUFFINGTON POST and USA TODAY.

Blogger : The IndieReader Team

🌐 Domain authority: 49

The Kindle Book Review

https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/

We are a book review and promotion site but we NEVER charge for reviews. There other other sites that have tried to imitate us. We are The Kindle Book Review dot Net. We've reviewed over 1,750 books on Amazon since 2009. We promote quality ebooks and authors, post author resources, and we've sponsored the annual "Kindle Book Awards" since 2012 with industry pros like Digital Book Today, K-Boards, Author Marketing Club, Bargain Booksy, and others.

Blogger : Amber & Team

🌐 Domain authority: 38

👀 Average monthly visits: 7,000 p/mo

So you want to find a book blog?

If you’re a voracious reader, you might think of a book blog as an oasis in the middle of the desert: a place on the Internet that brims with talk about books, books, and more books.

Well, good news — we built this directory of the 200 of the best book blogs  to satiate your thirst. Take a walk around, use the filters to narrow down your search to blogs in your preferred genre, and feel free to bookmark this page and come back, as we do update it regularly with more of the best book blogs out there. 

If you’re an aspiring author, you might see a book blog more as a book review blog: a place where you can get your yet-to-be published book reviewed. In that case, you’ll be glad to know that most of the book blogs in our directory are open to review requests and accept indie books! We expressly designed this page (and our book marketing platform, Reedsy Discovery ) to be useful to indie book authors who need book reviews. If you’re wondering how to approach a book blog for a review request, please read on. 

You’ve found a book blog. Now what? 

Let’s say that you’re an author, and you’ve found a couple of book blogs that would be perfect fits to review your book. What now? Here are some tips as you go about getting your book reviews:

• Be sure to read the review policy. First, check that the book blog you’re querying is open to review requests. If that’s the fortunate case, carefully read the blog’s review policy and make sure that you follow the directions to a T.  
• Individualize your pitches. Book bloggers will be able to immediately tell apart the bulk pitches, which simply come across as thoughtless and indifferent. If you didn’t take the time to craft a good pitch, why should the blogger take the time to read your book? Personalize each pitch to up your chances of getting a response. 
• Format your book in a professional manner before sending it out. Ensure that your manuscript isn’t presented sloppily. If the book blogger asks for a digital ARC, you might want to check out apps such as Instafreebie or Bookfunnel. 
• Create a spreadsheet to track your progress. Wading through so many book blogs can be troublesome — not to mention trying to remember which ones you’ve already contacted. To save yourself the time and trouble, use a simple Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your progress (and results). 

Looking to learn even more about the process? Awesome 👍 For a detailed guide, check out this post that’s all about getting book reviews . 

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• In the News

UK Author Shirley Conran Dies at 91

BY Michael Schaub • May 13, 2024

Shirley Conran, the British author known for her popular, sex-filled novels that made a splash in the 1980s and 1990s, has died at 91, the Guardian reports .

Conran, a London native, worked as a textile designer and journalist before making her literary debut in 1975 with Superwoman , a nonfiction household management guide that contained the memorable sentence “Life’s too short to stuff a mushroom.” The book was a bestseller in the U.K. and spawned a series of follow-up books, including Superwoman 2 , Futurewoman , and Superwoman in Action .

Her other novels included Lace 2 , Savages , Crimson , and Tiger Eyes . Later in life, she became an activist, founding the charities Work-Life Balance Trust and Maths Anxiety Trust, a group that seeks to combat mathematics-related anxiety in Britons.

Conran’s admirers paid tribute to her on social media. On Instagram, her son Jasper Conran, wrote , “Shirl girl has flown away, a lark ascending. Thank you to all the wonderful doctors and nurses at St. Mary’s Paddington who looked after her and thank you to all of you kind, dear people who sent her so many beautiful messages that meant so much to her.”

And on X, former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss posted , “So sad to hear of the death of my friend Dame Shirley Conran. She was a life force, incredibly generous and a dedicated campaigner for maths education. I am very grateful for all the encouragement and support she gave me.”

So sad to hear of the death of my friend Dame Shirley Conran. She was a life force, incredibly generous and a dedicated campaigner for maths education. I am very grateful for all the encouragement and support she gave me. pic.twitter.com/3Ja2fMQQxo — Liz Truss (@trussliz) May 9, 2024

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.

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