Monday, February 9, 2026

This month’s best new biographies and memoirs

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month's Best New Biographies & Memoirs
 
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Book cover for The Typewriter and the Guillotine by Mark Braude
An American reporter, a German serial killer, and the looming threat of war in 1920s Paris
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Discover the untold story of Janet Flanner, a pioneering Paris correspondent for The New Yorker, who covered both a killer on the loose and the impending political terror on the horizon
  • "Part biography, part true crime narrative," this "significant work of nonfiction" (Kirkus Reviews) takes readers to Europe on the brink of World War II
  • Hailed as "endlessly compelling" by The New York Times Book Review
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Typewriter and the Guillotine by Mark BraudeMEDIA MENTIONS:The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Her best friend died on her wedding day — and then her husband, Salman Rushdie, was attacked
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • This New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice is "a memoir of duality, of intoxicating love and excruciating loss" (Geraldine Brooks, author of Memorial Days)
  • An acclaimed poet grapples with grief, love, and the rebuilding of the self in the wake of trauma
  • "This profoundly felt account moves between the raw, the lyrical, and the elegiac as it seeks the light of healing" (Kirkus Reviews starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Flower Bearers by Rachel Eliza GriffithsMEDIA MENTIONS:NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Electric Literature
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Neptune's Fortune by Julian Sancton
Centuries after a shipwreck off Colombia's coast, one man set out to find its billion-dollar treasure…
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • A New York Times bestselling author follows diver Roger Dooley's obsessive hunt for the Spanish galleon San José and its bounty of gold and silver
  • "A rollicking historical mystery and a beguiling human drama rolled into one" (Publishers Weekly starred review)
  • "Full of heroism, greed, piracy, sunken treasure, and adventure on the high seas… It's even more remarkable because it's true" (New York Times bestselling author Eric Schlosser)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Neptune's Fortune by Julian SanctonMEDIA MENTIONS:The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson
Highly anticipated by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and more
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In 1984, Bernie Goetz shot four Black teens in a New York City subway and became a vigilante celebrity. This unflinching read recenters the story on his victims: Darrell Cabey, Barry Allen, Troy Canty, and James Ramseur
  • A Pulitzer Prize–winning author draws on never-before-seen archival materials, legal documents, and more
  • "A timely, brilliantly documented reexamination of the 1980s and the lingering hostility to the civil rights movement" (Bryan Stevenson)
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Media mentions for Fear and Fury by Heather Ann ThompsonMEDIA MENTIONS:The New Yorker, Time Magazine, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Vulture, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram by Ethelene Whitmire
'A great gift to readers, rescuing a fascinating character from the mist of history' (Jonathan Eig)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • As World War II erupted, Reed Peggram — a young American scholar in Paris — found romance, fled with his lover, and escaped the Nazis' grasp
  • Inspired by a collection of Peggram's letters, an award-winning historian shares his untold story
  • "A vivid glimpse of queer Black life at an exceptionally tumultuous historical moment" (Publishers Weekly starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram by Ethelene WhitmireMEDIA MENTIONS:NPR, Essence, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Bernie for Burlington by Dan Chiasson
Chart the singular political rise of a young Bernie Sanders
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "This amusing, provocative, painstaking, and wide-ranging political biography is sure to appeal to a wide audience" (Booklist starred review)
  • It all goes back to Burlington, Vermont, where Sanders stood by his socialist platform and won over diverse communities that were usually at odds with each other
  • Named a most anticipated book of 2026 by Kirkus Reviews and Literary Hub
Learn more...
Media mentions for Bernie for Burlington by Dan ChiassonMEDIA MENTIONS:The New Yorker, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for The Hour of the Wolf by Fatima Bhutto
A 'winning blend of natural history and fraught personal memoir' (Kirkus Reviews)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • While journalist Fatima was caught in the throes of grief and a toxic relationship, her beloved dog, Coco, provided a lifeline as she reclaimed her voice
  • With praise from Alexander Chee, Kaveh Akbar, and Rupi Kaur, who says, "I saw myself in this story and I know many others will, too"
  • A tender, deeply personal read from an author longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
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Media mentions for The Hour of the Wolf by Fatima BhuttoMEDIA MENTIONS:People, Vogue, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Electric Literature, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Scale Boy by Patrice Nganang
An unforgettable coming-of-age story in modern Africa
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • With complexity and intimacy, Patrice Nganang reflects on the joys and tumult of his childhood in Cameroon
  • "Gorgeous… This elegant portrayal of finding grace and beauty amid upheaval will captivate readers" (Publishers Weekly starred review)
  • Nobel Prize–winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah says, "It portrays the cultural and linguistic complexity of the nation with wit and humor"
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Media mentions for Scale Boy by Patrice NganangMEDIA MENTIONS:Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Black Bear by Trina Moyles
A 'full-throated memoir' (The Washington Post) of connection — between siblings and species
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Fans of H Is for Hawk will devour this read that "goes straight to the heart" (Publishers Weekly starred review)
  • An environmental journalist unspools the parallels between her complex family dynamics and her coexistence with bears
  • Takes place in the boreal forest of Canada
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Media mentions for Black Bear by Trina MoylesMEDIA MENTIONS:The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, BookPage
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for I Identify as Blind by Lachi
'A provocative invitation to rethink what it means to be disabled' (Kirkus Reviews)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • This energetic, humorous account offers a celebration of disability and neurodivergence from the perspective of a musician who identifies as blind
  • Temple Grandin calls it "a fascinating journey into the complex world that people with disabilities navigate every day"
  • Features a wide range of portraits of people with disabilities, from Senator Tammy Duckworth to Microsoft executive Jenny Lay-Flurrie
Learn more...
Media mentions for I Identify as Blind by LachiMEDIA MENTIONS:People, Newsweek, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
Book cover for Until the Last Gun Is Silent by Matthew F. Delmont
The untold history of the Black patriots who helped end the Vietnam War and defend democracy
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • With praise from Pulitzer Prize winners Jonathan Eig, Robert Samuels, and Annette Gordon-Reed
  • An award-winning civil rights historian weaves together Coretta Scott King's anti-war activism and Dwight "Skip" Johnson's tragic life story
  • "A captivating book by a gifted storyteller" (New York Times bestselling author David Maraniss)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Until the Last Gun Is Silent by Matthew F. DelmontMEDIA MENTIONS:The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonOther formats and retailers
 
  

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