Thursday, November 5, 2026

This season’s best nonfiction releases

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month’s Best New Top Nonfiction Picks
What were Readworthy’s biggest, buzziest nonfiction picks this season? Keep reading to discover the titles everyone is talking about — and find your next unputdownable book.
 
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Book cover for The Vanishing Family by Robert Kolker
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road pens a ‘breathtaking’ read (BookPage)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The heart-wrenching story of a large Pennsylvania family with a rare genetic mutation that causes early-onset dementia — resulting in drastic personality changes and forcing loved ones to make impossible choices
  • With praise from NPR, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and more, this “outstanding” read (Science) also delves into the advancements being made toward a cure for frontotemporal dementia
  • “An astute, ultimately inspiring triumph” (People)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Vanishing Family by Robert Kolker MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Science, The Atlantic, People, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, New York Post, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Flight Nurses’ War by Leah Garrett
During the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, brave nurses saved thousands of US service members
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This riveting military history “shines a long overdue spotlight on an overlooked aspect of World War II” (New York Times bestselling author John C. McManus)
  • Unsung for decades, the women who braved constant danger in the Pacific Theater to treat and evacuate troops finally get their due
  • “A terrific book… I defy readers not to be moved” (Tim Brady, author of Three Ordinary Girls)
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Media mentions for The Flight Nurses’ War by Leah Garrett MEDIA MENTION: Booklist
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Swan Song by Charles Spencer
Nearly 30 years after Princess Diana’s tragic death, her brother pulls back the curtain on her life
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This #1 New York Times bestseller is “a brotherly tribute to the People’s Princess, no holds barred… Elegant and reproving” (The New York Times)
  • Get a peek into what Diana was like growing up — and how everything changed after her explosive marriage to King Charles
  • “Head-spinning, fascinating, truly touching, devastating. A portrait of Diana that is affectionate, sad, and lovely” (The Guardian)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Swan Song by Charles Spencer MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, TODAY Show, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Vogue, Town & Country, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Times
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Freedom’s Daughters by Celeste Headlee
‘A stirring contribution to America’s historical narrative’ (Kirkus Reviews starred review)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • In the Civil War’s wake, a generation of Black women — including activists, educators, organizers, and mothers — risked everything to gain an education and bring literacy to the newly emancipated
  • Author and journalist Celeste Headlee’s great-grandmother, Carrie Still Shepperson, is a key figure in this “generous, richly illuminating” account (The Boston Globe)
  • Based on a decade of research, this unforgettable read “shines a much-needed light on the women who put their lives on the line to help others” (Booklist starred review)
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Media mentions for Freedom’s Daughters by Celeste Headlee MEDIA MENTIONS: The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham
‘A must-read for everyone who’s ever felt most at home in a bookstore’ (Julia Quinn)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Alongside the changing seasons, Katie Clapham chronicles life at the cozy independent bookshop she runs with her mother in a seaside English village
  • Quirky customers and gossipy details fill this charming, reflective read
  • “The book I didn’t know I needed… Warm, funny, sharply observed” (Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham MEDIA MENTIONS: People, Good Housekeeping, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Redemption by Lawrence Wright
‘Gripped me like the best crime novel and left me fundamentally changed’ (Belle Burden)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • On death row in a rural Texas prison, a group of nuns united with seven condemned women — and despite their differences, these two isolated groups forged a powerful connection
  • The highly anticipated latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Going Clear and The Looming Tower, “one of the best narrative journalists in the business” (Kirkus Reviews)
  • John Grisham hails it as “both captivating and inspiring”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Redemption by Lawrence Wright MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited by Tracy Daugherty
‘An astute and penetrating portrait’ (Publishers Weekly) of a reclusive, enigmatic literary figure
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This gripping biography illuminates the complicated life of the late Pulitzer Prize–winning author behind No Country for Old Men and The Road
  • A New York Times bestselling author “deftly separates the writer from the myth” in a read that “pulls you along like a novel” (The Wall Street Journal)
  • “Anyone who’s ever read a McCarthy story will be fascinated by this book” (Library Journal starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited by Tracy Daugherty MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Rush by Nathaniel Philbrick
This ‘illuminating’ New York Times bestseller ‘is a terrific work of history’ (Jon Meacham)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • How did California’s gold rush shape modern ideas of wealth, freedom, and labor?
  • Named a New York Times Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Fall
  • Praise from Erik Larson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Hampton Sides, who says, “Nathaniel Philbrick has long been one of our most elegant narrative historians, and he’s back at it again, writing at the height of his powers”
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Media mentions for The Rush by Nathaniel Philbrick MEDIA MENTIONS: The New Yorker, Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, National Geographic, The Boston Globe, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Steps by Sylvester Stallone
The Academy Award–winning star of Rocky chronicles his own underdog story
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This “lively” #1 New York Times bestseller (Kirkus Reviews) is “a primer on perseverance and tenacity” (Los Angeles Times)
  • Learn about Stallone’s hard-won fight to create and act in Rocky — and how the gamble paid off
  • “This book is a cut above the average celebrity memoir” (The Times)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Steps by Sylvester Stallone MEDIA MENTIONS: TODAY Show, CBS Mornings, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, People, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for An Unexpected Life by Gloria Steinem
A prominent activist ‘offers wisdom to new generations’ (Vanity Fair) in her final memoir
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The late Gloria Steinem reflects on the pivotal moments in her life that shaped her into a trailblazing feminist leader
  • Roxane Gay calls this New York Times bestseller “a luminous act of remembrance and generosity” and “a fiercely beautiful book”
  • “Both an engrossing self-portrait and a useful political handbook, this is essential reading” (Publishers Weekly)
Learn more...
Media mentions for An Unexpected Life by Gloria Steinem MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, People, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, USA Today, Slate, Vanity Fair, Vogue, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Vibe by Adam Grant
How can we forge deeper, more genuine connections with the people around us?
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The renowned organizational psychologist behind Originals and Hidden Potential “presents an ingenious new approach to being better together” (Steve Kerr)
  • This instant New York Times bestseller was named one of Time’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026
  • Take it from Reese Witherspoon: “The world needs this book now more than ever”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Vibe by Adam Grant MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, TODAY Show, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
GET EBOOK ON:
Amazon Other formats and retailers
 
   
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