Fall is finally here, which means it’s finally time to cuddle up with some tea, a fuzzy blanket, and great books. Winter is probably my favorite reading season — I live in Minnesota, so there are many days of the year when it’s best to just never leave the house — but autumn is a close second. What’s your favorite season to read? You can share in this poll over at Book Riot.
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I thought I’d kick off fall with one of my favorite things: a giant, TBR-busting list of nonfiction favorites that are finally out in paperback. This list features some heavy-hitters, as well as some books that I missed when they first came out last year. As always, I hope you can find something awesome to read.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande — A look at medicine, aging and death.
The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams — A literary celebration of national parks and what they mean to us.
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer — Essays from a comic actress on growing up making people laugh.
Blood at the Root by Patrick Phillips — The history of Forsyth County, Georgia, and the violent means by which locals kept Forsyth ‘all white’ well into the 1990s.”
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi — A history of “how racist ideas were developed, disseminated, and enshrined in American society.”
Code Warriors by Stephen Budiansky — An inside look at the roots of the National Security Agendy.
Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre — The inside history of Britain’s elite Special Air Service.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance — Memoir by a Yale Law School graduate about “growing up in a poor Rust Belt town.”
Sing for Your Life by Daniel Bergner — The story of a young black man’s journey from prison to life as a rising opera star.
White Rage by Carol Anderson — A history of how “social progress for African American was countered by deliberate and cleverly crafted opposition” from white America.
Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes — An exploration of how trees and urban green spaces contribute to public health and urban infrastructure.
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton — An Oprah-endorsed memoir about confronting pain to build deeper, truer relationships. y of living your own truth.
Presence by Amy Cuddy — Techniques for improving confidence and performance through mind-body connections.
Around the Way Girl by Taraji P. Henson — A memoir of “family, friends, the hustle to make it from DC to Hollywood, and the joy of living your own truth.”
The Invention of Russia by Arkady Ostrovsky — A look at Russia’s nationalist movement and aggression against America.
You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessie Klein — Essays on growing up as a tomboy and becoming a woman.
I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This by Nadja Spiegelman — A memoir of mothers and daughters and the complexity of families.
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston — A memoir by the star of Breaking Bad.
The Battle for Home by Marwa al-Sabouni — An eyewitness account of life in Syria by an architect.
Forty Autumns by Nina Willner — The true story of an American family separated by the Iron Curtain for more than 40 years.
Playing Dead by Elizabeth Greenwood — “A journey through the world of death fraud.”
Pilgrimage by Mark K. Shriver — A portrait of Pope Francis based on interviews from the people who knew him as Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick — Essays on life from a short, funny, introverted actress.
Never Look an American in the Eye by Okey Ndibe — “A memoir of flying turtles, colonial ghosts, and the making of Nigerian American.”
Books for Living by Will Schwalbe — A look at the books that can help answer life’s big and small questions.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen — Rock star memoir!
In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett — A behind-the-scenes look at The Carol Burnett Show.
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston — An eyewitness account of following in the footsteps of a swashbuckling journalist in Honduras.
The Clancys of Queens by Tara Clancy — A Book Riot favorite, a memoir of growing up working class in Queens.
The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carré — A memoir from a legendary author who got his start in British Intelligence during the Cold War.
Messy by Tim Harford — An economist explores “the benefits that messiness has in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it instead.”
When We Rise by Cleve Jones — A memoir of life in the gay rights movement in the 1970s.
The Boys of Dunbar by Alejandro Danois — The true story of a Baltimore basketball coach whose undefeated team launched four players to the NBA.
Soul at the White Heat by Joyce Carol Oates — Critical and personal essays on the writing life.
Frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein — An invitation into Elena Ferrante’s workshop where she answers questions on the writing life.
Best. State. Ever. by Dave Barry — A humorous collection of essays on why Florida is just so damn weird.
And that’s all for this week! I hope the weather where you are is lovely, the books on your shelves are plentiful, and the people you live with don’t mind you spending the weekend with a good book! — Kim
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If you didn’t know, now you will: we have launched a YA podcast, Hey YA! It’s hosted by me, Kelly Jensen, as well as YA experthusiast Eric Smith.