Wednesday, September 23, 2026

This month’s best new popular nonfiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month’s Best New Popular Nonfiction
 
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Book cover for Ash and Honor by Jeffrey Robinson
A ‘revelatory’ minute-by-minute account (New York Post) of the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Expertly combines the stories of more than 60 eyewitnesses
  • Takes readers from the cockpits of fighter jets in the sky to a top secret conference at the National Military Command Center to a bunker multiple stories below the White House
  • A “well-researched” read (Publishers Weekly) timed with the 25th anniversary of the devastating events
Learn more...
Media mentions for Ash and Honor by Jeffrey Robinson MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, New York Post, Publishers Weekly
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Book cover for Shadow Before the Flame by Catherine Grace Katz
Revisit the infamous Hindenburg disaster of 1937 — and what it meant for a world between wars
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Jon Meacham calls it “an absorbing tale of ambition, technology, culture, and geopolitics”
  • Learn how the ill-fated German zeppelin symbolized hope, became a Nazi propaganda tool, transformed modern media, and more
  • This “remarkable achievement” has “the readability of a thriller, but also the factual background of a profoundly researched history book” (New York Times bestselling author Andrew Roberts)
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Media mentions for Shadow Before the Flame by Catherine Grace Katz MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for The Black Shield by Wilbert L. Cooper
What does it mean to be a Black cop in the Midwestern US today?
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Get to know Cleveland’s Black Shield — an organization of Black police officers navigating the complexities of their identities and vocation
  • From “a vivid writer and an unsparing reporter” (The New York Times) with deep family ties to Cleveland law enforcement
  • “A revealing, closely observed account” (Kirkus Reviews starred review) that explores questions of race and power
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Media mentions for The Black Shield by Wilbert L. Cooper MEDIA MENTIONS: The New Yorker, Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Blood Dawn by Hans van de Ven
Learn how World War II helped shape modern Asia
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • “Essential reading for understanding Asia’s present” (New York Times bestselling author Richard Overy) from an award-winning scholar
  • In the face of Japanese aggression and European imperialism, anti-colonial activists from India to Indonesia mobilized to fight for independence
  • “Written with an impressive clarity of thought and prose, this is the history we so badly needed to balance the West’s version of the Second World War” (New York Times bestselling author Antony Beevor)
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Media mentions for Blood Dawn by Hans van de Ven MEDIA MENTIONS: The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times
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Book cover for Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond
Can one person’s actions really change the course of history?
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel returns with this provocative look at leadership across centuries, continents, and disciplines
  • With fascinating analysis of figures such as Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher, Genghis Khan, and many more
  • “As with all Diamond’s books, you’ll never see the world in the same way again” (Nobel laureate James A. Robinson)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Next Big Idea Club, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for Basic Pistol by Harel Shapira
‘A vivid and unique perspective on US gun culture’ (Publishers Weekly)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • A sociology professor at UT Austin documents his experience attending a firearms school in rural Texas
  • This “eye-opening study” (Kirkus Reviews) examines the hot-button issue through a community for whom gun ownership is a way of life
  • “A must-read for anyone who wants to understand not just why gun violence is so devastatingly prevalent in the United States, but also, and as importantly, how gun ownership has become so normalized” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Heather Ann Thompson)
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Media mentions for Basic Pistol by Harel Shapira MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Chicago Tribune, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Literary Hub
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Book cover for The Time Tax by Annie Lowrey
Why is modern life full of red tape?
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • A staff writer at The Atlantic digs into the evolution of bureaucracy in America — and makes a case for eliminating what she calls “the time tax”
  • Learn how endless paperwork and the mental load of accessing services and paying bills drive inequality in the US
  • “In her lucid and important treatise, Lowrey does an admirable job depicting how we got here and how completely fixable the problem is” (The New York Times)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Time Tax by Annie Lowrey MEDIA MENTIONS: The New Yorker, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Valley of Death by Sharon Weinberger
How is Big Tech influencing democracy — and impacting future wars?
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This investigative work takes a deep dive into the increasingly powerful role of tech billionaires and artificial intelligence in US national security
  • A former national security editor at The Wall Street Journal “tracks the increasingly symbiotic relationship between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley” (Publishers Weekly)
  • “A knowledgeable account” that Kirkus Reviews cautions is “informative [and] worrying”
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Media mentions for Valley of Death by Sharon Weinberger MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard
Amy Tan calls this ‘an inspiring love letter to the magic of the natural world’
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • An award-winning journalist spent a year tracking every species of butterfly in her native Denmark — and learned about life along the way
  • This international bestseller is a compelling combination of myth, philosophy, nature writing, and memoir
  • “Luminous… Korsgaard reveals how even the most delicate creature can illuminate our deepest human longings” (Suleika Jaouad)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard MEDIA MENTIONS: The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage
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Book cover for Protocols by Andrew D. Huberman
The neuroscientist behind the Huberman Lab Podcast offers practices for optimal health
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Learn how to unlock your full potential through sleep, exercise, stress control, nutrition, light, focus, and personal growth
  • Based on decades of research, these strategies can deliver impactful results quickly — and may even transform your life
  • Includes foundational behaviors to improve your daily state as well as tools for overcoming specific mental or physical challenges
Learn more...
Media mentions for Protocols by Andrew D. Huberman MEDIA MENTION: Slate
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Book cover for The Everest Mystery by Jochen Hemmleb and Julie Summers
Dive into a century-old disappearance on Mount Everest
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This “gripping” read (Library Journal) seeks to answer a critical question: Did George Mallory and Sandy Irvine become the first to reach the summit before they perished?
  • Irvine’s great-niece and a leading mountaineering expert dig into the mystery that dates back to 1924
  • “Everyone will be riveted by the personalities, the constraints of their era, and the courage and ingenuity they ultimately brought to it, whether or not they succeeded” (Booklist starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Everest Mystery by Jochen Hemmleb and Julie Summers MEDIA MENTIONS: National Geographic, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist
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Book cover for Situated by Angela Duckworth
Want to make life a little easier? Shape your situation to your advantage
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit — a psychologist and UPenn professor — blends personal stories with in-depth research
  • This instant New York Times bestseller “offers many tips about how to trick yourself into sticking with your goals” (The New Yorker)
  • Discover how to set up your space, pick supportive peers, attract mentors, and more in order to prime yourself for success
Learn more...
Media mentions for Situated by Angela Duckworth MEDIA MENTIONS: The New Yorker, CBS Mornings, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Next Big Idea Club, Oprah Daily, People, The Washington Post, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for How to Read the Room by Pamela Meyer
Learn how to read people better — and grow your social intelligence
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • How to Read the Room makes a subtle but powerful argument: Influence is about what you notice, not what you say” (Daniel H. Pink)
  • A Certified Fraud Examiner reveals how you can detect signals of power, trust, and influence in any room you enter in this “delightfully useful guide” (Adam Grant)
  • Draws on everything from real-world anecdotes to cutting-edge behavioral science and intelligence data
Learn more...
Media mentions for How to Read the Room by Pamela Meyer MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Next Big Idea Club, Forbes, Booklist
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Book cover for Living with Freddie by Anna Heyward
Dog lovers shouldn’t miss this heartfelt look at the human-animal connection
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • An animal behavior expert and former New Yorker writer delivers “the canine answer to Raising Hare or H Is for Hawk” (The Times)
  • Anna set out to help her rescued Italian greyhound — and found herself transformed by her quest to meet his needs
  • With praise from Sy Montgomery (“compelling, vivid, and essential”) and Susan Orlean (“Heyward writes with great clarity, heart, and frankness”)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Living with Freddie by Anna Heyward MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, The Times, Literary Hub
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This month’s best new popular nonfiction

Don’t miss the best new popular nonfiction from the past month, hand-picked by our editors! Don’t miss this month’s popular nonfiction picks...