THE BEST NON FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR

[@thaliafernandez1378]

Yesss!! Loveeee Steinbeck. Could you make a video about your favorite authors? And the books you love the most by them.

[@pluto559]

I’m Sri Lankan and it’s wonderful to see a Sri Lankan author mentioned! ❤

[@laindarko3591]

I had more misses than hits with nonfiction this year, but luckily wound up with three I really loved: What is Found There by Adrienne Rich, Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton, and Strangers to Ourselves by Rachel Aviv. I think 2025 will be the year of Antarctica for me, so I will definitely be picking up Endurance!

[@sarah.emmanuelle]

When I saw you just read Travels with Charley on Goodreads I immediately ordered it! You were one of the people who recommended East of Eden and I LOVED that so you’re definitely growing Steinbeck’s fan club

[@Ihearbooks]

Read the Wave soon after it came out. It did stick. I still remember much of it. Also loved the Shackleton Endurance. It lead me to read more about The Franklin expedition. Would recommend The Ministry of Time (fiction) which centers on a member of Franklins expedition brought to modern times. Great story

[@deblawrence8341]

When I reread "Travels With Charlie" I also listened to the Lt. Dan audiobook version and LOVED IT! 😍 I found the section where he traveled down South particularly interesting. Last night I finished a book my mom got me for my Christmas reading this year, "A Christmas Memory" by Richard Paul Evans. I generally don't go for "sentimental" reads but enjoyed this one! Especially for those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's and remember the havoc the Vietnam war had on America. Happy holidays everyone!!! 🎄☃❄

[@jennyvgreenfield]

A best nonfic list without Jon Krakauer? 🙈 You have gotten me completely hooked on his books this year! Anywho, what a gorgeous list of books 🤩

[@joelharris4399]

Personally, the non-fiction book that stood out the most for me this year is Chris Ferrie's brilliant "42 Reasons to Hate the Universe And One Reason Not To" (Sourcebooks, 2024). Chris seemingly blends science with macabre-infused, wry humour all the while being serious at the same time. Oh, and I forgot to mention he's a Canadian quantum physicist!

[@kristenp6547]

I read Cockroaches based on your recommendation and thought it was excellent. I may have to add A Book of My Own to my collection and my 2025 tbr. Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors too. My tbr is very large, so I don't tend to reread, but I may reread Travels With Charley. This year I read The Wayward Bus. I still have a few more Steinbecks to read. I try to save books from my favorite authors, especially from those I will never see a new book.

[@ny2phillyholloway592]

Yes!!!! I love that you picked Travel's With Charlie. I loved this book when I read it and it has stayed with me for decades. I thought It was humorous and poignant💖

[@ShantanuPatnaik]

Sharing the list: 5. The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art - Don Thompson 4. A Book of My Own - Scholastique Mukasonga 3. Wave - Sonali Deraniyagala 2. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing 1. Travels with Charley: In Search of America - John Steinbeck Honorable Mentions: Henry and June: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931-1932 The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

[@KyndleWylde]

All About Love - bell hooks changed my life

[@madlynx1818]

Two good movies about the Rwandan genocide: ‘Sometimes In April’ and ‘Hotel Rwanda’. Chilling stuff.

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Heard about Hotel Rwanda but have been too afraid to read or watch anything about the genocide. Thank you for mentioning it. Aloha.

[@madlynx1818]

@marilynmayamendoza Yes, they both do depict some brutal reality. They will make you cry. A movie I think I can recommend to you is ‘Agora’ starring Rachael Weisz playing the historic character of Hypatia, a scientist and philosopher and teacher in the famous city of Alexandria in ancient Egypt in the times of the Roman Empire. I just watched a video on your channel and I’ll bet you really enjoy this movie. My mom loves Tree grows in Brooklyn, she too grew up in those flats in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

@ thank you for the recommendation. I was lucky not to have to live in a cold water flat. But some of my school friends did. I once lived in a railroad flat in Brooklyn, but there was heat and hot water thankfully. I have a special affinity for a tree grows in Brooklyn because the author Betty Smith went to the same library on Devoe Street that I did. There is a tree that her daughterplanted in honor of her mother’s life there. Aloha friend.

[@jacquelineisaac2731]

I love me some John Steinbeck ❤his writing is amazing and his storytelling is phenomenal. I have put two of your books on my Goodreads list. Thank you 😊 !

[@marksaleski9890]

Nin: Her diaries are really worth checking out.

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I did read quite a bit of nonfiction this year, only I will be ranking everything together when the year concludes. I love ranking everything I read and then putting together my Top 10 list. The only book I read from this list is Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. I read it in late-2019 and I like how honest and intimate it was with how it made us feel as if we were on the voyage with them. There was also that great aspect that was Shackleton's methods for leading and how much it means to understand individual people rather than general goals and a master list of what needs to be done. I own Travels with Charley and would like to read it soon. I read The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I loved East of Eden and thought The Grapes of Wrath was a good book. I read his short story Chrysanthemums as well. You do have some very intriguing books on here, though. The $12 Million Stuffed Shark sounds so familiar, but I have not approached or looked into it. I will also have to do more research on Scholastique Mukasonga and what she has written. She sounds fascinating! I will also have to look into Wave. I own the Library of America collection of James Baldwin's work and would like to examine it some more. I love his writing, but have been disappointed by the plots, direction, and approaches he took in the books I read by him (Giovanni's Room and Go Tell It on the Mountain). Henry and June looks intriguing, too. The first thing I thought was the Nickleodeon show Kablam!, but then it made sense to mention Henry and June Miller, as in Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller. These are some great nonfiction books you read this year. Thank you for sharing and I hope you continue to find some great nonfiction! -Josh

[@jacquelineisaac2731]

I’m reading the wager by David Grann and I love it it’s freaking violent and I am like yessss! lol his writing is so on point. 📚

[@abelgin]

i’d love to hear you talk more about anäis nin’s work!

[@Spancy]

Yayy can’t wait for these recommendations 😌

[@iblamesummers]

good job white lady. i am wishlisting "Henry & June."

[@thegirlwhoeats8863]

Welp, I am too early! My routine is to not only write your book recommendations down but also take a look at the amazing community here and their best recommendations in the comments. Will rewarch this video later!

[@coleo1356]

I cannot recommend Destiny of the Republic enough. James Garfield is bae. I haven’t stopped talking about him since. My friends hate it.

[@tasniahakter2787]

I love your interest in books about Rwanda! Do you have any book recommendations regarding Palestine? :)

[@aamnahere6250]

In my experience (and this isn't a comment on this particular channel), many booktubers aren't inclusive of Palestinian literature. Some of the Palestinian books that I've read and cannot recommend enough are: 1) Minor Detail by Adania Shibli - Fiction (Recently read her other novella called Touch and absolutely loved it as well) 2) Gaza Writes Back - Short Story collection by Refaat Alareer. I am usually not into short stories but each one of these was an absolute gem. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa- Fiction (One of the most beautifully written and soul shattering books I've ever read. I read it years ago and still think about it often). Some of the books I am looking forward to reading. 1) The Hundred Year War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi - Non fiction. 2) In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish - Poetry 3) Things You Might Found Hidden in My Ear by Mosab Abu Toha - Poetry.

[@tasniahakter2787]

@ Thank you so much!! I was hoping Ana may have read a few because her book lists seem to be pretty inclusive and diverse! Also, Jack Edwards (popular booktuber) posted a Palestinian book recommendations video on his second channel! I’m currently reading Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa. It’s beautiful so far. I appreciate you taking the time to write this out for me! ❤️

[@davidsirois6633]

Lash year😊

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

I also am convinced I would make a good survivalist one day if I need to be, lol

[@GregHarness]

Did I read non-fiction? Yes, yes I did. 25 non-fiction books so far this year.

[@margaretcochran1626]

Anais is a yapper but I couldn’t help but love it!

[@ElizabethFailure]

not me googling "can a tsunami happen in nyc"

[@soda_fairy]

📚🧪🔬

[@murranz]

Steinbeck or Steinback?

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

Can tell from the intro that you’re just about ready for Hollywood. The hedge fund manager who actually paid millions for that stinky shark almost went to prison and it’s too bad his legal team were able to talk the feds out of charging him. He needs to keep a low profile and amp up his security or he could meet the same fate as that insurance CEO As for Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath has long been one of my fave American novels but recently I found out he was almost as big an a-hole in his personal life as Hemingway. But may still read East of Eden anyway, Be well. ⚛❤

[@MrPunky1]

Who is Digging for God

[@Sthemingway]

Which US state would you say has a more legitimate claim to infamy rather than fame? How many of the states in the Southeast have a story that has nothing to do with college football or the mid-19th century? O!o

[@ReadWriteReese]

Thank you for the reminder to read Endurance 🫡 it’s been on my tbr for years!