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Nonfiction Books
From kitchen to crime scene, from home to the high seas, nonfiction covers all the topics you want to learn about. Pick up a celebrity memoir, treat your tastebuds to a new cookbook, turn over a new leaf with a personal growth book, or see the world from a new perspective in current affairs. There’s no corner of the world you can’t discover with a nonfiction book.
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Our Nonfiction Monthly Pick
Part love story, part peril on the high seas, this is a harrowing true story of near-tragedy and discovering what it really means to find yourself in another.
Part love story, part peril on the high seas, this is a harrowing true story of near-tragedy and discovering what it really means to find yourself in another.
More Nonfiction Monthly Picks
Nonfiction Coming Soon
See AllA 750-Mile Trek Through Awe-Inspiring Country
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
By Kevin Fedarko
An ode to nature and the American wilderness that is equal parts personal journey, travelogue and survival story, this is an inspired look at our beautiful world and where we fit in it.
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From the B&N Blog
Poured Over: Kevin Fedarko on A Walk in the Park
The 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlist
Wonderous Woodlands: A Guest Post by Dawn Nelson
Poured Over: Jenny Lawson on How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay
Books
Looking for a book that will entertain, educate and broaden your horizons? Good nonfiction books have a way of informing the reader through new ideas and concepts about the world and the people who inhabit it. The best works of nonfiction are well-researched, easy to read and provide insight into information their author is passionate about sharing. Lose yourself in Tom Clavin's deadly submarine WWII story, Running Deep, or learn about the history of the U.S. Constitution in We the People. Grab an endearing memoir like Truly by Lionel Richie, cook up a new recipe in Good Things by Samin Nosrat, or revisit societal and cultural patterns in Malcom Gladwell's Revenge of the Tipping Point.
You can unlock a fascinating life story in the biography or memoir section, explore a period of history you’ve never learned about before, stimulate the visual mind in our art section or dissect the political landscape of the world in our current affairs and politics. Discover our ever-growing collection of signed editions by noteworthy nonfiction authors. Shop some of the best nonfiction books of all time, from memoirs like Heart Life Music by Kenny Chesney, to the best self-help books like Mel Robbins' The Let Them Theory, there's a variety of great nonfiction books to read this year! Check out our lists of the best books to read in 2025, for your next interesting read.
What is a nonfiction book?
A nonfiction book is based on true stories and researched information whereas fiction is created from the imagination. Examples of nonfiction literature include biographies, business, cookbooks, political books, diet books, history, music, religion, science, self-help, sports, true crime, and more.
10 of the Best Nonfiction Books to Read Now
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
107 Days by Kamala Harris
Puzzle Mania! by The New York Times Games
Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey
Strong Ground by Brené Brown
Last Rites by Ozzy Osbourne
Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai
The Look by Michelle Obama
The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel