non fiction book review

Skip to main content
Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Books We Love

Here are the nonfiction books npr staffers have loved so far this year.

Meghan Collins Sullivan

Summer BWL Nonfiction

Illustration of a woman sitting in a rocking chair reading a book in front of a big window.

We see you, hard-core NPR readers — just because it's summer doesn't mean it's all fiction, all the time. So we asked around the newsroom to find our staffers' favorite nonfiction from the first half of 2024. We've got biography and memoir, health and science, history, sports and more. (And, sure, if you only want to take fiction to the beach, we've got you: Click here. )

Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher Kara Swisher pulls off a magic trick here, delivering several sharply written books in one. There’s her story of becoming media’s most influential tech analyst, chronicling the rise of Facebook, Amazon, Google and, of course, X/Twitter — psychoanalyzing all the driven, flawed (mostly) dudebros who turned them into world-shaking platforms. There’s also an affecting personal memoir, charting her journey as a gay woman, spouse, mother, entrepreneurial journalist and advocate. And there’s a passionate critique of toxic technology, slamming self-centered tech CEOs who pursue engagement through enragement, unleashing social division. It’s all knit together with nimble-yet-effective prose, outlining how Silicon Valley works, how journalism works and how society works in one neat package . — Eric Deggans, TV critic

Buy Featured Book

Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How?

Independent Bookstores

Cloistered: My Years as a Nun by Catherine Coldstream Nuns have captured our imaginations as characters in fiction and on film over the years, but it’s rare to hear from one firsthand. This compelling memoir provides a glimpse into the life of a cloistered nun as the author shares her journey into — and ultimately out of — an order of Carmelite nuns in England. Coldstream seamlessly weaves her own personal motivations for seeking a life of solitude, contemplation and service alongside an exploration of the challenges, reforms and purpose of such orders at the turn of the 21st century. This book will push you to reflect on faith, power and personal agency in your own communities as you consider Coldstream’s experience. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming & Production

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley I spent most of the last year mourning my mother and found few books that even got close to capturing my altered mental state. My brain kept rehashing the past and finding significance in the oddest things, and I so wanted to share that experience with the very person I was missing. In a slim 191 pages, Sloane Crosley nails it precisely as she details mourning her best friend, who died suddenly by suicide. While poignant and vulnerable, her memoir is also insightful and funny, especially as she recounts adventures with Russell and her attempts to track down and reclaim jewelry that was stolen from her apartment about a month before he died: a caper he would have enjoyed in the telling. I finished it feeling grateful for her friend’s life and even more appreciative of my mom’s. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition

Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy by Sharon Malone M.D. If you want to be more proactive in managing your health, Dr. Sharon Malone can help. Grown Woman Talk is a playbook for navigating a fragmented and flawed health care system, written by a doctor who has spent more than 30 years practicing as an OB/GYN and is a certified menopause practitioner. She weaves in insights from her childhood in Mobile, Ala., when doctor visits were rare for her family. She recalls the first time she saw a doctor, entering the hospital through the “colored” door for an emergency tonsillectomy — and describes her mother as a “Jedi master” of managing injuries and illnesses with home remedies. Her deep sense of loss and anger at the death of her mom from cancer when she was 12 inspired her to be the kind of doctor and caretaker we need more of. — Allison Aubrey, health correspondent

Here After: A Memoir by Amy Lin In this memoir, the past and the present bleed together, as short wisps of chapters build the case for Kurtis and Amy as soul mates, while also telling the story of Kurtis' sudden and unexplained death. Poetic, visceral and stark, this beautifully crafted book is a gift, pulling back the curtain on the intimate processes of love and grief. Steeped in the greatest of personal losses, Amy Lin allows us to witness her plod against the cascading losses that follow and behold the life raft that is memory. — Beck Harlan, visuals editor, Life Kit

Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality by Renée DiResta At a time when our screens are clogged with viral lies and conspiracy theories, Invisible Rulers takes a long view toward explaining media manipulation and how we got to this moment. The book skillfully weaves together history and technology to explain the changing iterations of political propaganda over the past century. Renée DiResta, a disinformation researcher at Stanford University, shares her own experiences on the front lines of the struggle to define objective reality, including entering the field after confronting anti-vaccine sentiment when she became a parent. In the years since, DiResta has found herself a focal point for conspiracy theories, as powerful politicians have sought to discredit her work and that of other researchers in the field. — Brett Neely, supervising editor, Disinformation Reporting

Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House by Jared Cohen The American presidency is viewed as the most powerful position in the world. What happens when the job ends? History is often surprising. Not everyone found the role to be the most fulfilling one they ever had. Jared Cohen looks at some fascinating case studies that back that up. John Quincy Adams and William Howard Taft found greater joy in other branches of government: Congress and the Supreme Court. George Bush enjoys his private life and art studio. Life after power CAN be much more rewarding. — Edith Chapin, senior vice president and editor in chief

The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich This family memoir begins with a courtroom scene like no other. After a night in jail, Annabelle Tometich’s mom is charged with firing at a man who, she says, was stealing mangoes from the tree in her front yard. Tometich then hits rewind, taking readers back through her Fort Myers, Fla., childhood — with her Filipino American mom and white dad, a couple whose personality differences do not make them stronger together. The writing is both jewel-like and effortless, and Tometich’s memories — some mundane, some extraordinary — are mesmerizing. — Shannon Rhoades, senior editor, Weekend Edition

Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie Not the End of the World sifts through the evidence on pollution, extinction threats and deforestation. Once the numbers are clinically separated from emotion, a surprising guidebook to an eco-friendly life emerges. Food miles: not likely to affect climate change much. Meatless Mondays: helpful, especially if eschewing beef. Not everyone will interpret the world’s chances of staying within 2 degrees Celsius of warming with the same cautious optimism as Hannah Ritchie (“I’m confident we can keep moving closer”). But Ritchie’s data-first perspective makes this book an invaluable chaser to climate doomscrolling. — Darian Woods, co-host, The Indicator from Planet Money

Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sisson Gretchen Sisson's research and careful retelling of first/birth mothers' experiences sheds light on the people who are too often ignored, dehumanized and erased within the institution of adoption. This book deepened my understanding of how adoption, while typically viewed as a noble, feel-good form of family building, actually hinges on the trauma of family separation. Relinquished reveals the structural forces behind this loss, commonly blamed on the individual failures of a mother or birth parents. These are interviews that broadened my understanding of reproductive justice and myself as an adopted person. It’s essential reading in this era of reproductive rights under threat, for anyone who has thought of adoption as "a simple alternative" to abortion, and anyone considering adoption as a family plan. — Schuyler Swenson, content development producer

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport If you’re the typical knowledge worker, your life is overwhelmed by a dizzying flurry of emails and Slack messages breaking your focus every few minutes. You breathlessly ricochet from task to task yet never get enough real work done. Stop. Take a deep breath. Then read Slow Productivity, which expounds on productivity expert Cal Newport’s tripartite philosophy of 1) do fewer things 2) work at a natural pace and 3) obsess over quality. He provides practical hacks to implement these principles into your life, while weaving in examples of how deep thinkers such as Jane Austen embodied slow productivity. Newport writes, “The way we’re working no longer works.” But if enough knowledge workers embrace slow productivity, we can revolutionize the world of work. — Preeti Aroon, copy editor, NPR.org

Smoke and Ashes: Opium's Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh This is a gripping tale of how the British became history's first narco state, curiously, to help pay for the tea its people so loved to drink. Amitav Ghosh narrates how the British forced opium into China, creating a market by creating addicts. But opium did so much more. Ghosh investigates how it created many of the modern merchant families of India and the United States, including the fortunes of the Delanos (Roosevelt’s maternal grandfather) and the Forbeses. But perhaps the most important part of this book is how Ghosh looks at the history of opium through the prism of what we know now about opioid addiction, and the relatively newfound sympathy we have toward addicts — white addicts. — Diaa Hadid, international correspondent

Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South by Kate Medley As someone who travels Southern backroads reporting for NPR, I’ve long noticed how gas stations tend to serve as hubs in rural communities. And I have certainly sampled my share of convenience store fried chicken and sweet tea. Now, photojournalist Kate Medley, a native of Mississippi, takes us on a picturesque road trip across 11 states to document the food cultures you find at service stations. It’s a lovely coffee table book that puts a fascinating lens on a changing American South. There’s a little bit of everything — live bait and ammunition, hot tamales, catfish plates, Cajun banh mi, boiled peanuts, chicken tikka masala and hand-cut steaks. Writer Kiese Laymon’s forward sets the table with a story from his Mississippi youth as he recalls “my favorite restaurant served gas.” — Debbie Elliott, national correspondent

Author's Site

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib I don’t even watch basketball all that much. And yet, there’s something alluring about Hanif Abdurraqib’s meditation on the sport. Because, sure, it’s about hoops and LeBron James and Cleveland and the funny way time works when you’re watching a Game 7. But it’s also about losing loved ones. Fans of Abdurraqib’s work will recognize his rhythms and stylistic flairs that hardly ever fail to draw a reader in, and his talent at making you see the beauty in the things he finds beautiful. — Andrew Limbong, correspondent, Culture Desk, and host, NPR's Book of the Day

The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Shuster In this cinematic page-turner, Time correspondent Simon Shuster paints a vivid portrait of the Ukrainian president, who honed his powerful communication skills during decades as one of Ukraine’s most popular comedians. Shuster charts the rise from naïve political novice to steely — and unforgiving — wartime president. Deeply reported and deftly written, this book is a feat not only because it sheds light on one of today’s most consequential political figures, but also the history that shaped him and the tectonic shift in geopolitics that he’s now forced to navigate. — Joanna Kakissis, Ukraine correspondent

The Threshold of Dissent: A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism by Marjorie N. Feld The world is a very confusing place right now — at least, that's how it feels to me — so I'm always looking for books that can help me better understand where we are as a society and how we got here. The Threshold of Dissent is one of those books. In clear, careful language, the author illustrates some of the major moments over the past century that have shaped Jewish beliefs about Zionism, anti-Zionism and non-Zionism. It's a history told with both rigor and compassion — two qualities that seem especially essential when embarking in conversation on such a fraught and contentious subject. — Leah Donnella, senior editor, Code Switch

A Very Private School: A Memoir by Charles Spencer Charles Spencer — younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales — turns his considerable talents as a writer and historian on his own childhood. A Very Private School details what, he says, happened to him and his classmates — physical, sexual, emotional abuse — at one of Britain’s most elite boarding schools. Undergirding all is a culture of privilege, yes, but also silence and tradition rooted in the British Empire, sending 8-year-olds away from home as “the done thing.” Spencer’s quote from author Hilary Mantel in the book’s epigraph is telling, “I am writing in order to take charge of my childhood.” — Shannon Rhoades, senior editor, Weekend Edition

Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David S. Tatel David Tatel has written the book that his friends and admirers always hoped he would write, but expected he would not. One that deals candidly with his “vision” — his blindness, and his years of treating it as an asterisk, all while becoming one of the most prominent and thoughtful judges in the country. This book is both novelistic and introspective in its treatment of his lack of sight — from his love affair with his wife and children, to his “cane lessons,” to his later-in-life affection for his guide dog, Vixen. Along the way, it is also a book about the law, the art of judging and today's Supreme Court. And it’s fascinating. — Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent

Who's Afraid of Gender? by Judith Butler Judith Butler's groundbreaking 1990 book Gender Trouble revolutionized gender studies by arguing that gender is socially constructed, almost mythlike, but that myth can create reality. In this book, Butler leans into the titular question: Why has gender become such a “phantasm" in American life, and what does it tell us about how we’re approaching some of the biggest problems facing us, like climate change and far-right extremism? Butler has a clear perspective — and spells out the dangers of an ascendant “anti-gender ideology.” But it’s also an invitation to consider how we think about gender — and what that might tell us about who we are. — Tinbete Ermyas, editor, All Things Considered

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World by Ada Limón This anthology of 50 never-before-published poems about nature was edited by the 24th poet laureate of the United States, Ada Limón. The collection is both achingly beautiful and terrifyingly urgent. From a humorous take on getting drenched in a rainstorm to a beloved tree on its last day of existence to a woman processing the bleak reality of the world her grandchildren will inherit, these poems encouraged a heightened noticing in me and (bonus!) introduced me to the work of many new-to-me poets I’m eager to explore. — Beck Harlan, visuals editor, Life Kit

Mystery / Thrillers
Action & Adventure
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Biographies
Young Adult
Children’s Books
Book News & Events
The Exclamation Point!
Best Sellers & Trending
In the News
Press Releases
Science Fiction
Fantasy Authors
Business Authors
Author Interviews
Video Interviews
Essays & Articles

Discover Books

Book Excerpts
Books to Screen
Book Club Picks
BookTrib Lit Picks Sign up for your FREE eBook.
Our Mission
Contributors
Write For Us
Book Giveaways

An Author Reflects on Life, Love & Living the Italian Villa Dream

Helpful, hands-on writer’s guide to crafting a novel, businessman must clear his name in immersive crime thriller, giving a name to the nameless in history, a journey of sacrifice and freedom in the texas revolution, survivor brings awareness to link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, blending history and horror to craft a story of catastrophic nuclear disaster, “kingdom of the wicked” author shares latest in prince of sin series, spiritual clarity comes at 18,000 feet in reluctant pilgrimage through the himalayas, two souls pursue justice while navigating their own paths to healing, heartbeat of rock and roll lives on in rolling stones drummer’s bio, with election imminent, some tips for picking your next president, prepare for the holidays with a touching story full of christmas magic, in new louise penny, gamache must foil an eco-terrorisim plot with international implications, memoir seeks to destigmatize and explore nuance of mental illness, uncover dark secrets in chilling crime novel, shedding light on the unique trauma of a holocaust survivor’s child, amid chaos lies beauty, growth, and the promise of unexpected bonds, creating a future that celebrates feminine power and leadership, expert tapestry of jewish history and gripping mystery, historic sicilian saga reveals mafia’s clandestine beginnings, detailed exploration of medieval life — with a unique twist, parisian tale of love and ambition in “mademoiselle eiffel”, author and poet emphasizes humor and tenacity in eye-opening disability memoir, 5 health and wellness guides for life’s second chapter, gripping true story of longest-held pow in u.s. history, mythology comes alive in this soaring tale of gods and monsters, a captivating story of inheritance, discovery, and the beauty of tuscany awaits, thrilling novella unravels conspiracy behind art forgery and sudden disappearance, a surprising eye-opener on the fight against breast cancer, recalibrate your relationship with money — and your partner, experience a brighter future with transformative recovery guide, montreal, the mafia and a crime thriller that raises awareness on human trafficking, one woman’s journey to save her orphaned herd — and all farm animals, time is ticking for agatha raisin to solve another murder in “killing time”, search for stolen art leads to battle of the bulge in this wwii-era mystery, how wealth creates a hidden world that benefits the rich and powerful, a cozy autumn tale of forgiveness, love, and finding your path, the love affair that nearly tore apart world war i-era britain, books & looks podcast: sweet success: the triumphs and tribulations of california’s sugar king, oprah’s book club picks “from here to the great unknown” by lisa marie presley and riley keough, forgiveness, tragedy and the search for “something better” in diane parrish’s poignant novel, the computer scientist behind a cutting-edge technothriller exploring artificial intelligence, lessons learned from small-town xmas romance, “the december market”, from fashion cult to unraveling: the story of victoria’s secret, plunge into madness and malice with unmissable supernatural thriller, kiersten white reclaims stoker classic with new sapphic romance “lucy undying”, twisted secrets and deadly deceptions that’ll keep readers guessing, book promotion.

Get BookTrib in Your Inbox!

I agree to receive news and promotional material from this website and understand I can cancel at any time. Privacy Policy

Enter your information to download the chapter now.

Fill Out The Form and Receive A Free Book Marketing Consultation

Entertainment

The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

A good nonfiction book doesn’t just tell you something new about the world, it pulls you out of your place in it and dares you to reconsider what you thought you knew, maybe even who you are. The best nonfiction books that arrived this year vary in scope—some are highly specific, some broad and searching—but they all ask giant questions about loss, strength, and survival. In The Escape Artist , Jonathan Freedland underlines the power of the truth through the journey of one of the first Jews to escape Auschwitz . In How Far the Light Reaches , Sabrina Imbler reveals the ways marine biology can teach us about the deepest, most human parts of ourselves. From Stacy Schiff’s brilliant chronicle of Samuel Adams’ role in the American Revolution to Imani Perry’s illuminating tour of the American South, here are the 10 best nonfiction books of 2022.

10. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Stacy Schiff

Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff revisits the American Revolution in her engrossing biography of founding father Samuel Adams. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams centers on the years leading up to 1776 when Adams helped fan the earliest flames of the independence movement. Though he drove the anti-British rebellion in Massachusetts and had an outsized role in the Revolution, Adams’ story has been told far less than those of other founders like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton . Schiff details his clandestine work and his growing radicalization to show how vital he was to American independence, crafting an intricate portrait of a man long overshadowed by his contemporaries.

Buy Now : The Revolutionary on Bookshop | Amazon

9. The Invisible Kingdom, Meghan O’Rourke

Beginning in the late 1990s, Meghan O’Rourke was tormented by mysterious symptoms that would consume her life for years to follow. She describes her wrenching experience searching for a diagnosis in The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness , a 2022 National Book Award finalist. O’Rourke’s reported memoir is an indictment of the U.S. health care system and its approach—or lack thereof—to identifying and treating chronic illnesses, which take a grave toll on millions of Americans. Moving between her own medical journey, the history of illness in the U.S., and the crisis faced by millions currently suffering from long COVID , O’Rourke writes with an empathetic hand to argue why and how we need to change our systems to better support patients. The book is a bold and brave exploration into a much-overlooked topic, one that she punctuates with candor and urgency.

Buy Now : The Invisible Kingdom on Bookshop | Amazon

8. How Far the Light Reaches, Sabrina Imbler

Sabrina Imbler thoughtfully examines connections between science and humanity, tying together what should be very loose threads in 10 dazzling essays, each a study of a different sea creature. In one piece from their debut collection, Imbler explores their mother’s tumultuous relationship with eating while simultaneously looking at how female octopi starve themselves to death to protect their young. In another, they relate the morphing nature of cuttlefish with their own experiences navigating their gender identity. Throughout, Imbler reveals the surprising ways that sea creatures can teach us about family, sexuality, and survival.

Buy Now : How Far the Light Reaches on Bookshop | Amazon

7. His Name Is George Floyd, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

In their engaging book, Washington Post journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnpia expand on their reporting of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin. His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice centers on the life Floyd led before he was killed, captured through hundreds of interviews and richly textured research. The biography explores how Floyd’s experiences were shaped by systemic racism, from the over-policed communities where he was raised to the segregated schools he attended. Samuels and Olorunnipa illustrate, in compassionate terms, the father and friend who wanted more for his life, and how his death became a global symbol for change .

Buy Now : His Name Is George Floyd on Bookshop | Amazon

6. Constructing a Nervous System, Margo Jefferson

In her second memoir, Pulitzer Prize winner Margo Jefferson brilliantly interrogates and expands the form. Constructing a Nervous System finds the author reflecting on her life, the lives of her family, and those of her literary and artistic heroes. Jefferson oscillates between criticism and personal narrative, engaging with ideas about performance, artistry, and the act of writing through a plethora of lively threads. She considers everything: her parents, Bing Crosby and Ike Turner, the way a ballerina moves on stage. What emerges is a carefully woven tapestry of American life, brought together by Jefferson’s lyrical and electric prose.

Buy Now : Constructing a Nervous System on Bookshop | Amazon

5. An Immense World, Ed Yong

Journalist Ed Yong reminds readers that the world is very large and full of incredible things. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us is a celebration of sights and sounds, smells and tastes, and the unique ways different animals exist on the planet we all share. Yong’s absorbing book is a joyful blend of scientific study and elegant prose that transforms textbook fodder into something much more exciting and accessible. From dissecting why dogs love to sniff around so much to detailing how fish move in rivers, Yong underlines why it’s so important to take the time to stop and appreciate the perspectives of all the living things that surround us.

Buy Now : An Immense World on Bookshop | Amazon

4. The Escape Artist, Jonathan Freedland

When he was just 19 years old, Rudolf Vrba became one of the first Jews to break out of Auschwitz. It was April 1944, and Vrba had spent the last two years enduring horror after horror at the concentration camp, determined to make it out alive. As Jonathan Freedland captures in his harrowing biography, Vrba was fixated on remembering every atrocity because he knew that one day his story could save lives. The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World is heavy reading that spares no detail of the brutalities perpetrated by the Nazis during the Holocaust . It’s also a crucial, skillfully rendered look inside the journey of a teenager who risked his life to warn Jews, and the rest of the world, about what was happening in Auschwitz.

Buy Now : The Escape Artist on Bookshop | Amazon

3. Ducks, Kate Beaton

In 2005, Kate Beaton had just graduated from college and was yearning to start her career as an artist. But she had student loans to pay off and the oil boom meant that it was easy to get a job out in the sands, so she did. In her first full-length graphic memoir, Beaton reflects on her time working with a primarily male labor force in harsh conditions where trauma lingered and loneliness prevailed. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is a bruising and intimate account of survival and exploitation—of both the land and the people who worked on it—and is brought to life by Beaton’s immersive illustrations. In unveiling her plight, Beaton makes stunning observations about the intersections of class, gender, and capitalism.

Buy Now : Ducks on Bookshop | Amazon

2. South to America, Imani Perry

For her striking work of nonfiction, Imani Perry takes a tour of the American South , visiting more than 10 states, including her native Alabama. Perry argues that the associations and assumptions made about the South—with racism at their core—are essential to understanding the United States as a whole. While there is plenty of history embedded throughout South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation , the winner of the 2022 National Book Award for nonfiction, it is no history book. Instead, it’s an impressive mix of deftly compiled research and memoir, with Perry making poignant reflections on the lives of her own ancestors. The result is a revelatory account of the South’s ugly past—the Civil War, slavery, and Jim Crow Laws—and how that history still reverberates today.

Buy Now : South to America on Bookshop | Amazon

1. In Love, Amy Bloom

After Amy Bloom’s husband Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she supported him through the impossibly difficult decision to end his life, on his terms, with the aid of an organization based in Switzerland. Bloom’s memoir begins with their last flight together—on the way to Zurich—as she reflects on the reality that she will be flying home alone. But in these moments of despair, and the enormous grief that follows their trip, she finds tenderness and hope in remembering all that came before it. In writing about their marriage, Bloom unveils a powerful truth about the slippery nature of time. The book is a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to her husband, and a crucial reminder that what drives grief is often the most profound kind of love.

Buy Now : In Love on Bookshop | Amazon

More Must-Reads from TIME

How the Electoral College Actually Works
Your Vote Is Safe
Mel Robbins Will Make You Do It
Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
The Surprising Health Benefits of Pain
You Don’t Have to Dread the End of Daylight Saving
The 20 Best Halloween TV Episodes of All Time
Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders

Write to Annabel Gutterman at [email protected]

Craft and Criticism
Fiction and Poetry
News and Culture
Lit Hub Radio
Reading Lists

Literary Criticism
Craft and Advice
In Conversation
On Translation
Short Story
From the Novel
Bookstores and Libraries
Film and TV
Art and Photography
Freeman’s
The Virtual Book Channel
The Lit Hub Podcast
The Critic and Her Publics
Fiction/Non/Fiction
I’m a Writer But
Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
Write-minded
First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing
Behind the Mic
Lit Century
Tor Presents: Voyage Into Genre
Beyond the Page
The Cosmic Library
Emergence Magazine
The History of Literature
The Best of the Decade
Best Reviewed Books
BookMarks Daily Giveaway
The Daily Thrill
CrimeReads Daily Giveaway

The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2023

Featuring janet malcolm, david grann, martin luther king, naomi klein, and more.

The points are tallied, the math is done, and the results are in.

Yes, all year long the diligent and endearingly disgruntled Book Marks elves have been mining reviews from every corner of the literary internet. Brows furrowed, stomachs growling, they’ve worked from break of dawn to blink of dusk, seven days a week, scouring the book review sections of over 150 publications—from the New York Times to the Sydney Morning Herald , the Toronto Star to the London Review of Books —all so that we can now say with certainty that these are the best reviewed nonfiction titles of 2023.

Happy reading!

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s home for book reviews.

1. Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet’s Memoir of China’s Genocide by Tahir Hamut Izgil, trans. Joshua L. Freeman (Penguin Press)

“There are no scenes of torture, no violence and few sweeping proclamations about genocide. Izgil writes with calculated restraint. As his title suggests, the terror is in the anticipation … This is in effect a psychological thriller, although the narrative unfolds like a classic horror movie as relative normalcy dissolves into a nightmare … Izgil is a soft-spoken poet, not an orator or activist; that’s perhaps one reason his understated account is so effective.”

–Barbara Demick ( The New York Times Book Review )

=2. Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death by Laura Cumming (Scribner)

13 Rave • 1 Positive

“Genre-defying … Cumming suggests that we recall the past through pictures … Cumming clearly loves these paintings, and by weaving together vivid evocations of ones that particularly move her with brief biographies of the men and women who painted them, she invites us to share that love … Like all good elegists, Cumming, too, brings the dead to life in the very act of mourning them.”

–Ruth Bernard Yeazell ( The New York Times Book Review )

=2. Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinberg (Knopf)

13 Rave • 1 Positive Read an excerpt from Winnie and Nelson here

“A powerful, intimate and ultimately heartbreaking account … Painstaking detail … Many of the details in Steinberg’s masterful account have long been public knowledge thanks to court cases, newspaper articles and previous books. But his supreme contribution is in his ability to portray clearly and critically Nelson Mandela’s flaws and Winnie Mandela’s crimes, while expressing sympathy and understanding for both their courage and their pain.”

–Glenn Frankel ( The Washington Post )

4. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Doubleday)

20 Rave • 2 Positive

“[A] propulsive, finely detailed seafaring saga … This is a ripping yarn disguised as an acute study of group psychology, or perhaps the other way around. However you categorize The Wager, it is a remarkable book … Grann guides us through this process, step by step, storm by storm, man by man, in prose that the writers he references, including Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad, would appreciate. The book invites landlubbers in with vivid descriptions of life at sea, peppered with explanations of phrases and idioms given us by that life.”

–Chris Vognar ( The Boston Globe )

5. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

14 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Outstanding … The majority of the book shows who King really was behind the famous speeches and celebrity. Digging through thousands of hours of telephone transcripts and FBI wiretaps of conversations between King and other political and civil rights leaders, Eig offers an intimate, multidimensional biography. His reconstructed dialogues give the reader the feel of being in the room with King and other key players.”

–Ousmane Power-Greene ( The Boston Globe )

6. The Marriage Question: George Eliot’s Double Life by Clare Carlisle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

13 Rave • 9 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Intriguing, often brilliant … Ultimately, Carlisle’s thoughtful, comprehensive account of this particular liaison exquisitely probes the complex, thorny, and fascinating question: How much does our choice of partner determine who we ultimately become?”

–Jenny McPhee ( AirMail )

7. Still Pictures: On Photograph and Memory by Janet Malcolm (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

17 Rave • 13 Positive • 2 Mixed

“Superb … How could a writer so famously, effectively skeptical of subjective stories write an autobiography? Malcolm solves the problem with characteristic elegance: Nearly every short chapter of Still Pictures is headed by a grainy black-and-white photograph, whose calls to memory she heeds, repels and bargains with in turn by subtle turn. Her comfort with incompleteness becomes a virtue … Most of this memoir consists of appreciative and often very dryly funny memories of her devoted, literate family … Still Pictures has the clarity and brevity of a book by a writer who knows that time is short, and that there’s much to say, much to convey, which will otherwise be lost forever … A lot gets lost in that transition, Malcolm argues in this final, splendid, most personal work of her long career. A lot—but not everything.”

–Charles Finch ( The New York Times Book Review )

8. Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

10 Rave • 5 Positive • 3 Mixed Listen to an interview with Naomi Klein here

“…a compelling and far-reaching political detective story … Especially when it comes to the political fallout from the pandemic, no other book I know of has been this intellectually adventurous, this loopily personal, or this entertaining … Known primarily as a critic of globalization and a climate activist, our Naomi turns out to be that rarest of specimens: a leftist with self-irony … Despite drawing such devastating connections, Klein maintains a perfectly calibrated tone toward Wolf, favoring calm argument over derision or contempt. Her preferred move is excavating the kernels of insight from even Wolf’s most out-there claims … As a writer and a theorist, Klein is particularly talented at knitting together the sweep of history and the banalities of the present. She’s equally attuned to what doppelgängers can mean in a more transhistorical sense … The originality and political courage of this book is to turn that into an opening, an entirely different way of thinking about our enemies—and our selves.”

–Laura Kipnis ( The Nation )

9. Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder (Knopf)

10 Rave • 5 Positive • 5 Mixed • 1 Pan Listen to an interview with Anna Funder here

“With the precision of a historian, Funder cobbles together scant details to reconstruct a life. And with the imaginative force of a novelist, she speculates in clearly sign-posted moments on what that life was like … Considering how little information Funder has to work with, Wifedom is a spectacular achievement of both scholarship and pure feeling.”

–Jessica Ferri ( The Los Angeles Times )

10. Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer (Knopf)

13 Rave • 10 Positive • 3 Mixed • 4 Pan Listen to an interview with Claire Dederer here

“Excellent … Dederer is frank about how her own experience shaped her encounters with art … Every critic has their own biases, their own blind spots, and ignoring them does not erase them. In criticism, as in memoir, the only way to work through these biases is to admit them—if not to others, at least to oneself. The value of the kind of criticism that Dederer practices, one that publicly acknowledges her own subjectivity, her own loves and hatreds, is that it makes the difficulty of this process visible.”

–Melissa Febos ( The New Yorker )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points The ten books with the highest points totals are then ranked by weighted average

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Next article, support lit hub..

Join our community of readers.

to the Lithub Daily

Censoring Imagination: Why Prisons Ban Fantasy and Science Fiction

RSS - Posts

Literary Hub

Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature

How to Pitch Lit Hub

Advertisers: Contact Us

Support Lit Hub - Become A Member

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience , exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag . Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

Become a member for as low as $5/month

She Seeks Nonfiction

Social justice book reviews

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

Next week, I will be writing my 50th nonfiction book review on this blog. Learning brings me great joy, and when I learn fascinating things in my books, I can’t help but share them with you!

With Nonfiction November coming up, I know that many fiction book bloggers will try their hand at reading and reviewing nonfiction, and that many people aren’t used to it. There is often no character development, plot, setting, or allegory to critique, so what is left? Well, there is actually a lot to talk about, and I think reviewing nonfiction books is a lot of fun! I hope that through this post, my passion for writing nonfiction book reviews can inspire the unsure to give it a try.

There is not one correct way to write a book review. I write mine for fun, as a way to make blog posts that entertain me and hopefully my audience. Reviews make reading more fun and they help me to better engage as I read. They can even make it more bearable to finish a book I hate, because I know that my review will be interesting ! Regardless, here are some tips that help me write book reviews that I am proud of.

Mark up your book

I’ll start off with the obvious: I think that underlining and taking notes in nonfiction books is a great way to remember what you read and get ideas for your review as you go. My husband is adamant that my constant marking up of brand new books makes me a crazy person, and I can’t blame him for that. Some people can’t stand it.

If this is you— or if you read library books —then don’t worry! You can still use sticky notes or keep a separate notebook handy. I actually do this when I read books that are so old I would not dare deface them. Of course, e-readers make this easy; you can highlight and add notes without vandalizing anything. Finally, I know that a lot of people like to listen to nonfiction audiobooks, but I can’t imagine that you would absorb the information enough to make a review that way. But hey, if you can, more power to you!

Answer these three questions

I believe that each review will be as different as each book is, but there are a few questions that I attempt to answer no matter what.

Does it accomplish its goal?

First, I critique it according to its own criteria. Does the title promise that the book will deliver something specific? Is it meant to persuade you or inform you, and if so, how does it do? If a book’s title starts with “How to,” then you know exactly what the goal is. For example, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi did exactly that; Kendi repeatedly began sentences with, “To be an antiracist is to…” which is about as straightforward as it gets. On the other hand, How to Argue With a Racist by Adam Rutherford might sound like it gives responses to specific points you’d hear in an argument, but it doesn’t. (It was still a great book though!)

(Now that I’m on the topic, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman does give line-by-line responses for arguments, which I thought was a great approach.)

There are more ways that a book can express its goal. Maybe the introduction lays out why the book exists at all. This is one thing I really appreciate about Richard Dawkins’ books. My feelings about the book as a whole are mixed (and my feelings about Dawkins as a person are lacking), but in the preface of The God Delusion , Dawkins lists out exactly how he is going to make his case for atheism. He promises to meet different readers where they are. “Do you believe X? Well, I explain this exact thing in Chapter X.” The man knows how to make a promise. Obviously, a preface does not need to be this explicit to make a book good, but it definitely made my review easier. This was especially great for me, as The God Delusion was only the second book I ever reviewed.

Do I like it?

Even though Adam Rutherford’s How to Argue With a Racist did not teach me how to argue with a racist, I still gave it a rave review. That’s because the second question I set out to answer is a simple one: Did I like the book? I’m the one writing the review, so I decide whether it’s a positive or negative one. This is when book reviews get really subjective, and why I love when there are many of the same book. No two people will have the same exact opinions about it. Many times, I have admitted that a book was probably good , but that I don’t think I was the right audience for it.

Does it speak to a target audience?

This brings me to the third question: do you know the book’s target audience? If there is no clear audience, then there’s a good chance the whole book is moot. Take this post, for instance. My intended audience is primarily fiction book bloggers who are trying out nonfiction book reviews for November. Hopefully other people will find something useful or entertaining out of it, but if you don’t care about books or reviews or blogging at all, then this post probably isn’t for you.

Decide whether you want to stick to a formula

If you have never written a nonfiction book review before, it can be easier to follow a formula and always know what you want to include in your review. A great example of this is fellow nonfiction book blogger Paula Ghete ‘s book reviews such as this one of Cosmos by Carl Sagan ( which you can compare to mine to see how greatly our styles vary). Her book reviews are structured this way:

Title: Cosmos Author: Carl Sagan Category: Non-fiction, Science Rating: 5/5 10-Word Summary: We can understand the Universe only if we study it. About Cosmos [short summary] What I like about Cosmos [list with bullet points and descriptions] What I don’t like about Cosmos [list with bullet points and descriptions]

In other book reviews, such as this one , Paula also included the following sections:

Quotes from The Idiot Brain [lists eight relatively short quotes] Should You Read The Idiot Brain? [succinct, defined answer]

Admittedly, her reviews are clearly written with SEO and readability in mind. Search engines love to say, “The more headlines and the shorter the sections, the merrier,” so that they know what the post is about. This also helps the reader to get Paula’s big ideas even if they don’t wade through the – gasp – paragraphs !

On the other hand, my review of Cosmos described how it left me speechless, why it was virtually unreviewable, why it made me almost cry watching the launch of NASA’s Perseverance, and why Sagan is so beloved in the atheist community .

Something fun about me is that I pretty much write whatever I feel like writing, which might make you think that I would not be the most qualified to tell you how you should write your own book reviews, but there I go again, writing whatever I feel like which includes this review-tutorial. Look, I’m just here for a good time.

How my own book reviews take shape

As I said earlier, each review can be as different as each book. This is more true for someone like me than for someone who is a little more organized like Paula Ghete, because I don’t really abide by any restraints. I don’t write only book reviews, so if a review takes me to another topic that I care about anyways, I’ll just talk about that. I love when a book simply inspires me to share what I’ve learned from it, or gives me the opportunity to ponder something I wouldn’t have thought of if I hadn’t read it.

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels was a pretty informative book about—you guessed it—the Gnostic Gospels and Gnostic Christianity. I honestly didn’t have much to say about the book itself, but it caused me to compare early Gnostic Christianity to modern-day Progressive Christianity, list the similarities and differences, and pose the question to my Progressive Christian audience what they think of it.

My review of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart had a similar fate. An actual review of the book was definitely present throughout my post on it, but it was a great chance for me to delve into my own experiences learning about Christian Nationalism , inside and outside of Stewart’s book. I also found myself comparing The Power Worshippers to Andrew Seidel’s The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American and explaining why the two books complement each other.

When I’ve read two or more books by the same author or on the same subject, I love to compare and contrast them or explain how they go together. I’ve done that with these, as well as books by Ibram X. Kendi , Ian Tattersall , Carl Sagan , and the two most famous works in the atheist community .

Final thoughts

As is the case with many of my book reviews, there is a lot more I could say. And like those, I often have to stop myself from rambling on ad nauseum . When this happens with a review , I have to just give the big idea, some fun facts, and then tell my audience that you really ought to read it for yourself. So I’ll do that here. I hope that my advice has helped you to see nonfiction reviews as a little less scary, and I encourage you to try writing them yourself! I’m so excited to read them!

What do you think? Cancel reply

Books | Best Sellers

Hardcover nonfiction - november 10, 2024.

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only.

Hardcover Nonfiction

2 weeks on the list

by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

Our criminal justice system viewed through the struggles of 10 wrongfully convicted people to achieve exoneration.

Apple Books
Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million
Bookshop.org

New this week

by Alex Van Halen

The drummer of the iconic rock band Van Halen shares stories about his partnership in life and music with his late brother Edward.

by Alexei Navalny

A posthumously published memoir by the late Russian political opposition leader and political prisoner who began writing this after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020.

by Bob Woodward

Simon & Schuster

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist looks at our contentious time through battles in Ukraine and the Middle East and for the American presidency.

4 weeks on the list

THE MESSAGE

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The author of “Between the World and Me” travels to three locations to uncover the dissonance between the realities on the ground and the narratives shaped about them.

3 weeks on the list

by Melania Trump

The former first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.

REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT

by Malcolm Gladwell

Little, Brown

Through a series of stories, Gladwell explicates the causes of various kinds of epidemics.

FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN

by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

Random House

Presley’s memoir, completed by her daughter, explores her relationships and challenges.

BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS

by Ina Garten

A memoir by the cookbook author and Food Network host known as the Barefoot Contessa.

7 weeks on the list

CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS

by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

St. Martin's

The conservative commentator evaluates the legacies of American presidents.

31 weeks on the list

THE ANXIOUS GENERATION

by Jonathan Haidt

Penguin Press

A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.

DINNER FOR VAMPIRES

by Bethany Joy Lenz

The actress, known for her role on “One Tree Hill,” describes her time in a cult and how she stepped away from it.

AMERICAN HEROES

by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Tim Malloy

A collection of stories of soldiers who served in conflicts overseas.

by Al Pacino

The multiple award-winning actor traces his steps from the South Bronx to avant-garde theater in New York to the creation of his iconic roles.

WHAT I ATE IN ONE YEAR

by Stanley Tucci

The actor and author of “Taste” documents meals he had in a variety of settings and contexts.

The New York Times Book Review

Librarians face a crisis of violence and abuse.

As libraries become public stages for social problems — homelessness, drug use, mental health — the people who work there are burning out.

Weekly Best Sellers Lists

Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
Hardcover Fiction
Paperback Trade Fiction
Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction
Paperback Nonfiction
Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous
Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover
Children’s Picture Books
Children’s & Young Adult Series
Young Adult Hardcover

Monthly Best Sellers Lists

Lesley Ann McDaniel

Real Life~Pure Fiction

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

May 13, 2013

Do you love reading nonfiction books? Why not try your hand at reviewing them.

What is a nonfiction book review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book. It isn’t just a summary, but gives commentary that will be uniquely yours as the writer of the review. The difference between a review of fiction versus nonfiction is that with the latter, the reviewer will evaluate the piece not so much on its entertainment value as on whether it fulfills its promise to solve a particular problem or deliver certain information.

Why write book reviews?

Reviews help books get noticed and gain credibility. Writers want to receive reviews to show readers that their book is widely-read and well-received.

Where are reviews posted?

These days, the answer is ‘lots of places.’ Many reviewers post book reviews on their own blogs. You can also post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, library websites, or submit them to other people’s review blogs. If you really want to get serious, there are a lot of literary journals that accept freelance reviews.

How long should a review be?

That will depend largely on where you are planning to submit your review. Check for guidelines, and assume that you will write anywhere from 100 to 1500 words. Be succinct, but give enough to serve the purpose of the review.

Points to Consider:

●What if you really don’t like the book? Always write your reviews with integrity. If you honestly don’t like a book, write your review as if you are in a critique session with the author. Use positive words and avoid sarcasm.

●Take time to read reviews written by other readers, but keep in mind that many of them are not trained reviewers.

●Review the book that has been written, not the book you think the author should have written. It isn’t fair to criticize an author for failing to achieve something he or she never intended to achieve.

Nonfiction Book Review Template:

Opening statement: Include title and author.

What does the book promise to deliver to the reader? Another way to look at it is, what problem does this book promise to solve?

Does it accomplish what it sets out to accomplish?

If so, how?

If not, what could the author have done differently?

What makes this author uniquely qualified to write on this topic?

What is the tone of the book? Is it humorous and easy to relate to, or is it more dry and academic?

Overall impression: This is where you give your personal take on the book.

Suggested points to include:

Was the book written in a way that you as a reader could easily relate to?

What was your favorite part of the book?

Do you have a least favorite part of the book?

If you could change something, what would it be?

Are there photos or illustrations? If so, are they effective in enhancing the book’s message?

Would you recommend this book?

What type of reader would enjoy this book?

There are so many wonderful nonfiction books out there. Have a great time reading and reviewing!

Have you written any nonfiction book reviews?

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy How to Write a Fiction Book Review .

Tweetables:

Want to write great nonfiction book reviews? It’s easier than you might think. Click to Tweet!

How to write a nonfiction book review. It’s easier than you might think. Click to Tweet!

Help nonfiction authors promote their books; write reviews! Click to Tweet!

Help readers find great nonfiction books; write reviews! Click to Tweet!

Best Non Fiction Book Review Blogs in 2024

Showing 74 blogs that match your search.

Booklover Book Reviews

https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/

WELCOME BOOKLOVERS! I’m Jo, an Aussie book reviewer. I started this website in 2009 and quickly realised I enjoy writing and blogging about books almost as much as reading them. Hope you enjoy browsing my book reviews & following my reading adventures.

Blogger : Joanne

Genres : Non-Fiction

🌐 Domain authority: 36

👀 Average monthly visits: 4,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Website contact form

⭐️ Accepts indie books? Yes

Chick Lit Cafe

https://www.chicklitcafe.com

We do professional engaging book reviews and effective book promotion. We connect readers with authors. Readers and authors love our award winning website. Visit our website for more information and to read our great reviews.

Blogger : Jewel

🌐 Domain authority: 22

👀 Average monthly visits: 32,000 p/mo

A Thin Slice of Anxiety

http://www.athinsliceofanxiety.com/

A Thin Slice of Anxiety is an independent publication which strives to nurture and promote the best up-and-coming writers of our generation.

Blogger : Cody Sexton

🌐 Domain authority: 16

👀 Average monthly visits: 2,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Email

Quill and Quire

https://quillandquire.com/

Quill & Quire is the magazine of the Canadian book trade. The magazine reviews around 400 new titles each year, offering the most comprehensive look at Canadian-authored books in the country.

Blogger : The Q&Q Team

🌐 Domain authority: 57

👀 Average monthly visits: 81,500 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Mail

⭐️ Accepts indie books? No

Indie Reader

http://indiereader.com/

There were over 391,000 books self-published in 2012. That's a lot of company (and competition!) for any author.åÊIndieReader offers the best value for reviews, bar none. IR's reviewers & some of the best in the field & will let you know if you've achieved what you set out to do. Charges may apply. IR also recommends titles to the HUFFINGTON POST and USA TODAY.

Blogger : The IndieReader Team

🌐 Domain authority: 49

👀 Average monthly visits: 15,000 p/mo

The Lesbian Review

http://www.thelesbianreview.com/

The Lesbian Review is the home of book reviews done by women who absolutely LOVE lesbian fiction and who are not just going to read and enjoy every lesbian novel out there. We read a lot and are a tough crowd to please. But that is great news for you because it means this book blog only showcases lesbian fiction books that are really good. If we don't like it, we don't review it.

Blogger : The Lesbian Review

🌐 Domain authority: 37

👀 Average monthly visits: 10,200 p/mo

Read and Rated

https://readandrated.com/

Read and Rated, where all good books come to be reviewed! Find me on twitter too @ReadandRated

Blogger : Lisa Hall

🌐 Domain authority: 17

👀 Average monthly visits: 6,000 p/mo

Books and Beyond Reviews

https://booksandbeyondreviews.com/

For the most part, I am avid book reader. I will try a wide range of books, with one exception: romance. I have never been able to engage with books of this genre, so please keep this in mind when requesting a review.

Blogger : The BB Team

👀 Average monthly visits: 5,000 p/mo

Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

https://www.sunflowerpublishing.com/book-reviews

On this blog you can find reviews about any books set in Italy.

Blogger : Italy Writers

🌐 Domain authority: 12

👀 Average monthly visits: 100 p/mo

Armed with a Book

https://armedwithabook.com/

Hi, I am Kriti and I write at Armed with A Book. I am an avid reader and I view all my interactions with authors about their books as a relationship. I have much to learn from you and your stories and hope that I will be able to get across the message you are conveying with your work. Please review my ‘Work with Me’ page for more information.

Blogger : Kriti Khare

🌐 Domain authority: 29

👀 Average monthly visits: 8,500 p/mo

Mental Health @ Home

https://mentalhealthathome.org/blog/book-reviews/

Mental Health @ Home publishes weekly reviews of nonfiction books related to mental health and illness.

Blogger : Ashley Peterson

🌐 Domain authority: 35

👀 Average monthly visits: 6,800 p/mo

Stacked Books

http://www.stackedbooks.org/

STACKED welcomes your input and accepts material for review. We are honest and critical in our reviews, but acknowledge the five laws of Ranganathan. We believe that nearly all materials have an audience, and it is our goal to help identify that audience.

Blogger : Kelly & Kimberly

🌐 Domain authority: 50

Reader Views Book Reviews

https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/

Reader Views started in 2005 as a book review service. We quickly identified a need for indie author representation in the literary world and expanded into offering a variety of services to help capture the attention of potential readers.

Blogger : Reader Views Team

🌐 Domain authority: 40

The Eclectic Review

https://eclecticreview.wordpress.com/

My name is Sharon (sherton on LibraryThing) from Iowa and I am an avid reader of just about every genre. Of course, I have my favorites, but I'll let you try to guess what they are. If I'm not working in my garden, I'm writing reviews here, for Amazon, LibraryThing, GoodReads and others as requested.

Blogger : Sharon

Social Book Shelves

http://www.socialbookshelves.com

My name's Dane Cobain, and I'm the guy behind SocialBookshelves.com. SocialBookshelves.com was founded in April 2013 and officially launched on May 1st of the same year as a book blog with a difference - each review is constrained by the number of pages contained in the book.

Blogger : Dane Cobain

👀 Average monthly visits: 7,100 p/mo

So you want to find a book blog?

If you’re a voracious reader, you might think of a book blog as an oasis in the middle of the desert: a place on the Internet that brims with talk about books, books, and more books.

Well, good news — we built this directory of the 200 of the best book blogs to satiate your thirst. Take a walk around, use the filters to narrow down your search to blogs in your preferred genre, and feel free to bookmark this page and come back, as we do update it regularly with more of the best book blogs out there.

If you’re an aspiring author, you might see a book blog more as a book review blog: a place where you can get your yet-to-be published book reviewed. In that case, you’ll be glad to know that most of the book blogs in our directory are open to review requests and accept indie books! We expressly designed this page (and our book marketing platform, Reedsy Discovery ) to be useful to indie book authors who need book reviews. If you’re wondering how to approach a book blog for a review request, please read on.

You’ve found a book blog. Now what?

Let’s say that you’re an author, and you’ve found a couple of book blogs that would be perfect fits to review your book. What now? Here are some tips as you go about getting your book reviews:

Be sure to read the review policy. First, check that the book blog you’re querying is open to review requests. If that’s the fortunate case, carefully read the blog’s review policy and make sure that you follow the directions to a T.
Individualize your pitches. Book bloggers will be able to immediately tell apart the bulk pitches, which simply come across as thoughtless and indifferent. If you didn’t take the time to craft a good pitch, why should the blogger take the time to read your book? Personalize each pitch to up your chances of getting a response.
Format your book in a professional manner before sending it out. Ensure that your manuscript isn’t presented sloppily. If the book blogger asks for a digital ARC, you might want to check out apps such as Instafreebie or Bookfunnel.
Create a spreadsheet to track your progress. Wading through so many book blogs can be troublesome — not to mention trying to remember which ones you’ve already contacted. To save yourself the time and trouble, use a simple Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your progress (and results).

Looking to learn even more about the process? Awesome 👍 For a detailed guide, check out this post that’s all about getting book reviews.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Save your shortlist

Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!

By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.

We sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Book Review Blogs Directory, happy publishing! 🙌

It's easier than you think

Submit your book to Reedsy Discovery and choose from hundreds of reviewers.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

MSL Book Review

Sample nonfiction book reviews.

Nonfiction Reviews

Bomb The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon is an engaging non-fiction book which had me from the first page. The book begins with a Prologue: May 22, 1950 the FBI arrives at Harry Gold’s door; Harry, still in pajamas, stares at two agents with a search warrant for his home as they are investigating his spying activities from the 30s and 40s. The jig was up and Harry declares “There is a great deal more to this story. It goes way back, and I would like to tell it all.” Thus begins the tale of the Manhattan Project from its inception. Even though we know the outcome of the race and understand the destruction, the excitement of the academics working on the bomb is felt.

This is an intriguing story of WWII, the atomic bomb, and the historical figures who played major roles in the development of atomic power. Many pictures and excellent source notes, quotes notes, and index make this a well documented book. Included in the Epilogue is the original letter from Albert Einstein written to F.D. Roosevelt, advising that a new energy form had been discovered by splitting the atom and that it needed to be monitored. This book is an excellent companion book to the fictional Green Glass Sea, which is set in Los Alamos and is the story of children and wives of the men working on the Manhattan Project.

Author Steve Sheinkin crafts a compelling thriller about the development of the atomic bomb in his book, Bomb: the Race to Build – and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. Sheinkin, using effective narrative techniques, introduces readers to the major personalities involved in the Manhattan Project as the Americans raced to construct an atomic bomb while keeping the knowledge from the Germans during World War II. The book takes us from the US to Great Britain, Norway, Germany, Russia, and Japan where scientists, politicians, and spies are all engaged in winning the war (and becoming a world power) through the creation of the “ultimate weapon.”

This volume will be especially useful for middle and high school students conducting research on World War II weapons and war strategy, as well as those looking for biographical information on the Manhattan Project scientists. Along with a detailed index, the author provides copious source and quotation notes. Black and white photographs of the important personalities and bomb testing site are sprinkled throughout. An essential purchase for American history and science collections.

I Did Not Know Gary Indiana

Evan grillon remembers the legendary writer gary indiana., by evan grillon october 31, 2024.

LAST FALL, I was rereading Resentment: A Comedy (1997) on the train on the way to a screening of Sweet Smell of Success (1957), the most perverted Hays Code movie I know, and came upon a passage I knew was coming, where a man is, to put it mildly, fisted to death by the novel’s stuttering psychopath. I began to feel physically ill. I made it through an hour of Sweet Smell before having to head home because I was still feeling ill. Probably it was just something I ate, I told myself, willfully ignoring how deeply the viciousness, the casual cruelty Indiana put on display, had scared me.

It is moments like that fatal fisting which probably led Richard Bernstein (whoever that is), in a contemporary review of the novel, to write: “Mr. Indiana's total immersion in the Gothic elements of the psychic tapestry provides us with no moral refuge.” I’m not exactly sure what a moral refuge is, but I’m sure it entails somehow being told that nothing is, in the end, your fault, and that we’re all human, and that kindness and empathy will save us. That if Republicans just read two pieces of literary fiction a year, our republic would be saved. Perhaps we should call Mr. Bernstein Bubble Boy. Just as we’re sold a fantasy of comfort and unimaginable wealth and happiness by the culture at-large, so our literary culture at-large promises us that, in the end, we’re all human beings with dignity, and that there is hope.

Moral refuge is precisely what Indiana withheld in his oeuvre because in real life it is withheld from so many. The desire for a happy ending, a moment of relief and rectitude and respite in our literature, for our media to be an oasis, is a desire for opiates. It is the desire manufactured by a culture that wants to be told that it is righteous, and that in the end, everything is going to be okay. To quote Tobi Haslett in his essay “Modern Love” for n+1 , “To read Indiana is to feel a bit bovine; the reserves of optimism we deploy to make the world bearable are suddenly revealed as a shameful indifference to things as they are.”

The United States has at regular intervals experienced cataclysmic throes of decompensation since its inception. The next one might be its last. The logic of a nation built on free market economics and slave labor, a farce of a republic masquerading as a democracy that will always hand the advantage to the very worst people, a culture of grievance and entitlement: There is refuge only for a select few because that is, by and large, what the people want. The source of the majority of the suffering in this country and elsewhere, after all, is not the fact that the poorest don’t have enough, but that those who have plenty will not stop until they have more . (Indiana’s view of the big picture, to quote his memoir, was “a world of slaves forced to eat shit by large, unattractive men.”) At this point in capitalism’s trip across the River Styx, a rabid (and significant) portion of the American electorate has been spoiled to the point of sociopathy. In a country that is split on whether we should put immigrants into concentration camps, suffice to say that the demagogues of grievance and narcissism, who have always been powerful, need not even bother to dissemble anymore. Meanwhile, the engine of consumption is fed ever more souls. Moloch to Mickey Mouse: To quote Indiana quoting Robert Stone, “Mickey Mouse will see you dead.” And with Disney’s cultural choke hold, I suppose it has seen him dead.

Gary Indiana saw this coming. This being his death, yes, but also that the bad times would roll like heads. There is a void where America’s heart should be, the safety net is riddled with holes and situated above a shark tank, and Americans don’t want for their fellow human beings to be protected and cared for—they want the right to step on their necks on their way up the golden ladder. There is a reason the phrase “fait accompli” appears again over and over in his literature. As far as he is concerned, most lives are a fait accompli, and for some, it takes the form of a black hole of violence, depredation, and cruelty. He understood this before most, such that works like 2005’s Schwarzenegger Syndrome: Politics and Celebrity in the Age of Contempt practically predicted Donald Trump’s ascendance and the liberal establishment’s rightward drift. The book closes presciently: “If the existence of persistent, principled, rationalist resistance to barbarism ceases to be the case in the time ahead of us, the world will belong to any tyrant who claims it.”

Anyone who cares about the truth should grieve his loss, and one truth is that I do not feel myself up to the task of properly eulogizing him, and I feel this so much so that, in order to eulogize him, I will quote his eulogy of Anna Politkovskaya from his essay “I Did Not Know Anna Politkovskaya”:

Politkovskaya was believed, even by some who despised her, because she really did write only what was true. Not just reporting parts of the truth that happened to serve her parti pris, but also complicating facts, mitigating causalities, the “yes, but …” that even well-intentioned people quite often omit from their account of things. What happens when your idea of the truth is whatever evidence fits is this: inevitably, the little thing you left out to sound more convincing will eventually surface, and even though it is a small thing, your decision to leave it out will make this little thing bigger than the big thing you were trying to reveal. The same is true of exaggerations: the fudged figure, the inflated injury, the overdrawn malfeasance inevitably makes the world a little worse.

It’s exactly these qualities that drew me to Indiana’s work. He never represses, never disguises or dissembles. He describes life not as it is, because there is no one universal experience , but life as bad as it can get. I cannot speak to whether he was a hypocrite or cruel person in his real life, but he frequently was criticized by reviewers and contemporaries for his lack of tact, his willingness to lambast those whose writing he disliked, as well as those he simply disliked personally. Susan Sontag, David Lynch, Hilton Als—these are just a few who have been stung by him. And of course, in a culture where rhetoric has been made falsely equivalent to real, physical violence, where it is worse to call someone a name or use the word “genocide” than it is to actually slaughter real live human beings, where decency means not stepping out of line rather than doing the right thing, it makes sense that Indiana struggled to find his work a permanent home for so long. And lest anyone have the idiotic idea to suggest he did it to make a career for himself, it’s worth remembering that it pays far better to be nice than it does to be perceived as an enfant terrible. To trade favors, to write favorable reviews of your friends, in our literary culture, is to make your way. Indiana wouldn’t do that.

I get to everything late. I read Indiana for the first time as a member of a Twitter-born book club while I was wrapping up my MFA at a program I’ll dub “the peninsula of misfit toys,” chaired at that time by a writer most famous for being publicly accused of plagiarism in The New York Times and for being dubbed “fuckwad” by David Foster Wallace, whom Indiana wings with a one-line shot in Resentment . Haslett has composed a better summary and analysis of Indiana’s work and its relationship to love and nihilism than I could. Ryan Ruby has written a terrific review for Sidecar of Indiana’s newest selected essays anthology. Joshua Cohen and Christian Lorentzen both gave him a goodbye in The Paris Review .

For all the remarks on his acerbity, his witticism, his style and disdain for the US and capitalism, Indiana also had a profound sense of the loneliness and heartbreak that pushes so many over the edge. It’s at least in part being left (along with a murderous contempt for others) that drives Andrew Cunanan kill Jeffrey Trail in Three Month Fever (1999). And Indiana’s characters who are not psychopaths can never do enough, they are not there for each other, they say or do the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time. And carried in each of these moments is the possibility that they may have done the right thing, that there is a right thing to do. His narrator (named Gary Indiana) in Do Everything in the Dark (2003) remarks: “I never have the right words. I never can save anybody.”

These individual failures mirror the failures of our society and culture at-large. Indiana’s crime trilogy addresses, as do his essays and early novels, what I think of as his primary hobbyhorse: rather than a “crisis of mental illness” or a “gun epidemic,” what has created a culture of rage and violence in the United States is, to take one of his titles, a depraved indifference on the part of the overall culture to the torrential rainstorm of shit, of violence and depredation, that’s constantly pouring down on the heads of the people situated at the margins of our society. His essay on the Tsarnaev brothers’ bombing of the Boston Marathon contains the most succinct description of his views on the matter: “Why did they do it? How could they? In the world we live in now, the better questions are: Why not? Why wouldn’t they?” The fact is that alongside the deranged killers our culture has long pretended to be baffled by are millions of sociopaths living in disguise, asking themselves the same question, “Why not?,” but with giddiness rather than despair. To quote him just one more time:

As everyday existence becomes more punitive for all but the monied few, more and more frustrated, volatile individuals will seek each other out online, aggravate whatever lethal fairy tale suits their pathology, and, ultimately, transfer their rage from the screen world to the real one.

There’s no doubt that people love a little cruelty in their literature, a little perversion. It’s when the perversion gets cruel that people start to get uncomfortable. When that cruelty could plausibly be perpetrated by the reader, by the reader’s friends and family, when that cruelty is visited upon people who don’t deserve it, and there is no moment of epiphanic empathizing and change—then the reader is reminded that their safety, their happiness, their life is an accident of a society that chews up as many as necessary to make the lucky ones safe and happy.

LARB Contributor

Evan Grillon is a writer who lives in New York City. He has written for The Southampton Review , Triangle House Review , Salamander , and Wigleaf , among others.

LARB Staff Recommendations

Weird nonfiction.

Clayton Purdom situates nonfictional works designed “with the intention of upsetting, disturbing, or confusing the audience,” in an essay from the...

Clayton Purdom Sep 27

Gary Indiana’s “Do Everything in the Dark”

Kate Wolf is joined by author Gary Indiana to speak about the recent reissue of his 2003 novel, “Do Everything in the Dark.”

LARB Radio Hour May 26, 2023

Did you know LARB is a reader-supported nonprofit?

LARB publishes daily without a paywall as part of our mission to make rigorous, incisive, and engaging writing on every aspect of literature, culture, and the arts freely accessible to the public. Help us continue this work with your tax-deductible donation today!

Get a Free Review of Your Book
Enter our Book Award Contest
Helpful Articles and Writing Services
Are you a Publisher, Agent or Publicist?
Five Star and Award Stickers
Find a Great Book to Read
Win 100+ Kindle Books

Get Free Books

Are you a School, Library or Charity?

Become a Reviewer

Become an Affiliate
Become a Partner

Award Winners

Non-fiction, book reviews.

2024 Award Winners
2023 Award Winners
2022 Award Winners
2021 Award Winners
2020 Award Winners
2019 Award Winners
2018 Award Winners
2017 Award Winners
2016 Award Winners
2015 Award Winners
2014 Award Winners
2013 Award Winners
2012 Award Winners
2011 Award Winners
2010 Award Winners
2009 Award Winners
Children - Action
Children - Adventure
Children - Animals
Children - Audiobook
Children - Christian
Children - Coming of Age
Children - Concept
Children - Educational
Children - Fable
Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Children - General
Children - Grade 4th-6th
Children - Grade K-3rd
Children - Mystery
Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
Children - Non-Fiction
Children - Picture Book
Children - Preschool
Children - Preteen
Children - Religious Theme
Children - Social Issues

Young Adult

Young Adult - Action
Young Adult - Adventure
Young Adult - Coming of Age
Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
Young Adult - Fantasy - General
Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
Young Adult - General
Young Adult - Horror
Young Adult - Mystery
Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
Young Adult - Non-Fiction
Young Adult - Paranormal
Young Adult - Religious Theme
Young Adult - Romance
Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Young Adult - Social Issues
Young Adult - Thriller
Christian - Amish
Christian - Biblical Counseling
Christian - Devotion/Study
Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Christian - Fiction
Christian - General
Christian - Historical Fiction
Christian - Living
Christian - Non-Fiction
Christian - Romance - Contemporary
Christian - Romance - General
Christian - Romance - Historical
Christian - Thriller
Fiction - Action
Fiction - Adventure
Fiction - Animals
Fiction - Anthology
Fiction - Audiobook
Fiction - Chick Lit
Fiction - Crime
Fiction - Cultural
Fiction - Drama
Fiction - Dystopia
Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
Fiction - Fantasy - General
Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
Fiction - General
Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
Fiction - Historical - Personage
Fiction - Holiday
Fiction - Horror
Fiction - Humor/Comedy
Fiction - Inspirational
Fiction - Intrigue
Fiction - LGBTQ
Fiction - Literary
Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
Fiction - Military
Fiction - Mystery - General
Fiction - Mystery - Historical
Fiction - Mystery - Legal
Fiction - Mystery - Murder
Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
Fiction - Mythology
Fiction - New Adult
Fiction - Paranormal
Fiction - Realistic
Fiction - Religious Theme
Fiction - Science Fiction
Fiction - Short Story/Novela
Fiction - Social Issues
Fiction - Southern
Fiction - Sports
Fiction - Supernatural
Fiction - Suspense
Fiction - Tall Tale
Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
Fiction - Thriller - General
Fiction - Thriller - Legal
Fiction - Thriller - Medical
Fiction - Thriller - Political
Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
Fiction - Time Travel
Fiction - Urban
Fiction - Visionary
Fiction - Western
Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction - Adventure
Non-Fiction - Animals
Non-Fiction - Anthology
Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
Non-Fiction - Audiobook
Non-Fiction - Autobiography
Non-Fiction - Biography
Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
Non-Fiction - Cultural
Non-Fiction - Drama
Non-Fiction - Education
Non-Fiction - Environment
Non-Fiction - Genealogy
Non-Fiction - General
Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
Non-Fiction - Historical
Non-Fiction - Hobby
Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
Non-Fiction - Inspirational
Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
Non-Fiction - Marketing
Non-Fiction - Memoir
Non-Fiction - Military
Non-Fiction - Motivational
Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
Non-Fiction - New Age
Non-Fiction - Occupational
Non-Fiction - Parenting
Non-Fiction - Relationships
Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
Non-Fiction - Retirement
Non-Fiction - Self Help
Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
Non-Fiction - Social Issues
Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
Non-Fiction - Sports
Non-Fiction - Travel
Non-Fiction - True Crime
Non-Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Romance - Comedy
Romance - Contemporary
Romance - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Romance - General
Romance - Historical
Romance - Paranormal
Romance - Sizzle
Romance - Suspense
Poetry - General
Poetry - Inspirational
Poetry - Love/Romance

Our Featured Books

Dilly Duck Saves The Day

The CHAIN Links Program for Young Women and Girls with Anxiety

The Beginning

Reflecting His Glory

Does Anyone Love Me?

Deception & Consequences

Two Hearts’ Christmas Wedding

Scamageddon

Between the Walls

The Power of Respect

Sounds in the Silence

All the Rest

The Lavender Thief

True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver

Nightshade Unicorn

Kindle book giveaway.

Delaware From Freeways to E-ways

Delaware From Freeways to E-ways takes a deep dive into the history, culture, and contributions of the First State of the United States to modern American society and shows how it shaped the course of contemporary America's social, political, cultural, economic, and technological landscape. Author...

Participates in Free Book Program

Participates in Review Exchange Program

Review Exchange

Participates in Book Donation Program

Book Donation

Standing on Our Ancestors' Shoulders

Standing on Our Ancestors' Shoulders by Merry Stewart is a collection of stories exploring the historical experiences and transitions of African Americans in rural Georgia from the 1930s to the 1970s. It covers family, home, school, and church life and is focused on oral history...

Of Mobsters and Movie Stars

Los Angeles is known as the “City of Angels” but its scandalous behavior garners the most attention in Of Mobsters and Movie Stars by Joan Renner. The era of Prohibition ushered in lawlessness across the country and Los Angeles was no exception. A litany of...

Matter of Conscience

To say that Bruce Neckels has led a colorful life would be an understatement. His memoir Matter of Conscience is so much more than a book about his experiences as a conscious objector who fought the system that drafted him for service in Vietnam. It...

Hurricane Audrey

Hurricane Audrey: The Deadly Storm of 1957 by Cathy C. Post is a retelling of the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Audrey on mid-century Cameron, Louisiana. As the storm approaches, families prepare for evacuation, with Captain D.W. Griffith coordinating efforts to evacuate oil rig crews. Local...

Pirates of the Slave Trade

Stories of piracy and sea warfare never fail to excite people's imaginations and have been the subjects of countless works of fiction and non-fiction, but we often underestimate the impact of pirates and their connections to significant historical events. In particular, the transatlantic slave trade...

The Sound of Seattle

Seattle is known for its persistent rainfall and its outstanding coffee. By the late 1980s to early 1990s, Seattle emerged as ground zero for a new music genre: grunge. Yet, despite the explosion of the alternative rock scene and its artists, Seattle had been home...

James R. Anthony

James R. Anthony: The Banker Who Shaped Florida's History by Victor DiGenti explores the life and contributions of Florida businessman James Rembert Anthony, whose remarkable career traversed retail, real estate, banking, and insurance. DiGenti contextualizes Anthony's role within the broader historical narrative, featuring figures like...

Charlie's Notes

Charlie’s Notes: A Memoir by Cherie Kerr chronicles the life of Charlie De Pietro, revealing his journey from a troubled childhood to his later years with his wife, Marge. After marrying Marge in September 1940 against family opposition, they move to New York City, where...

Brown Mule 7

Brown Mule 7 by Mike Toyne is based on the letters home that were written by Mike’s brother, Leon Toyne, while he served in Vietnam during the war. Most of the letters are written to his grandparents, and some to his parents, and describe day-to-day...

Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

CHATGPT AI BOOK WRITING FORMULA: Coaches, Therapists : 9 Steps to PROMPT, WRITE, PUBLISH, a Non-Fiction, Client-Attraction Book, 10-100X Faster and ... intelligence (Books for Writers, Authors)

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

CHATGPT AI BOOK WRITING FORMULA: Coaches, Therapists : 9 Steps to PROMPT, WRITE, PUBLISH, a Non-Fiction, Client-Attraction Book, 10-100X Faster and ... intelligence (Books for Writers, Authors) Paperback – October 29, 2024

Purchase options and add-ons, are you ready to finally write your dream book but struggling to find the time or know-how.

★ChatGPT AI to the rescue!

Coaches, therapists, wellness experts, and entrepreneurs can now save time and money with our proven 9-step AI-assisted book writing formula.

★ Discover the power of cutting-edge AI technology used in Elon Musk's Tesla cars and Optimus Robots, and harness it to write, publish, and promote your book up to 100 times faster and easier.

★ ChatGPT helps you every step of the way— but you still keep your authentic voice as you discover the secrets to train AI to write in your voice, humanize any “AI-speak,” and check for facts and plagiarism.

★ Prompting is the single most vital key to success with ChatGPT, and this book shows you how to become a "Prompt Ninja.” Free Bonus Cheat Sheet PDF with extra tips plus the best prompts used in the book offered when you buy this book. Caryl Westmore , creator of the Write the Book Inside You Program and Podcast, has distilled more than 30-years of expertise as a former journalist, coach and bestselling self-help author to help you step into your authority -ITY with a client attraction book that boosts your income, impact and influence.

★ Follow these 9 steps to book writing success:

Get Clear: Writer’s block and self-doubt
Get Inspired: Big Idea, captivating Hook, Promise
Get Focus: Reader’s pain points
Get Going: Build the outline (book and chapters)
Keep Going: The “shitty first draft”
Perfect the draft: Editing and Proofreading
Polish to Perfection: TOC, Blurb, Bio
Dress for Success: Cover, formatting
Ignite buzz: Ace your launch to bestseller

★ You don't have to be tech-savvy; the author makes it fun and easy. She says she "danced with ChatGPT" and took it with her on a dream holiday to the Caribbean, where she brainstormed ideas with ChatGPT on her smartphone while at the beach. Yes, some people, like Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, feel that "AI is scary." But if you embrace it with fascination and curiosity, you will soon learn how to save time and money and overcome writer's block and the inner demons that sadly prevent 80% of aspiring authors from actually writing and finishing the book inside them. Learn how to humanize "AI-Speak" and train ChatGPT to write and sound like you. Above all, as Dr. Seuss said, "No one is more "you" than you," so inject your unique personality, humor, case studies, and experience into your book. ★Don't let your book stay stuck in your head any longer. Embrace ChatGPT as your best buddy and collaborator, and watch your book-writing dream become a reality. Scroll up and click the BUY button now. Your Future Self is already doing a happy dance!

Part of series Books for Writers, Authors
Print length 180 pages
Language English
Publication date October 29, 2024
Dimensions 5 x 0.41 x 8 inches
ISBN-10 1739301072
ISBN-13 978-1739301071
See all details

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Break Free Fast Publishing (October 29, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1739301072
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1739301071
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.41 x 8 inches
#112 in Human-Computer Interaction (Books)
#407 in Authorship Reference
#2,654 in Writing Reference

About the author

Caryl westmore.

Ready to claim the LIFE YOU LOVE?

Caryl Westmore B.A (Hons) specializes in showing readers (and her coaching clients) how to break free from feeling stuck so they can manifest their juicy dreams and goals - more love, joy, creativity, money, health and happiness.

Her most recent focus is helping transformational coaches, speakers and healing experts to write a short helpful book (or participate in an anthology) to boost their business while changing the world.

She is the podcast host of “Write the Book Inside You” and author of acclaimed energy psychology books on emotional freedom -- like the EFT Tapping Magic series.

Caryl has promoted and worked alongside world-class author-experts like Byron Katie (The Work) Brandon Bays (The Journey) and EFT Master Karl Dawson (Matrix Reimprinting).

Dr. Joe Vitale who wrote the Foreword to her books, "The Inner Path of Writing," and "You Can Break-Free Fast EFT Tapping," said:

"Caryl is like a Fairy Godmother waving a wand to show you how to tap into the secret of your own healing powers...She is a fresh new voice of hope, healing and inspiration to change your life and heal the world."

Caryl found "Boomer love" with Nick Westmore 15 years ago (as described in her book: Online Dating Success Secrets") and lives the life she loves between the Isle of Wight (UK) and Cape Town (SA). Her kids and grandson thinks she’s crazy because she loves swimming in the icy cold sea waters in Cape Town, near where Oscar winner, “My Octopus Teacher” was filmed.

Find her at www.writethebookinsideyou.com and www.carylwestmore.com

Customer reviews

5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

No customer reviews

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Become an Amazon Hub Partner
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Registry & Gift List
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

IMAGES

Non-Fiction Book Review Chart Printout: Graphic Organizers
Non-fiction Book Review Template
Non Fiction Book Review by Guiding Littles
19 Works of Nonfiction to Read This Spring
In Depth How To Write a Non-Fiction Book Review
NonFiction book review

VIDEO

Becca Powers author Harness Your Inner CEO with her Book Launchers Review
Antique Radio

COMMENTS

Here are our recommendations for the best 2024 nonfiction books
So we asked around the newsroom to find our staffers' favorite nonfiction from the first half of 2024. We've got biography and memoir, health and science, history, sports and more. (And, sure, if ...
50 Nonfiction Books That Are the Best of All Time
The Sea Around Us (1951) and Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson. $15.53 at Amazon. The Sea Around Us, an overnight best seller and winner of the National Book Award winner in 1952, combines ...
The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023
7. Poverty, By America, Matthew Desmond. In 2017, sociologist Matthew Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize for Evicted, which analyzed why so many American families were facing eviction in the aftermath ...
Best Nonfiction Book Reviews Of 2021
Books & Looks Podcast: The Duchess of Diamonds: Annie Reed Uncovers Gilded Age Grifter. The best nonfiction book reviews and author interviews of 2021. BookTrib is the leading source for book reviews, interviews and news about emerging new voices, as well as bestselling, well-known and award-winning authors.
The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2022
Featuring Bob Dylan, Elena Ferrante, Kate Beaton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kate Beaton, and More. By Book Marks. December 8, 2022. Article continues after advertisement. Remove Ads. We've come to the end of another bountiful literary year, and for all of us review rabbits here at Book Marks, that can mean only one thing: basic math, and lots of it.
Nonfiction Books
Book Reviews Fiction Nonfiction Summer reading. Books Review. The strange, dark history of Handel's 'Messiah' ... Books Review. As Victoria's Secret mounts a comeback, a look back at its ...
The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2022
10. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Stacy Schiff. Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff revisits the American Revolution in her engrossing biography of founding father Samuel Adams. The ...
22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall
From Here to the Great Unknown, by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. Before she died in 2023, Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, recorded hours of tapes about a life marked ...
The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2023
Featuring Janet Malcolm, David Grann, Martin Luther King, Naomi Klein, and More. By Book Marks. December 7, 2023. The points are tallied, the math is done, and the results are in. Yes, all year long the diligent and endearingly disgruntled Book Marks elves have been mining reviews from every corner of the literary internet.
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review
A great example of this is fellow nonfiction book blogger Paula Ghete 's book reviews such as this one of Cosmos by Carl Sagan (which you can compare to mine to see how greatly our styles vary). Her book reviews are structured this way: 10-Word Summary: We can understand the Universe only if we study it.
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
Book review examples for non-fiction books Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication. In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author's source materials and assess the thesis in order ...
The 60 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time
If you needed the inspiration to keep writing, this is one of the best nonfiction books for you. 36. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Buy on Amazon. Add to library. Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is an immersive graphic memoir based on the author's childhood in the Iranian capital of Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.
Hardcover Nonfiction Books
The New York Times Best Sellers are up-to-date and authoritative lists of the most popular books in the United States, based on sales in the past week, including fiction, non-fiction, paperbacks ...
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review
Be succinct, but give enough to serve the purpose of the review. Points to Consider: What if you really don't like the book? Always write your reviews with integrity. If you honestly don't like a book, write your review as if you are in a critique session with the author. Use positive words and avoid sarcasm.
Non-fiction books: Reviews & recommendations
Expert reviews of non-fiction books. Latest releases, recommendations and opinions.
The Best Books of 2022
Briefly Noted. "Stolen Pride," "Taming Silicon Valley," "Concerning the Future of Souls," and "Elevator in Sài Gòn.". Books.
Best Non Fiction Book Review Blogs in 2024
Quill & Quire is the magazine of the Canadian book trade. The magazine reviews around 400 new titles each year, offering the most comprehensive look at Canadian-authored books in the country. Blogger: The Q&Q Team. Genres: Non-Fiction. 🌐 Domain authority: 57. 👀 Average monthly visits: 81,500 p/mo.
Sample Nonfiction Book Reviews
Nonfiction Reviews. Example #1. Bomb The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon is an engaging non-fiction book which had me from the first page. The book begins with a Prologue: May 22, 1950 the FBI arrives at Harry Gold's door; Harry, still in pajamas, stares at two agents with a search warrant for his home as they are investigating his spying activities from ...
The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need
Blog - Posted on Thursday, Nov 11 The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need Whether you're trying to become a book reviewer, writing a book report for school, or analyzing a book, it's nice to follow a book review template to make sure that your thoughts are clearly presented.. A quality template provides guidance to keep your mind sharp and your thoughts organized so that you can ...
Letters by Oliver Sacks: 4-star review
From this new selection of the great neurologist's letters emerges a portrait of a lonely, self-pitying and yet idiosyncratic man. Oliver Sacks was a compulsive letter-writer. From 1985, when he ...
I Did Not Know Gary Indiana
Nonfiction. LAST FALL, I was rereading Resentment: A Comedy (1997) ... Los Angeles Review of Books. The Granada Buildings. 672 S. La Fayette Park Place, Suite 30. Los Angeles, CA 90057.
Book reviews for Non-Fiction
Readers' Favorite Non-Fiction - Historical genre features book reviews for today's newest Non-Fiction - Historical authors, including book award contest winners. Authors. Get a Free Review of Your Book; ... and sea warfare never fail to excite people's imaginations and have been the subjects of countless works of fiction and non-fiction, but we ...
CHATGPT AI BOOK WRITING FORMULA: Coaches, Therapists : 9 Steps to
CHATGPT AI BOOK WRITING FORMULA: Coaches, Therapists : 9 Steps to PROMPT, WRITE, PUBLISH, a Non-Fiction, Client-Attraction Book, 10-100X Faster and ... intelligence (Books for Writers, Authors) [Westmore, Caryl] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. CHATGPT AI BOOK WRITING FORMULA: Coaches, Therapists : 9 Steps to PROMPT, WRITE, PUBLISH, a Non-Fiction, Client-Attraction Book, 10 ...

Books We Love

Summer BWL Nonfiction

Buy Featured Book

Discover Books

An Author Reflects on Life, Love & Living the Italian Villa Dream

Get BookTrib in Your Inbox!

Fill Out The Form and Receive A Free Book Marketing Consultation

The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

10. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, Stacy Schiff

9. The Invisible Kingdom, Meghan O’Rourke

8. How Far the Light Reaches, Sabrina Imbler

7. His Name Is George Floyd, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa

6. Constructing a Nervous System, Margo Jefferson

5. An Immense World, Ed Yong

4. The Escape Artist, Jonathan Freedland

3. Ducks, Kate Beaton

2. South to America, Imani Perry

1. In Love, Amy Bloom

More Must-Reads from TIME

The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2023

Previous Article

to the Lithub Daily

Censoring Imagination: Why Prisons Ban Fantasy and Science Fiction

Literary Hub

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

She Seeks Nonfiction

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

Mark up your book

Answer these three questions

Does it accomplish its goal?

Do I like it?

Does it speak to a target audience?

Decide whether you want to stick to a formula

How my own book reviews take shape

Final thoughts

Share this:

You may also like

What do you think? Cancel reply

Books | Best Sellers

THE MESSAGE

REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT

FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN

BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS

CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS

THE ANXIOUS GENERATION

DINNER FOR VAMPIRES

AMERICAN HEROES

WHAT I ATE IN ONE YEAR

The New York Times Book Review

Weekly Best Sellers Lists

Monthly Best Sellers Lists

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy How to Write a Fiction Book Review .

Share this:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Best Non Fiction Book Review Blogs in 2024

Booklover Book Reviews

Chick Lit Cafe

A Thin Slice of Anxiety

Quill and Quire

Indie Reader

The Lesbian Review

Read and Rated

Books and Beyond Reviews

Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

Armed with a Book

Mental Health @ Home

Stacked Books

Reader Views Book Reviews

The Eclectic Review

Social Book Shelves

So you want to find a book blog?

You’ve found a book blog. Now what?

Save your shortlist

It's easier than you think

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

MSL Book Review

I Did Not Know Gary Indiana

LARB Staff Recommendations

Gary Indiana’s “Do Everything in the Dark”