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51 Nonfiction Hits of 2024 (So Far)
Here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we’re often asked by friends and family for specific book recommendations. We’re happy to do so, of course. (In fact, you can check out our monthly Editors’ Picks to get in on the action.) But a general piece of advice that we’ve found surprisingly effective: If you’re a nonfiction reader, try some fiction once in a while.
And if you’re a fiction reader, well, welcome to today’s collection. Below we’ve gathered up and sorted the most popular nonfiction titles on Goodreads since the beginning of the year. The books are selected by monitoring early reviews and crunching the numbers on which individual titles are on the Read or Want to Read shelves of Goodreads regulars.
We’ve sorted the selection into virtual category stacks: Essays, Memoirs, History & Biography, Science, and General Nonfiction. Keep in mind that there’s always some crossover in these classifications.
So much good stuff already in 2024: National Book Award finalist Hanif Abdurraqib’s essay collection There's Always This Year explores universal themes—truth, justice, history, hope—by way of basketball as a cultural institution. In one of the year’s buzziest books, debut author Patric Gagne candidly discusses her own unique psychological dilemma in Sociopath: A Memoir.
Meanwhile, narrative history specialist Erik Larson (The Devil in the White City) conjures the anxious days just before the Civil War in The Demon of Unrest. Author and linguist Amanda Montell thinks out loud about thinking itself in her new book. And the formidable Kara Swisher poses some uncomfortable questions about American priorities in Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.
So, yeah: Whether you’re already a nonfiction reader, or just nonfiction-curious, there’s a pretty great selection on the shelves just now. Click on the book cover images for more details about each title, and add anything interesting to your Want to Read shelf.
Essays
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Memoirs
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History & Biography
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Science, Technology & Health
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General Nonfiction
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Your turn! Let us know in the comments if you've read a great new nonfiction book lately!
Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)
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Dina
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Apr 02, 2024 06:14AM
I read Slow Noodles recently. A poignant memoir of the author’s life in war-torn Cambodia who finds strength in her memories of her mother’s recipes. Beautiful. By Chantha Nguon with Kim Green.
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Dina wrote: "I read Slow Noodles recently. A poignant memoir of the author’s life in war-torn Cambodia who finds strength in her memories of her mother’s recipes. Beautiful. By Chantha Nguon with Kim Green."Thanks for the recommendation! Is it a bit like Crying in H-Mart?
I loved Grief is for People. I also love long lists like this, sure to introduce me to intriguing books.
The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu is a great memoir.
Maurice and Maralyn, by Sophie Elmhirst. I couldn’t put it down and read it all in one night. Elmhirst writes their story beautifully, capturing their adventurous spirit and the beauty of nature too.
I’m reading Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer. It’s a thoroughly reported book about the past half-century of immigration from Central America to the US, from the points of view of immigrants and the US government. It’s excellent so far. RuPaul’s memoir was excellent.
Swamp kings about the history of the Murdaugh family and Aid State about how the west was complicit in creating and causing what Haiti is today
ooh, this is such a great bunch of books! Thank you, Cybil! Adding a bunch on my WTR!
Rachel wrote: "Dina wrote: "I read Slow Noodles recently. A poignant memoir of the author’s life in war-torn Cambodia who finds strength in her memories of her mother’s recipes. Beautiful. By Chantha Nguon with K..."Yes and no. I think if you enjoyed H Mart, you will enjoy Slow Noodles too but it is uniquely its own and agree with Dina—it was poignant and beautiful. Truly a must read memoir from this year.
I'm reading RuPaul's memoir now and I'm excited to read Sociopath by Patric Gagne!!
I have been in my non-fiction era this year, love these suggestions 🤍
I'm most looking forward to The Demon of Unrest and, also releasing soon, Doris Kearns Goodwin's new memoir, "An Unfinished Love Story." 
Last month for Women's History Month I read Destiny's Daughter highlighting life of Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War soldier, America's first female surgeon and suffragist whose philosophies encouraged women then and now to think for themselves and recognize self-worth. An inspiring read about a foremother.
Unable to locate The Mango Tree by Annabelle Tometich. Invalid list.
Maja wrote: "ooh, this is such a great bunch of books! Thank you, Cybil! Adding a bunch on my WTR!"You're very welcome!
Rachel wrote: "Maurice and Maralyn, by Sophie Elmhirst. I couldn’t put it down and read it all in one night. Elmhirst writes their story beautifully, capturing their adventurous spirit and the beauty of nature too."Wow! That sounds like an incredible story! Thanks for sharing. :)
Tony wrote: "Where's Eve, by Cat Bohannon?"That came out in 2023, this list is only showing books from 2024
kimberly wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Dina wrote: "I read Slow Noodles recently. A poignant memoir of the author’s life in war-torn Cambodia who finds strength in her memories of her mother’s recipes. Beautiful. By Chant..."Thanks! Adding it to the (never-ending) TBR!
I've read a couple of these that were just okay.My favorite nonfiction published in 2024 so far has been:
Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family by Mark Daley
5 stars for me. The audio version is narrated by the author and is excellent. It's not on this list, but it should be.
I'm almost finished with Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, and it has been absolutely delightful. Dame Judi Dench is a fascinating lady, and her Shakespearean insights from her time onstage in so many productions of his plays were both enlightening and entertaining.
