Our Top Nonfiction Books of 2024

We read so many great books this year that we need a separate list for nonfiction!

We both love reading memoirs and other nonfiction books, so it’s no surprise that we had to create a separate list to share our favorite nonfiction books from 2024. We just love being a fly on the wall into other people’s lives and we also love learning new things, so nonfiction books are a must for us. Check out our favorites from this year!

And pssst…. check your inbox (and your podcast feeds!) tomorrow for our top ten fiction books of the year! 😉

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Sarah’s Favorite Nonfiction Books

I find it hard to rank nonfiction books, so these aren’t in any kind of order, but are the nonfiction books that I rated five big, glowy stars this year! And btw, I listened to each of these on audio and highly recommend them all that way.

ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS by Crystal Hefner
Crystal Hefner was Hugh Hefner’s last wife and her experiences in the Playboy Mansion were difficult to read about. The women in Hef’s orbit were just decoration to him, often without lives of their own, and were to cater to his every need. She discusses what it meant to have to dedicate her life to this man, the sexism she faced both inside the mansion and out, and a look at the facade behind the gates. You can tell throughout the memoir that she had very complicated feelings about both the man and the legend surrounding him and Playboy.

FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Much like Crystal Hefner, I knew very little about Lisa Marie aside from being Elvis’s daughter. But learning about all of the trauma Lisa Marie experienced throughout her life, both in her own words (through the clips that were shared in the audio version), and in reflecting on her life through her daughter, Riley’s, memories. So much of this memoir is about loss and addiction. But it’s also about great, big love - from Elvis to Lisa Marie, from Lisa Marie to her children, and from the children to Lisa Marie.

ONE WAY BACK by Christine Blasey Ford
Finally getting to share her story in FULL, Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who courageously stood up and told the world what then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh did to her in high school details in her memoir pieces of her life leading up to that night, what the lead up to testifying was like, and the horrific aftermath of it all. I remember watching Ford telling her story on TV and feeling like I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and protect her. This memoir is quite gutwrenching, but I am so glad that women like Ford exist to stand up and tell the truth.

SOCIOPATH by Patric Gagne
From a young age, Patric knew she was different than the other kids - that she didn’t feel in the same way they did, that she didn’t experience guilt and remorse the way you’re expected to. As she grew up, she finally had a name for what she’d been experiencing - sociopathy. Turns out, Patric is a sociopath. I know that there has been some controversy surrounding this book and Gagne in particular but even so I found this memoir fascinating.

A HEART THAT WORKS by Rob Delaney
In this heartbreaking memoir, Delaney details the loss of his two year old son to a brain tumor. His honesty, his anger, his pain, it’s all so clear on the page (and in the narration). This tribute to his beautiful Henry felt like both a love letter to Henry and also to all of the other parents who have had to endure this unimaginable pain. He’s showing that he understands all of it, and that you aren’t alone no matter what feelings you’re going through.

STOLEN FOCUS by Johann Hari
Stolen Focus is about the 12 causes of our focus crisis - the things that are impacting us to the point that office workers can only focus for THREE MINUTES AT A TIME!! Hari does an incredible job of not only giving you the science backed evidence between it all, but allowing you to pull from it what is necessary for change in your own life. I made some immediate changes in my life after listening to this one and they’ve stuck with me since.

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Mia’s Favorite Nonfiction Books

I don’t think there’s any common thread to my nonfiction reading this year. But what I will say is that if you’re in a reading slump and nothing on your fiction TBR sounds appealing, try reading a nonfiction book, whether it’s true crime, a memoir, a self-help book, whatever. I always find it gets my reading juices flowing again afterwards.

NATE SAINT: ON A WING AND A PRAYER by Janet + Geoff Benge
Missionary stories fascinate me because I think about people who are so devoted to God that they are willing to risk their lives to spread his message. Nate felt that call to bring God’s word to the tribes in South America, despite the danger. Even though I had already read Jim Elliot’s story (he was a missionary in Ecuador with Nate Saint and others) and I knew what would happen, I was still engrossed in reading about their efforts to communicate with the Auca tribe. Tissues are needed for this one!

BARE NAKED IN PUBLIC by Christine Amoroso
Christine is so raw and vulnerable in her memoir, so the title is very apt, and I couldn’t put it down. The way she didn’t shy away from her mistakes or her heartbreak was really refreshing. In her book, she talks about her childhood, becoming a mother, getting divorced, and so much more. But the sheer beauty of her words makes this a memoir that stands out in the genre.

THE DEVIL BEHIND THE BADGE by Rick Jervis
I love true crime books and what I find to be disappointing in most of them is how they seem to idolize the perpetrator of the crimes and not the victims. But in this book, Jervis very much focuses on the victims and the impact that their deaths had on their families and friends and communities. Yes, it’s about a border patrol agent turned serial killer and his horrific actions, but most of the book dives deep into the lives of the women he murdered and I so appreciated that.

IS THIS NORMAL? by Dr. Jolene Brighten
I’m a 41-year-old woman in the throes of perimenopause and I feel like this book really helped me in terms of the information provided about hormones. But this book will help you at any stage of your life as a woman, whether you’re trying to conceive or just wondering what the heck is going on with your pubic hair. Dr. Brighten is so concise, but also really hilarious, and it felt like she was writing this book for a friend and just telling it like it is.

THE NEXT RUN by Tom Jenkins
This is the true story of a 1960s American college student turned drug smuggler and it was so compelling. The tension and suspense was through the roof and I felt like I was right next to Jenkins as he was sweating it out at each border checkpoint, hoping not to get caught with drugs in his car. Plus, I enjoyed the look into the 1960s hippie counterculture.

THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED by John Green
I can’t say enough great things about this collection of essays. In case you don’t know what the heck Anthropocene even is, it refers to the current geological age during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Green’s essays discuss various aspects of our human-centered planet, like Diet Dr Pepper, Canadian geese, air conditioning, and so much more. Each one was funny and bittersweet and I thought this book was so beautifully written. Another book that requires tissues to be nearby!

SOLITO by Javier Zamora
At 9 years old, Javier made the long journey from El Salvador to the United States to try and reunite with his parents who had moved there for a better life. But the journey along the way was filled with danger and uncertainty. I remember not wanting this book to end and reading it slowly because I wanted to stay with Javier and the strangers who were also trying to cross the border that became his family. Such a heartwrenching story. If you liked AMERICAN DIRT or WE ARE NOT FROM HERE, I think this will be right up your alley.

NUCLEAR WAR by Annie Jacobsen
In this book, Jacobsen poses the question, what if a nuclear bomb was launched at the United States? And the answer will keep you up at night, at least it did for me. All of the research and details of what would happen, minute by minute, terrified me. Even my inner doomsday prepper was scared! This book is still on my mind months later and that is definitely the mark of a well-written book, even if I hope none of it ever comes true. If I was ranking this list, this book would be my #1 nonfiction read of the year.

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Tell us some of your favorite nonfiction books in the comments. We’re always on the hunt for something new to add to our TBRs!