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For this week’s nonfiction rundown, we’re looking at what other publications have on their lists. There are the best memoirs of 2024 by Esquire, ten of the best science books from the Smithsonian Magazine, and even some great food writing books, courtesy of Saveur.
I’m a huge memoir fan, and I’m also looking for new-to-me memoirs to add to my TBR. So of course, I was delighted to see that Nicole Chung has given us one of the most incredible “Best of” lists of the year. Chung writes memoir herself and has a great eye for books in the genre. Her list highlights 27 memoirs, including Becoming Little Shell by Chris La Tray, Praiseong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson, Here After by Amy Lin, and How to Live Free in a Dangerous World by Shayla Lawson.
Science lovers rejoice! Smithsonian Magazine’s best science books of the year list is here. From botany to astronomy, there’s something for everyone. Some of the titles included are The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine by Daniel Levitin, and Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet by Rebecca Boyle.
I adore food writing and will never get enough of it. So, naturally, I am all over this list from Saveur. It includes both fiction and nonfiction titles that highlight food in one way or another. Some of my favorite picks on the list are Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten, and Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu Pei-mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food by Michelle T. King.
I always love seeing the finalists from the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Their lists always capture my attention and help me discover something new. But this year, in honor of their 50th anniversary, the NBCCA is revealing their longlists for each of their award categories. On the nonfiction side of things, they have Nonfiction, Criticism, Autobiography, and Biography. With these expanded lists, we are spoiled for choice! Criticism includes Book Riot favorite Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal. There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib is longlisted for both criticism and autobiography. I was delighted to see Sarah Moss’s My Good Bright Wolf in biography.
