24 Nonfiction Books to Read in 2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2023
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📚 Books Mentioned 📚
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: amzn.to/43FCMDQ
Moneyball by Michael Lewis: amzn.to/3CrG55I
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard: amzn.to/2DSHRSl
The Devil's Element by Dan Egan: amzn.to/49z6M7Y
Dopesick by Beth Macy: amzn.to/40Cr1NM
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan: amzn.to/48uHnfd
Maid by Stephanie Land: amzn.to/3riEddM
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee: amzn.to/30UW6xN
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener: amzn.to/3xFjEYL
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt: amzn.to/3QFNftP
Unbowed by Wangari Maathai: amzn.to/3wOlswL
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer: amzn.to/3MEIgbt
Stray by Stephanie Danler: amzn.to/3yIDAdw
The Evolution of Beauty by Richard Prum: amzn.to/33GqgYI
Cultish by Amanda Montell: amzn.to/46dIcGL
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright: amzn.to/3G2X00l
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T. Kira Madden: amzn.to/3NaZsVy
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard: amzn.to/3sB1jwK
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks: amzn.to/48rq1Q3
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham: amzn.to/3DOVX0j
Dressed for a Dance in the Snow by Monika Zgustova: amzn.to/3uhpHUN
Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi: amzn.to/3QyNuqy
The Address Book by Deirdre Mask: amzn.to/3hMmQbE
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: amzn.to/47eF3rF
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You have inspired me to read more non-fiction in 2024.
I want to expand what Nonfiction I read in 2024. I read alot of Memoirs, Biographies and True Crime.
Your nonfiction recs are always fantastic! Thanks for another excellent video. The consistent quality of your videos is impressive. Thank you.
Thank you! I try to make them as good as I can get them.
Oh gosh I love Michael Pollan books - The Omnivore's Dilemma is a total nonfiction food writing classic! Also Into Thin Air!!! What a read! I'm also eyeing The Devil's Element and Angela's Ashes for 2024. Hadn't heard of Going Clear, but added it to my TBR. I know nothing about scientology, so hopefully I learn a lot!
Absolutely agree on the Omnivore's Dilemma. My favourite book of his. I also liked 'Cooked'.
Merry Christmas!
I love your book recs. I am primarily a fiction reader but want to focus more on nonfiction and have gotten many great title ideas from you. Happy holidays Olive!
I think this is an amazing list of non-fiction books! I will be following along with you and reading them throughout 2024 as well. I just finished the audiobook of Big Magic and loved it. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Great list, thanks for adding the book details, I would love to read the Devil's Element. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
"Angela's Ashes" captivated me, so thank for the mention and I hope you find it intriguing. Merry Christmas to you, your husband, your families. Happy Holidays to everyone here. Cheers, Ardith
I really enjoyed Finding The Mother Tree so hope you do too! What an interesting selection, always adore how many little gems you showcase 😊
The Glass Castle, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Angela's Ashes, Into Thin Air, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat are all books I enjoyed. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a beautiful book. Into Thin Air is not my favorite Krakauer book. I liked it but Under the Banner of Heaven I devoured in two days. Angela's Ashes is almost too sad to endure but about a halfway point, some glimpses of humor start to appear. I want to read several of the books you listed. Thank you for your list.
Nice list! I have read Glass Castle and The Omnivore's Dilemma, and found them both really interesting. Several other books on this list are on my bookshelves, so I'll look forward to your discussion of them, too!
I'll be interested in hearing your commentary on Cultish, a book I read because of the hype and because I love reading about language. Happy New Year!
Cannot WAIT to hear your thoughts on these! I had some on my TBR already. But added Omnivore, Thin Air, Address Book and Uncanny Valley. Been reading several thrillers of late and am about to sit down and read your fave - Rules of Civility. Then it’s full steam ahead into some non-fiction! Happy Holidays to you Olive!
Love your channel, Olive! And again you have very tempting list :) If you're reading Krakauer, please, also consider reading Boukreevs's part of the same story (The Climb)
I’m reading Pilgrim at tinker creek in January. It’s been on my shelves for too long. I read The Glass Castle a few years ago, I’m also a late to the party reader. I loved it and I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Several of these books are being added to my want to read lists💕
Great- well rounded list! Look forward to hearing about them as you read them!
Loved Glass Castle! Read it twice ❤
Loved Big Magic as well. Elizabeth is extremely motivational in her discussions of what it means to be creative.
Cultish is eye opening and hilarious. The MLM section is definitely full of belly laughs.
I had The Gene on my list and shelves for so long that I recently got rid of it…I’ll have to stop back by to see if it’s worth picking up (and actually reading) again, haha. :) Great list- thanks for sharing!
I always and I mean, always, enjoy your recommendations, and I can't wait to read these 24 books.
Into thin air is one of my favorites and the glass castle is terrific.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you, too! So excited to read both of them.
I picked up Cultish because of my love of words and language (and the hype! ) I found it very fascinating! Looking forward to your thoughts on this one. Big Magic is a favorite of mine. I read a lot of books on creativity and this one has stayed on my bookshelf. Warning for woo woo content though. Love your videos and get lots of recommendations from you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love your non fiction lists always. Thanks for your channel
This is a cracking list with such good variety. My non-fiction reading has totally dropped off but this has motivated me to get back on that horse. thank you :)
Olive, The Glass Castle is stunning. I cannot say enough about it. I think the one about the Madden heiress sounds really interesting.
Thank you Olive.
Know Thyself by Ingrid Rossellini.
I'm in the minority when it comes to The Glass Castle. I DNF'd It rather quickly when it seems so over the top in terms of her history and how well she remembered her childhood. Angela's Ashes was great as was John krakauer's Into thin air. I'm finding myself drawn more and more to nonfiction. I'm reading G-Man about j Edgar Hoover and finding it fascinating. Always enjoy your content and your thoughts on bookish things. Happy holidays and to a good New Year!🎉
I was the same with Glass Castle.
The variety in your non fiction reading is so so cool and inspirational! So glad to see Gene here too! Definitely looking up a bunch of books you talked about here.
I didn’t see this video since I was so busy around Christmas. I have read about half of these books. The only one I didn’t enjoy was Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek. You have lots of great reading ahead of you!
I loved Big Magic. There was a little too much spiritual/mystical stuff for my liking but the gems in between were fantastic so it was still a 5 star read for me. I hope you enjoy it.
I really like The Glass Castle, Angela's Ashes, Maid, and The Omnivore's Dilemma. I took notes on your list and may check out Big Magic.
Great to hear!!
I read the Omnivores Dilemma in college in 2010 lol glad to see people are still reading it. My cousin works with Michael Pollen!
The Glass Castle is so good!
The one about phosphorus sounds pretty cool. I doubt I'll get to it because I have a large history project I'm getting started on.
I read Angelas Ashes years ago and I loved it - I hope you love it also!
Oh Olive, Dopesick is such a tragic and difficult and important book. I am so glad I read that book, but it was difficult for my mind to unwrap the sinister details. How can we let this happen? Such a great book. Angela's Ashes is so sad, yet so funny, and so full of life. All the good and so much of the bad and ugly. Going Clear is a shocking look at the ridiculous world of a cult. You have given me some great ideas for the upcoming year. I know you will enjoy the books I spoke about, and I hope you have much to tell us as you go through your stack.
Phosphorus.. glowing reviews. I see what you did there. I enjoyed Into Thin Air. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek I did not enjoy. It seemed a little woowoo (I think I’m using that correctly).
Merry Christmas 🎄
I would like to read more nonfiction in 2024. The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Evolution of Beauty sound very interesting. I didn’t care for all the name dropping in Big Magic, but hopefully it’ll be a better read for you.
Happy holidays!
The omnivores dilemma was wonderful. Another wonderful book in the similar genre was ' the face on your plate'
Wonderful choices. Big Magic is a good read--I've read it 2x. Finding the Mother Tree is an eye opener. Writing is superb.
Great to know, thank you! My friend who recommended Finding the Mother Tree said very similar things - hence why I HAD to add it to my list. 😊
Love all of your recommendations! Add “Into the Wild” and “Under the Banner of Heaven” for your next Krakauer books!
📚 I love your channel and the focus on nonfiction books. I've read Big Magic a few times great read and I DNF Cultish, not what I thought it would be, maybe I'll give it another try after your thoughts on it.
Interesting...I've had a few people in this comments section report that they didn't get along with Cultish. I'm even more curious to read it now since I had only heard praise up to this point.
Your makeup is spot on today! Wishing you a spectacular reading year in 2024!
Thank you so much! I call this my "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" look. But maybe I just spent too many years being a nanny to young kids 🤣🤣🤣
I’m planning 24 memoirs in 2024! Def recommend The Glass Castle and Angela’s Ashes.
That's awesome! Do you have all those memoirs selected already or are you picking as you go?
@@abookoliveI decided to compile a list. I’m really excited!
I read The Glass Castle 2 years ago for Nonfiction November and loved it - she's a great storyteller and really added a lot of complexity/nuance to parent-child relationships and the life (and struggles to say the least) she experienced. I'd love to read more by her.
The Gene is great - though, for me, it's ranked third since I loved the topics/themes of Emperor of All Maladies and Song of the Cell just a little more.
Cultish is a fun time - I really enjoyed it, though it's not necessarily a deep dive on any one element of cults or cultish behaviour. I'll be interested in your thoughts!
Finding the Mother Tree is definitely on my tbr too - I love tree books
I loved Big Magic. Very inspirational and well written.
Read Into Thin Air a while back…and still think about it from time to time. I’ve enjoyed all of Krakauer’s works.
I have not read Into thin air yet, but I have read it’s ”competitor”, The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt. I think it would be awesome if you could read both of them to get two sides of the same story and then review and discuss them.
That is a fantastic idea - I will absolutely keep it in mind! Thank you 😊
Oh I read Big Magic this year and loved it!!
Wonderful news!! She has such a lovely heart, I'm sure it's a delight. 💜
There’s another book with a Pittsburgh connection besides Pilgrim At Tinker Creek (which is phenomenal). Wangari Maathai got her Masters from University of Pittsburgh in the 1960s! She is amazing as you will find out in your reading and almost as important as Rachel Carson, especially in Kenya as a country and Africa as a whole.
I don't know how I missed that she studied at Pitt! I'm even more excited to read it now 😊
Cultish was excellent. I hope you enjoy it!
Angela's ashes was awesome. As u said, it is funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It's a good read ad well as its sequel. I haven't gotten thru the 3rd one yet tho.
I nominate you to narrate audio books for us. I have a feeling I would love your reading voice.
So many of them are also on my tbr. By the way, dopesick also has an adaptation on Disney+
What a great list! I have read a few of them. My favorite in this list was Into Thin Air, which is just captivating. I don’t care for mountain climbing or adventure, but I couldn’t put the book down. I also have read Uncanny Valley, Read Dangerously, and The Address Book. They are good, but in my opinio they lack the little something that makes a book great.
Very excited for Into Thin Air!! And good to know about the other three you mentioned. I'll settle for those being just "good" and hopefully some other ones on this list will fall into the "great" category.
Finally! Someone who has similar interests as mine. Thanks for being here.❤
I read Into Thin Air about 30 years it was great, I wouldn't mind reading that one again.
I ordered The Address Book, and it just came.
The Oliver Sacks book is great!
You've got some of my favourites on your list! Knowing your taste 'Cultish' and 'Finding the Mother Tree' might not be a good fit. Simard puts the woo woo in wood unfortunately. Not solidly researched, more of a personal spirit quest. I loved Cultish, but then I read memoir. Can't wait to hear what you think!
"Read Dangerously" was one of my favorite reading experiences last year. I've been dying to have more people try it. I'm hoping next year to read or reread all the novels that get highlighted in it and then reread it. Except I need to go find that list again. Whoops. I read ANgela's ashes once on my own and was assigned it in once college course. I was rather middle of the road on it. But I read a lot less nonfiction at the time and would be curious to see where I fell on it now. I keep seeing Oliver Sacks, honestly in most part, because one of my fav narrators has been given a lot of his titles. But I've yet to dive in.
I really like your list, I'm also trying to get better at reading more non-fiction. My favorite non-fiction book of 2023 was Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt which is about the lead up to the opium wars between England and China, basically talking about how it got to that point. It's a really specific topic but I thoroughly enjoyed it since I didn't know anything about it beforehand. I'd recommend it for anyone interested.
My favorite list for the upcoming year
Your videos are always amazing! ❤ Can you please tell the name of the other book on Gulag that you said you have read earlier?
Would recommend Unlawful Killings by Wendy Joseph - Audible version
Can you do recs for true crime books? also the Stephanie Land also wrote Class and I devoured it!!
I made a recommendations video on books about non-murder true crime a little while back, if you're interested! th-cam.com/video/QE_whSTFHWg/w-d-xo.html
Great channel Every book you’ve recommended has been very good. You talked about a bio or auto bio about someone who becomes a beekeeper. Can you maybe remind me of the title? I have a lot of your videos saved but can’t remember which one had that title. Thanks
Hi Olive- absolutely love the list- Into thin air is great but I’d also point you to Anatoli Bourkeev’s version of the same Everest disaster called the Climb- though Into thin air is the better written and easy to read, The climb offers a different perspective- Krauker’s blind spots.
While Gene is still sitting on my shelves, I’m planning to pick up Siddhartha Mukherjee’s song of the cell in 2024 along with- The code breaker- Jenifer Doudna’s biography by Walter Isaacson.
You will love Oliver Sacks!
Thank you for the heads up on The Climb! You're one of a few people who were kind enough to bring it to my attention so I'll have to see if I have time to read it after Into Thin Air.
Please let me know what you think of The Song of the Cell! If it's really good it might have to be a pick for my 2025 list (yes, I do plan that far ahead 🤣).
I was told years ago that I should read Angela's Ashes and I am interested in it, but just haven't ever read it. I'm curious to hear what you think of it.
Ooooo The Glass Castle is phenomenal…buddy read it with my mother and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Got the chance to meet Jeanette Walls and she is truly a gem of an individual.
Angelas Ashes is another fabulous book…just make sure you space it from The Glass Castle😭
I am the same way about popular books. I think most of it is because to many people are talking about so I wait a long time to read something new and also most my books come from thrift stores so I have to wait for it to be donated.
I read the glass castle a few years ago and enjoyed it. There is also a movie adaptation.
Angela's Ashes is one of my favorite books. I have also read his other two books as well. One of his brothers wrote a book because people thought he could write just like his brother. I didn't enjoy his book that much.
Midnight in Chernobyl is very well write. I watched the mini series on hbo before I read it. I went to rewatch it after I read it and there were a couple of little things I didn't even notice if I hadn't read the book.
Re Jon Krakauer - I read both Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, which I enjoyed because of my outdoor adventure interest. I had to give up on both Missoula and Under the Banner of Heaven. In a strange way, because I trust him as a writer and believe what he writes to be true based on his first books, I could not handle the content.
Big Magic is a fantastic book. You might really enjoy it in audio format. It is read by the author.
I LOVED Into Thin Air!! The author is great. I may reread it as it has been so long .
I think I'm picking it up in January because I just can't wait!
@abookolive can not wait to hear your thoughts!
"Glowing reviews"?! 🙄😂
Into Thin Air is fabulous. Unputdownable. Avoid the (made for TV?) film at all costs. Into the Wild is also very good, and the film version, too. (Might make a good book vs film video one day.) A theme running through both books is that there is a very steep price to pay for one's stubborn naïveté/hubris.
Wishing you a very happy holiday, Olive. Thank you for all your hard work! ❤️🎄💚
fantastic list
Glass Castle is one of my all time FAVORITE books. I recommend it to everyone. I hope you enjoy it!
Into thin air is great! He does let his own bias get in the way of the story though. The glass castle is heart breaking, I have an equally reasonable reaction to that book, I've never read Educated because it sound it similar to it and was getting all the hype I thought TGC deserved 😅
So many good books on your list. Enjoy!
Thank you! I think it's gonna be a good nonfiction reading year 😊
Ooh, if you liked Midnight in Chernobyl, try Chernobyl: A Stalker's Guide by Darmon Richter. The photos are fabulous and a different insight was refreshing.
Thanks for this recommendation! I loved midnight in Chernobyl so I'll check out your suggestion
I love Jon Krakauer-he is one of my top five authors of all time (contemporary). Into Thin Air is one of his best-I cried. If you want to get angry, read Missoula. His books always make me feel a strong emotion, and it is usually a different one with each book. Cultish is on my TBR list too. I have also read Going Clear. It was good because of the information about Scientology, but I struggled with the writing. I was confused a bit with the organization of the content as I was reading and it was a slog in certain parts. You will probably love Angela's Ashes. That needs to be a reread for me.
I really loved Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls - I had owned the audio pretty much since it came out and finally listened this year. It made me go looking for more of her writing!
I tried to read 'The Glass Castle' two different times. It just wasn't doing it for me. I DNF'd it. I have a copy of her newest book 'Hang the Moon'. I'm looking forward to reading that. I love the movie adaptation of 'Moneyball'. I have not read the book. I also really liked the adaptation for the book 'The Maid'. It was so good. I have not read that book either.
Avid fiction reader getting tired of them. Didn't really know which way to turn for non-fiction that wasn't history/war related (nothing wrong with those I've read quite a few). Wanted to broaden my knowledge base about the world around me. You have a fascinating list. I've just order two from the list. Being ecology minded - I'm excited about Finding the Mother Tree. Being concerned about the cancel culture and book-banning and censorship Read Dangerously is very inviting. Thank you for putting this list together. So many good choices.
If you want to read John Krakauer, you should start with Under The Banner of Heaven - especially in keeping with your cult theme
The Glass Castle is SO good.
I did really badly reading nonfiction this year. In twelve months, I only read two. One you recommended
Good Morning Monster
The very best was
My Fourth Time, We Drowned by Sally Hayden
🍀👋☘️🇮🇪📕📖📚
I loved The Gene, It was a paradigm shifter for me
High praise! Can't wait to read it 😊
I loved The Glass Castle
Angelas ashes is so good
Can't wait to read it!!
@@abookolive Please do a review it in a video ❤️
“The Glass Castle” was a page turner. As a reader I was so drawn into the narrative of the time, place and interactions of her family. It’s similar to Tara Westover’s “Educated”.
Frank McCourt recounts the trials and tragedies his poverty stricken family faced in NY and Ireland. You are correct. There is laughter amid the tears. McCourt’s humor comes across in his ability to recount the irony and absurdity in various situations. The film adaptation is unrelentingly bleak, pretty humorless.
“Midnight in Chernobyl” is a comprehensive and well told account of the tragedy as it unfolded. It was life changing for the scientists and working people who had been on-site, the nearby residents and their animals and the land itself. A depressing episode in Soviet history.
Olive, best wishes for you yours for a happy holiday season! (Set the tragic books aside until 2024 😉)
You are gping to LOVE Angela's Ashes. BUT I find 'Tis not even close as good and quite frustrating!! But Angela's Ashes is beautiful
I don't think avoiding books when they are popular is necessarily a bad thing. It gives you a chance to enjoy them by themselves without all the background noise and the hype. New to books on TH-cam so best wishes with your reading choices in 2024 and to your channel.
I read into thin air and it was worth the read
Such a cool variety in all the nonfiction you're interested in. Looking forward to hearing what you think about them!
You may have already read this, but my biggest nonfiction recommendation is 'The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz' (Jeremy Dronfield). Maybe one to add to your 2025 reading list? I thought it was incredibly written.
You may also be interested in the March release of “Charlie Hustle-The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose And The Last Glory Days of Baseball” by Keith O’Brien.
Have you ever read Nightwalking by Matthew Beaumont?
Loved Maid. Had a hard time getting thru Big magic
Great list! I noticed you didn’t have much animal nonfiction books on your list. Is that because you naturally read a lot of animal nonfiction? Just curious. 😄 I really enjoy your animal nonfiction content. Next year some nonfiction books I plan on reading are The water will come, platypus matters, of times and turtles, the salt path & by the shore.
You hit the nail on the head with that guess! I know I'll be reading a ton of animal-related nonfiction next year, so I don't need any additional "push" to read those. I've already got some more "2 books on..."-style videos planned. 😊
I've been very curious about Platypus Matters - you'll have to let me know how that is once you've read it!
@@abookolivelooking forward to many of your videos next year and i will! 😊
With "Mother Tree" and "Unbowed" you could wonderfully participate in the Climathon if you'd like :) It is a readathon that runs through the entire year of 2024 with an optional board of prompts and some fun challenges, with the only rule to read about nature, the environment or the climate crisis. Maybe you'd like to join us? :)
Another day of me wishing that I could articulate thoughts and summarize things like you
I really liked Glass Castle! I grew up poor, but I was richer than the family in that book. It gave me something to think about in that regards.