Read Our User Submitted Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Dan Abrams and David Fisher – Lincoln’s Last Trial

Abraham Lincoln’s last great case as a lawyer is , twenty-two-year-old Peachy Quinn Harrison’s trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois at the end of the summer of 1859.

Deepa Agarwal – Journey to the Forbidden City

Based on Nain Singh Rawat actual diaries, Journey to the Forbidden City is a tribute to a man who went from being a poor village school teacher to an intrepid explorer and a hero in this exploration of Nineteenth-century Tibet.

Ann Angel – Janis Joplin

Even after forty  years of her death, Janis Joplin still remains as a compelling figure in the rock and roll culture. its the story of a rebellious  girl wanting to be loved.

Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The first of seven autobiographies by writer and poet Maya Angelou. This Autobiography takes you through her childhood up to young adulthood.

Nina Renata Aron – Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls

Written in prose, Nina Renata Aron’s Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls is a piercing memoir about romance and addiction that draws on intimate anecdotes and accounts of her affair with K. Analysing the part she played in K’s addictions, defining moments in the history of co-dependency and moving to more recent research in the psychology of addiction.

Zawe Ashton – Character Breakdown

Fresh Meat star, Zawe Ashton’s autobiography of sorts is presented as scripts from her life in this witty, funny and honest depiction of the truths of stardom, complex issues of discrimination and mental health, and the increasingly blurring line between the character and reality.

A.J. Baime – Dewey Defeats Truman

Dewey Defeats Truman by A.J. Baime is a new book from the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President. Dewey Deafeats Truman is the thrilling story of America’s greatest election story of all time, the 1948 presidential election.

Ruskin Bond – When I was a Boy

A mini-autobiography of beloved storyteller Ruskin Bond’s days of his childhood and teenage years, memories of reading  upside down, wandering into rambling empty palaces, rides on lurching boats and in swooping, looping aeroplanes and much more.

Dermot Breen – The Edge

With the devastating loss of his wife to Cancer Dermot was determined to take a 1,000km pilgrimage to raise funds for Cancer research.

Tom Clavin – Wild Bill

The true story of the legendary gunfighter and lawman James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok by New York Times bestseller author of Dodge City.

Jonathan Clements – The Silk Road

Clements takes us on a journey from the edges of the Mediterranean to the central plains of China, with all the rich history in between including languages, literature and art.

James Comey – A Higher Loyalty

Former FBI director James Comey shares his vivid experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government.

Caroline Criado Perez – Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

Caroline Criado Perez’s award-winning and thoroughly researched book, Invisible Women, delves deep into the gender data gap and the inequalities that are caused by it. From phones that are too big for female hands to drugs that don’t work for female bodies, this is a must-read feminist book which shines a light on the unintended unbalance of gender.

Charles R. Cross – Heavier Than Heaven

The art of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain is all about his private life, except written in a code as obscure as T.S. Eliot’s. Charles Cross has now cracked the code in this definitive biography, an all-access pass to Cobain’s heart and mind.

Alan Cumming – Not My Father’s Son

Dark, painful memories will always flood back to haunt you. Alan Cumming hoped to solve the mystery of his maternal grandfathers disappearance that had long cast sorrow over his family.

Leanda De Lisle – The White King, Charles I, Traitor, Murderer, Martyr

The elusive life of Charles I is brought to light through new manuscripts giving new information about the man who made radical changes in our history.

Omid Scobie & Carolyn Durand – Finding Freedom

Finding Freedom is the unofficial biography of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, written by Omid Scobie & Carolyn Durand. Going behind the tabloid headlines to reveal unknown details of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their life together, this book is written with unique access and the participation of people close to the couple.

Michael & Emily Eavis – Glastonbury 50

Celebrating Glastonbury Festival’s 50th anniversary, Glastonbury 50 written by Michael and Emily Eavis and featuring contributions from a variety of other people is a stunning coffee table book. Detailing the history of the festival from the first event in 1970 to the latest festival in 2019, this book is jam-packed with great stories and anecdotes and beautiful pictures that truly take the reader into the magic and uniqueness of Glastonbury Festival.

Jason Fagone – The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies

Jason Fagone’s The Woman Who Smashed Codes chronicles the life of one of history’s extraordinary women. In 1916, during the Great War (WWI), the brilliant Shakespeare expert, Elizabeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate just outside Chicago. Her new boss had close ties to the U.S. Government and soon, Elizabeth was applying her language skills to a whole new venture, code-breaking.

Felix Le Freak – Serving Face: Lessons on Poise and Dis(grace) from the World of Drag

Felix Le Freak’s Serving Face is a collection of interviews and profiles that explore some of the world’s most celebrated drag performers, drag artists, drag queens, and drag kings. The amazing people featured in the book include; Art Simone, Miss Coco Peru, Cheddar Gorgeous, Tynomi Banks, Yuhua Hamasaki, and more!

Emmett Grogan – Ringolevio

Join Emmett Grogan, the sixties legend of controversy through his travels from the streets of New York to the heights of the Haight. CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Sofie Hagen – Happy Fat

Fat comedian, feminist and podcaster, Sofie Hagen’s book is part autobiography part reference book with a combination of hilarious yet heart-breaking truths about being fat in our modern society and part informed research of the ways in which the world discriminates against fatness.

Matt Haig – Reasons to Stay Alive

At age 24 Matt Haig’s depression meant he could see no way to go on living, with the help from his family he came through his crisis and triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him.

Syeda Saiyidain Hameed – Born to Be Hanged: Political Biography of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

This biography is about Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was over thrown and executed and the controversial and confrontational politics associated with his era.

Lindsey Hilsum – In Extremis

Follow Marie Colvin around the world. Israel, Palestine, Chechnya, East Timor, and Sri Lanka, just some of the intriguing places visited by the war correspondent who loved to live dangerously.

Walter Isaacson – Leonardo Da Vinci

A biography that combines the pages of Leonardo’s notebooks and the knowledge of his life and work perfectly.

Masaji Ishikawa – A River in Darkness

Many families including Masiji Ishikawa’s left Japan for a better life but found instead a life of hardship in the brutal dictatorship. Ishikawa’s memoir provides a unique insight into real-life inside North Korea and his harrowing journey to escape across the Chinese border.

A. J. Jacobs. – The Year of Living Biblically

A. J. Jacobs attempts to obey the hundreds of less-publicized rules within the bible to discover the relevance of faith in our modern world.

Sanath Jayasuriya – Chandresh Narayanan

Written by sports journalist Sanath Jayasuriya, this is the story of a Sri Lankan cricketer who shaped that nation’s cricketing history.

C. G. Jung, Aniela Jaffe (editor) – Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Jung starts by writing about his childhood and personal life and delves into his exploration of the psyche.

Adam Kay – Dear NHS: 100 Stories to Say Thank You

Curated by Adam Kay, the author of the best-selling book This is Going to Hurt, Dear NHS is a collection of writing from a variety of household names including Stephen Fry, Graham Norton, Emma Watson, and Ed Sheran. Published during the global coronavirus pandemic, this collection of writing is a thank you letter to the UK’s National Health Service.

Piper Kerman – Orange is the New Black

Piper Kerman’s rebellious past has caught up with her, now she must leave her job, live in boyfriend and loving family to spend the next fifteen months as inmate #11187-424.

Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger – Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans

History comes alive in this true story of the battle among the war as New Orleans becomes the point of interest so that America could become what it is today.

Katsu Kokichi – Musui’s Story

Samurai Katsu kokichi’s escapades are recounted along with a refreshing perspective on Japanese society, customs, economy and human relationships all set against the backdrop of a Japan still closed off from the rest of the world.

Erik Larson – Isaac’s Storm

Using the information we now know about hurricanes and Cline’s own telegrams, letters and reports Erik Larson build the story of one man’s fatal miscalculation that ended in the death of thousands.

Erik Larson – The Splendid and the Vile

Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile is a unique and gripping portrait of what it was like to be alive during the Blitz in Britain and what it was like to be around Winston Churchill. Drawing on previously secret intelligence reports and diary entries, Larson takes readers on an exploration of the bombed streets of London to Churchill’s own chambers in the tale of leadership in the face of unrelenting horror and war.

Kate Clifford Larson – Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter

A look into the life of the Kennedy daughter hidden away, and the effect her circumstances had on shaping her siblings lives.

Frank McCourt – Angela’s Ashes

Frank McCourt’s memoirs of life in New York in the 30’s and Ireland in the 40’s as he endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbours.

Sonia Mehta – Junior Lives: Mother Teresa

Follow the story on one woman’s life story as she went from being Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu to the beloved Mother Teresa.

Sonia Mehta – Junior Lives Mahatma Gandhi

This Captivating biography introduces young readers to one of the most influential idols of our history.

Sonia Mehta – Junior Lives: Rani Lakshmibai

This is the third book in the series by Sonia Mehta looking at the lives of notable Indians. This book concentrates on the life of Rani Lakshmibai, a notable figure in the 1857 mutiny against the British.

Sonia Mehta – Junior Lives: Gautama Buddha

The fourth biography in the Junior lives series introduces young readers to Gautama Buddha for another captivating look into a historic figure.

Sarah Millican – How to be Champion

Geordie comedian, Sarah Millican’s How to be Champion is a hilariously funny and warming part-memoir, part-self help book. From her childhood as the daughter of a mine worker to her adult life as a stand-up comedian, Millican covers all the ups and downs from her life.

Dom Moraes – Under Something of a Cloud / Where Some Things Are Remembered

These two titles show some of Dom Moraes’ work, a selection of his very best travel writing and his observations about people he meet and places he visited.

Charles Moriarty – Before Frank

Before Frank is a hard back photography book, 144 pages, litho printed and canvas bound. Containing an introduction of Dazed Arts and Culture.

Michelle Obama – Becoming

Becoming is the autobiography of former first lady of the United States and inspirational feminist, Michelle Obama. The book which begins in her childhood, follows her career, love life and, of course, her marriage to former president Barak Obama, offering an insight into life in the White House.

Nick Offerman – Gumption

Nick Offerman combines both serious history with light-hearted humour as he focuses on the lives of those who inspired him, he describes twenty-one heroic figures and why they inspire in him such great meaning.

Sara Pascoe – Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body

Comedian, Sara Pascoe presents a brilliantly funny, yet well-researched and scientific exploration of the female body and experience.

James Patterson – The Last Days of John Lennon

The Last Days of John Lennon is a true-crime story from music history told by one of the greatest crime writers, James Patterson alongside Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. Created using exclusive interviews with Lennon’s friends and associates including bandmate Paul McCartney, this is the thrilling story of two men who changed history.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – Prison Days

When Mahatma Gandhi joined the freedom struggle, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit threw herself wholeheartedly into the Movement, along with her father, brother Jawaharlal, and husband.

Joel Richard Paul – Without Precedent

No American had a better impact on the constitution and Supreme Court than john Marshall. Chief justice, statesman and diplomat Marshall shaped the foundations of the United States today.

Tim Peake – Hello, Is This Planet Earth

Spending six months in space wasn’t enough for Tim Peake, find out what else he did during his time on the International Space Station with 150 stunning pictures.

Terry Pratchett – A Slip of the Keyboard

A laugh out-loud collection from the late-great Sir Terry Pratchett which offers an insight into the creation of Discworld and the brilliant man behind the series. Made up of newspaper clippings, speeches and other information this book offers a fascinating window into Pratchett’s world.

Guy Raz – How I Built This

Based on the highly acclaimed podcast, How I Built This with Guy Raz, this book showcases some of the world’s top entrepreneurs. Raz’s book offers an intriguing and educational insight into these entrepreneurs and businesses detailing how they started, how they launched and how they became successful ventures.

Ann Rule – The Stranger Beside Me

Ann Rule’s biographical and autobiographical account of her relationship with murderer Ted Bundy is the epitome of True Crime. The author who had worked with Bundy at a crisis centre years before his arrest, tells the story right up to his end in 1989 when he confessed to over 30 murders.

Amy Schumer – The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

Actress and comedian Amy Schumer’s autobiography, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, is an open, honest, brilliantly hilarious and sometimes shocking account of her life.

Walter Stahr – John Jay: Founding Father

Walter Stahr uses new material to show John Jay, both the public figure and the private man, a leading architect of America’s future, a true national hero and a major Founding Father.

Bebe Winans with Timothy Willard – The Whitney I knew

BeBe Winans and Whitney Houston considered each other family, BeBe gives a personal look into Whitney’s life as only he could.

Michael Wolff – Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House

Michael Wolff gives the insight into the White House and the man who has become the king of discord and disunion.

David B. Woolner – The Last 100 Days

During the last hundred days as the president Franklin Roosevelt displays remarkable political talent as he focused his energy on shaping the peace to come.

Giovanna Alessio – The Culture of Clothes: A Celebration of World Dress

Giovanna Alessio’s The Culture of Clothing is a beautiful compendium with vibrant and stunning illustrations by Chaaya Prabhat. It is a celebration of clothing from around the world from kimonos to dazzling flamenco dresses, journeying across continents to explore the interesting variety of traditional dresses.

Sridhar Balan – Off the Shelf: On Books, Book People and Places

A history of English language publishing in India, Sridhar Balan’s Off the Shelf is full of fascinating tales and intriguing information to delight every bookworm. Filled with accounts, stories and anecdotes from people in the book and publishing world including; E.V. Rieu, who set up the Oxford University Press and later initiated the Penguin classic series, and legendary bookseller Ram Advani.

Banksy – Wall and Piece

Banksy’s identify still remains unknown. However, that does not change the fact that he extremely well known throughout the world for his now-legendary street art, which has not only  been smuggled into four of New York’s major art museums, but even hung at London’s Tate gallery.

Chitrita Banerji – Bengali Cooking Seasons & Festivals

Chritrita brings an excellent introduction to Bengali cuisine and culture, try your hand at some home cooked dishes of dals, fish, vegetables, and kedgerees.

Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale – Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life

With more than fifty essays this comprehensive volume brings together a range of voices in an unparalleled account of the Himalaya.

Ruskin Bond – A Little Book of Beauty

A wacky look at the world of beauty secrets from the author of the Little Books of Stress; Crap; Dumb Feng Shui; and Household Madness.

Professor Daniel Breyer – The Great Courses: Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature

In The Great Courses: Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, Professor Daniel Breyer takes the reader on a philosophical journey to explores some of the deepest and darkest questions humanity has been asking since the dawn of time.

Elinor Cleghorn – Unwell Women : A Journey through Medicine and Myth in a Man Made World 

Elinor Cleghorn was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after a long period of being told her symptoms were anything from psychosomatic to a possible pregnancy. In her book, Unwell Women, Cleghorn traces the history of women’s health and the ways in which medicine has failed female bodies. Spanning from the wandering wombs of Ancient Greece to menstruation, menopause, and conditions like endometriosis, this book journeys through the world of medicine in a world designed for Men.

Melissa de la Cruz – Because I Was A Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages

Edited by New York Times best-selling author, Melissa de la Cruz, Because I Was A Girl is a collection of true, inspiring and powerful stories from women and girls about the obstacles, challenges and opportunities they’ve faced in life simply because of their gender.

Darryl Cunningham – Science Tales – Lies, Hoaxes and Scams

Lies, hoaxes and scams are explored within Cunningham’s essays, fiercely debated issues such as the moon landing, homeopathy and the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine are explained.

Dom&Ink – Queer Power: Icons, Activists and Games Changers from Across the Rainbow

Dom&Ink is a freelance illustrator known for his work with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In his latest book, Queer Power: Icons, Activists and Game Changers from Across the Rainbow, the artist combines stunning, colourful illustrations with information about some truly amazing LGBTQIA+ icons, role models, and activists.

Giulia Enders – Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ

Get to know your Gut, one of the least understood organs and find out how looking after your Gut will have your Gut looking after you.

Shon Faye – The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice

Shon Faye’s powerful début book, The Transgender Issue, reclaims the phrase as it uncovers what it is really like to be trans in a transphobic society. Showcasing a compelling argument, Shon Faye analyses housing, healthcare, feminism, the prison system, sex work, and trans people’s participation in the LGBTQIA+ community in her call for justice, solidarity between minorities, and ultimately trans liberation.

Deborah Frances-White – The Guilty Feminist Podcast

The guilty feminist is without a doubt a hilarious and truly inspiring book about embracing both feminism and our imperfections, from the creator of the hit comedy podcast, Deborah Frances-White.

Amika George – Make it Happen: How to be an Activist

Amika George is the teenager behind the Free Periods campaign, which aimed to end period poverty in the UK by providing free sanitary products to school children. Amika George’s book, Make It Happen is a guide to activism drawing reference from her own campaigning as well as advice from other activists such as Caroline Criado Perez, Adwoa Aboah, and Scarlett Curtis.

Philip Gooden – May We Borrow Your Language

Explore the intriguing and unfamiliar stories behind familiar words that the English language has borrowed from abroad and shed light on the wider history of the development of the English we speak today.

Greg Graffin – Population Wars – A New Perspective on (Co-)Existence

Will the human race be the saviour of this planet or its demise? Greg Graffin makes a scientific complex concept accessible to all.

David Grann – White Darkness

A heroic and adventurous tale of one man’s exploration as he attempts to cross the Antarctic in the footsteps of 20th Century polar explorer Ernest Shackleton.

Penny Hancock – Just Good Friends

Penny Hancock’s Just Good Friends is award-winning original fiction for learners of English. In this story, Stephany and Max spend their first holiday together in Italy, staying at Stephany’s friend, Carlos’ flat. Max becomes a little jealous of Carlos, while Carlos’s wife is definitely not happy to see Stephany. Soon it becomes clear that there’s more between Stephany and Carlos than just friendship.

Yuval Noah Harari – Sapiens

Sapiens is a thrilling account of the 4.5 billion year history of the earth, mankind and the modern world and is a must for nonfictions fans.

Stephen Hawking – A Brief History Of Time

Where did the universe come from? Stephen Hawking answers this and other big questions in a way that non-scientist can understand.

Stephen and Lucy Hawking – Unlocking the Universe

Curated by Lucy Hawking, Unlocking the Universe contains a collection of essays, mind-blowing facts and stunning photographs from the world’s leading scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking. If you’ve ever wondered how the universe began or what it would take to put a human on Mars, then this is the book for you.

D.L. Hildebrandt – Atlantis The Reawakening

The true Atlantis that philosophers and historians have searched for is disclosed and described in vivid detail.

Benjamin Hoff – The Tao of Pooh

In this book, Benjamin Hoff uses the loveable bear created by A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, to brilliantly demonstrate the ancient Chinese principles of Taoism alongside classic illustrations for Winnie-the-Pooh artist, E.H. Shepard.

Professor Mazharul Islam – A History of Folktale Collections in British India

Over the years India has had a great and complex intermixture of culture resulting in a lot of comingled-tales in the area.

Taylor Jenkins Reid – Daisy Jones & the Six

A tale of the 1970s music scene, a band, The Six and their lead singer Daisy Jones. The story of the rise of the band and their inevitable fall.

Mark Bittman & David Katz – How to Eat

Bestselling authors Mark Bittman and Dr David Katz answer all your food-based questions in their co-authored book, How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered. Inspired by their viral hit article on Grub Street for New York magazine, Bittman and Katz share their no-nonsense perspective on food and diets answering questions including, do calories really mean anything? and What should humans eat?

Stefan Klein – We are all Stardust

Nineteen of the best known scientists talk to Stefan Klein about their work and the way their lives and work affect each other.

Dr Guy Leschziner – The Nocturnal Brain

Dr Leschziner reveals stories from a variety of patients who have issues with sleeping and highlights the effects that not getting enough rest causes on our physical and mental health

Bhakti Mathur – Amma, Take me to the Golden Temple

Join Amma and her children as they introduce readers to the history of different faiths and their associated monuments.

Bhakti Mathur – Amma, Take Me to Tirupati

Volume 2 of the Amma tell me series takes readers to the world famous temple of Tirupati Balaji.

Barry Miles, Grant Scott and Johnny Morgan – The Greatest Album Covers of All Time

Take a look through some of the best album covers of all time, from pop to folk and everything in between, this wonderful visual record of art in the music industry is an essential read for music lovers around the world.

Fernand Miron and Anita Royer – Boletes, Quebec and Eastern Canada

Discover which of the 111 species of boletes from eastern Canada are edible and which will cause serious health problems.

Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown – ASAP Science

The fun, illustrated format of their addictive YouTube videos, AsapSCIENCE takes the science that people actually want to learn, shared in a friendly, engaging style.

Anita Nair – Muezza and Baby Jaan Stories from the Quran

Read about some of the stories from the Quran, God breathing life into the first man and woman, the gift of free will, the ninety-nine names of God, the blessed she-camel, the mighty King Sulaiman and much, much more.

Roopa Pai – From Leeches to Slug Glue

From India’s bestselling children’s author comes this wonderfully written account of how medicine has developed. Stories that will inspire as well as educate. Full of fascinating facts to interest both children and adults.

Marion Rankine – Brolliology

Would you open your umbrella indoors? Would you love to fly through the sky umbrella held high like Mary Poppins? Whatever your answer take a wander through Marion Rankine’s wonderful book all about umbrella culture and be surprised.

Kalpish Ratna – The Secret Life of Zika Virus

An in-depth biography of Zika Virus explaining what the Virus is where it came from and why it’s so dangerous.

Mary Roach – Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Sex and Science

Sexual arousal and orgasms are two scientific phenomena, find out what science is doing to make the bedroom more satisfying.

Hans Rosling – Factfulness

This timely nonfiction was recommended by Obama this summer and shot up the bestsellers list. Designed to teach you how to rely on facts and leave the stress behind.

Carl Sagan – Cosmos: A Personal Journey

Carl Sagan uses his ability to make science ideas exciting to tell the fifteen billion year store of the cosmic evolution from matter to conscious life.

Mineke Schipper – Naked or Covered: A History of Dressing and Undressing around the World

Travel the world throughout history and discover the differences from one culture to another are considered correct or inappropriate.

Steve Silberman – NeuroTribes

Looking back at the history of autism, Steven Silberman reshapes our understanding of Neurodiversity in the modern world.

Chitra Soundar – Stories of Courage and Valour

Chitra Soundar’s Stories of Courage and Valour is a book that shines a light famous and lesser-known heroes of real life. In this collection, you meet heroes such as Razia Sultana who bravely defended her kingdom, and Siddhartha who gave up royalty to find contentment and peace for the world.

Dr Ishrat Syed and Dr Kalpana Swaminathan – FAT

Two doctors examine the effects of adipose tissue to the inside of the body as well as psychological triggers that contribute to over eating.

Drake E Taylor – The Four Hats of Leadership

Drake E Taylor examines the role of a leader in different situations using four categories, psychologist, farmer, military drill instructor, and self-care.

Gaurav Tekriwal – Maths Sutras from around the World

Master Maths using techniques collected from the Vedic time, try out the activity sheets and be a pro in no time.

Sophia Walker – The Christmas Quizmas Book

How about switching off the technology at Christmas and having some fun with all the family. Questions cover lots of subjects, from film and food to traditions from around the globe. This Quizmas book contains 150 festive questions to challenge everyone.

Paul Baker – Fabulosa: The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language

Paul Baker’s Fabulosa is a brilliantly entertaining history book which tells the story of Polari, Britain secret gay language that was used predominantly during the 1940s and 1950s, a time in which it was illegal to be gay. Baker takes the reader on a journey from the language’s conception to its rise to popularity, from its demise to its resurgence in a new way.

Professor Edwin Barnhart – The Great Courses: Ancient Civilizations of North America

In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart opens your eyes to a fascinating history you probably never knew existed. For the past few hundred years, the stories of native Northern American cultures have been told by the colonizers who destroyed them but now, using new technological advances, we can piece together the true stories.

Tania Hershman, Ailsa Holland and Jo Bell – On This Day She

On This Day She by Tania Hershman, Ailsa Holland and Jo Bell offers a collection of biographies of women from history, many of whom have been overlooked or completely forgotten. First started as a Twitter account, On This Day she aims to put women back into our history, and change the way we see the past.

Bill Bryson – At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Bill Bryson’s At Home is ‘a short history of private life’, rather than the wars and battles we usually focus on when it comes to learning about history. A thoroughly researched book, Bryson’s At Home covers the history lurking in the corners of every home from food preservation to toilets, there’s a huge amount of interesting information to be discovered in our domestic lives.

Bill Bryson – One Summer: America 1927

Bill Bryson is Britain’s favourite storyteller and quite a raconteur as he shows in this fantastic tale as America joins the modern world.

John Buntin – L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City

Mickey Cohen and William (Bill) H Parker battle it out for the soul of Los Angeles. A no spoiler review from Colin Ricketts.

Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford – Forget the Alamo

In Forget the Almo, Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford, three noted Texan writers join forces to explore the history and dispel the myths of the Battle of Almo, a key moment in Texas’ history, when it was a nation, not state.

Luca Caioli – Messi Vs Ronaldo

Spending £80 million to sign a readymade superstar Real Madrid started a chain reaction that would start football’s greatest ever head-to head.

L. A Carlyon – Gallipoli

A review of Gallipoli, a no-holes barred, historical account of The Great War by Les Carlyon. Reviewed here by prolific reviewer Campbell McAulay.

Saumya Chaki – A Journey Through 100 Years of Indian Cinema

This quiz structured book shows Indian cinema over a hundred years. No spoiler review by Danob N.

Bipan Chandra et al – India’s Struggle For Independence

Five expert authors have created the most exhaustive and precise account of the struggle of Indian independence.

Roshan Dalal – India at 70: Snapshots since Independence

Follow India’s 70 year progression depicting the time from when it became a united political entity and the whirlwind journey that ensured.

Len Deighton – Bomber

Bomber is an account of a RAF bombing on a single German town and our reviewer, Campbell McAulay says to call it fiction is to do it an injustice.

Michael Dobbs – King Richard: Nixon and Watergate, an American Tragedy

From the best-selling author of One Minute to Midnight, Michael Dobbs’ latest book King Richard: Nixon and Watergate, an American Tragedy is a riveting account of the Watergate conspiracy and the toppling of a president. In January 1973, Richard Nixon was inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide but within months, his presidency was falling apart at the hands of the Watergate Scandal. Michael Dobbs draws on thousands of hours of newly-released taped recordings to take the reader to the heart of the conspiracy.

Glenn Frankel – Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic

Glen Frankel’s Shooting Midnight Cowboy tells the story of a film that pushed the boundaries of subject matter by exploring homosexuality, prostitution, sexual assault. Enriched by interviews with Hoffman, Voight, and others, Shooting “Midnight Cowboy” Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic is the definitive account of the film that influenced a new wave in American cinema.

Martha Gellhorn – The Face of War
Martha Gellhorn, one of the twentieth century’s best-known war correspondents, found herself reporting from the centre of many different conflicts over her career. Her book, The Face of War, is a collection of reports from conflicts in Spain, Finland, China and from the front lines of World War Two, as well as reports from later conflicts including the Vietnam War, and Israel.

Jeff Guinn – War on the Border

In War on the Border, Jeff Guinn, chronicler of the Southwestern US, tells the gripping story of Pancho Villa’s bloody raid on a small US border town that then resulted in a violent conflict with the United States of America.

Jake Hall – The Art of Drag

Jake Hall’s The Art of Drag is a stunning exploration through the history of drag with stunning, vibrant and colourful illustrations by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh Hans. From Kabuki Theatre to RuPaul’s drag race, this guide to the art of drag is rich in history and facts.

Joel Hayward – The Leadership of Muhammad: A Historical Reconstruction

There are surprisingly few books that explore the Islamic Prophet Muhammad’s immense impact on history and analyze his leadership. Professor Joel Hayward approaches the Prophet’s leadership differently and impartially to demonstrate that Muhammad was “a profoundly effective leader”.

Christopher Hill – Lenin and the Russian Revolution

Described as one of the best books about Lenin anyone could hope to read but now out of print and difficult to get a copy of. A description of Lenin and the Russian Revolution.

Bethany Hughes – The Hemlock Cup

We come to understand the profound influences of time and place in the evolution of Socrates’ eternally provocative philosophy.

Eric Jager – Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris

November 1407 a band of masked men murdered Louis of Orleans, the crime stunned and paralyzed France, the city’s chief law enforcement officer, Guillaume de Tignonville investigates.

Bernard Jones – The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History

We all know the story of Troy, but do we know the true story. In this fascinating book historian Bernard Jones uncovers the real story of the Greeks and the Trojans and the destruction of the city of Troy.

Adam Kaul – Turning the Tune: Traditional Music, Tourism, and Social Change in an Irish Village

In the Ireland, the last century has seen some radical changes, which have had a huge impact on local life, but none more so than traditional Irish music. This author focuses on a small village in County Clare, which became a place of comfort for those interested in traditional music.

Fergal Keane – Road of Bones

Fergal Keane captures perfectly the pain and losses in the epic siege of Kohima, 1944. A comprehensive review of this WWII wartime account by prolific reviewer, Campbell McAulay.

Brian Kilmeade – Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers

Brian Kilmeade’s Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers tells the historical story of the Texas Revolution in this fast-paced and gripping story. Exploring the hidden depths of Texas’ first president, Sam Houston, Kilmeade takes readers to the scenes of a pivotal point in American history.

Tarana Husain Khan – The Begum and the Dastan

Inspired by real-life characters and events, Tarana Husain Khan’s The Begum and the Dastan is set in 1897 in the princely state of Sherpur weaving a haunting tale of a grand city and the women who lived there. In the present day, Ameera listens to the tales of Feroza Begum, her great-grandmother, and is forced to consider how much, if anything, has changed for the women of Sherpur.

Glenn Kurtz – Three Minutes in Poland

An entire book based on three minutes of family footage belonging to Glenn Kurtz’s grandfather inspired this meticulously researched biographical account of the horrors of living under the Nazis.

Holly Kyte – Roaring Girls

Holly Kyte’s Roaring Girls is a feminist history book detailing the lives of eight women, all of whom lived in Britain during the 300 years prior to the first wave of feminism. Since then, there have been four waves of feminism that have brought us to the rights we privilege from today. While the people featured in Kyte’s book might not have been considered feminists by today’s standards, they all lived outside the expected gender norms and pushed the boundaries of the gender binary.

Edward J. Larson – To The Edges of the Earth

Edward J. Larson brings us back into the race to be the first to the poles first, with three up for grabs the race is on!

Robert S. Levine – The Failed Promise

The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson by Robert S. Levine is a historical biography of the United States of America. This book tells the story of Andrew Johnson’s rise to presidency after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. African American citizens were optimistic that Johnson would pursue policies for Black equality. Frederick Douglass, the country’s most influential Black leader, however, doubts his promises were sincere. Robert S. Levine recounts the conflicts that led to Johnson’s impeachment.

Buddy Levy – Labyrinth of Ice

Buddy Levy’s Labyrinth of Ice is based on the author’s own extensive research into the true story of the Greely Polar Expedition of 1881, one of the most harrowing and tragic adventures in the history of polar exploration.

Mini Menon –  Quirky History: The Swan Car of Nabha & Other Unusual Stories from History

In this first book in the Quirky History Stories, Mini Menon, and the team behind the popular Live History India website and YouTube channel tells the bizarre, hilarious and twisted tales you won’t find in any history books. From eccentric Maharajas to Gwalior’s Chamber of Secrets, these unique stories are accompanied by delightfully quirky illustrations.

Kate Moore – The Radium Girls

The new radium girls makes gleaming headlines across the nation as it presents the dark, but true story of the women who fought America’s danger.

Amitava Nag – Satyajit Ray’s Heroes and Heroines

Amitava Nag explores the memorable Heroes and Heroines created by one of India’s best-known film-makers Satyajit Ray during a career of nearly four decades and 27 feature films.

Cathy Newman – Bloody Brilliant Women

Fill in the gaps in your history with Cathy Newman’s comprehensive book that travels from the 1880s to modern day, telling readers about all the women history teachers forget.

Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard – Killing England

Through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III the path to independence is chronicled from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe.

Nathaniel Philbrick – Travels With George

In Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, author Nathaniel Philbrick retraces Washington’s journey as a new president as he travelled through all thirteen former colonies to weave a personal history of the president and explore his unique contribution to America.

Robert Ryan – Death on the Ice

Death on the Ice is Robert Ryan’s novelisation of one of the greatest adventures of all time. Reviewed here by Reading Addicts regular, Campbell McAulay.

Stacy Schiff – The Witches

A thoroughly researched read that tackles the complex and dark history of witches in an exploration of accused witches in 1962 Salem witch trials and executions of Massachusetts.

Phil Scraton – Hillsborough: The Truth

In 2012, Phil Scraton was the primary author of the ground-breaking report published by the Hillsborough Independent Panel. In Hillsborough: The Truth, Scraton details the Hillsborough disaster that led to the death of 96 people including; the bereavement of family and survivors, the inhumanity of the identification process, and the vilification of football fans in the national and international media following the disaster.

William L. Shirer – The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

A chronicle of Nazi Germany starting from the 1889 (the birth of Adolf Hitler to the end of WW2 in 1945.

Shokdung – The Division of Heaven and Earth

“Shokdung” wrote this book as a response to the protests at the time but it soon became a banned book and “Shokdung” imprisoned.

Hampton Sides – On Desperate Ground

Years of archival research, unpublished letters, declassified documents, and interviews with scores of surviving Marines and Koreans all comes together in this superb account of the epic clash along the frozen shores of the Chosin Reservoir.

W. K. Stratton – The Wild Bunch

Read all about the making of the 1968 movie The Wild Bunch which was named one of the greatest Westerns of all time by the American Film Institute.

Doug J. Swanson – Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers

Doug J. Swanson’s Cult of Glory is a history book which tells the stories of the Texas Rangers which first emerged in 1823 when Texas was still part of Mexico. Nearly 200 years later, the Texas Rangers are still one of the most famous law-enforcement agencies in America. In his book, Swanson chronicles their escapades while also examining how the White and propertied powers in Texas used them as enforcers and officially sanctioned killers.

Chris Wallace – Countdown 1945

In Countdown 1945, Chris Wallace, a veteran journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday takes the reader to 1945, America following the news of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death. The book tells the gripping true story from behind-the-scenes in the 116 days that led up to Vice President Harry Truman’s order to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Sam Wasson – The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the last years of Hollywood

Chinatown, with its twist ending and haunting closing line, became a Holy Grail of 1970 Cinema. Now, for the first time, readers can explore the incredible story of the making of this modern American masterpiece of film in The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the last years of Hollywood written by New York Times bestselling author of Fifth Avenue, Sam Wasson.

Stephanie Milton – Minecraft Essential Handbook

The perfect book for those starting to enter the world of Minecraft, from creating tools to building shelter, this book will keep you alive in the early days.

Andre Agassi – Open: An Autobiography

Open is the autobiography of Andre Agassi which tells the story of a remarkable life, exploring the highest levels of professional tennis. From his on-court wins to his off-court uncomfortable relationship with fame, this memoir spans every detail of Agassi’s life.

Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller – The Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan

Before the Soviet invasion of 1980, Enjeela Ahmadi’s home in Kabul, Afghanistan was peaceful and full of people from all walks of life. After her mother, unsettled by the political unrest, leaves for medical treatment in India though, the civil war escalates and changes Enjeela’s life forever. Enjeela and her family are forced into a terrifying five-year escape from the brutalities of war to reconnect with their mother, driven by their will to survive.

Zia Uddin Ahmed – A Bridge With Three Spans

An autobiography that spans from 1930 to present day, A Bridge with Three Spans is full of history and culture and follows the life of retired international civil servant, Zia Uddin Ahmed. From growing up in an Indian village during the country’s struggle for independence to his college and professional life in the new state of Pakistan, before finally moving on to the third ‘span’ of his life, his post at the United Nations (UN) before he left public life behind.

Mitch Albom – Tuesday’s With Morrie

Mitch Albom’s memoirs about Tuesday’s spent with a terminal ALS sufferer and how he learned about living from the dying.

Martin Amis – Inside Story

Martin Amis’ Inside Story is a memoir written in the style of a novel. It centres around not only Martin Amis but several other key people in his life including; his father Kingsley Amis, close friend Christopher Hitchens, Phoebe Phelps, Philip Larkin, and Iris Murdoch. The novel is a love letter to life and to all the people in Martin Amis’ world.

Anonymous – A Fucked up Life in Books

A memoir, viewed through the books the author was reading at each moment, brilliant written thoroughly enjoyable, funny and touching!

Lawrence Anthony – The Elephant Whisperer

South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony ignored his common sense and excepted a herd of ‘rogue’ elephants becoming their last chance of survival.

Fredrik Backman – Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

From the bestselling author of “A Man Called Ove”, Backman’s latest offering is part memoir, part manual, a wonderfully moving collection of letters from a new father to his son all about navigating parenthood.

Brooke Berman – No Place Like Home

Playwright Brooke Berman tells the compelling story of one woman’s journey across New York. She is searching for a home and a career in the theatre. Her path is at times terrifying and fascinating, it is also full of humour and honesty.

Johnny Bock – A Bus Will Take You There

From the owner of a 1962 VW Microbus owned for 40 years, travelled the North American Continent, from Yukan to Montana with all the problems along the way.

Anne Bogel – I’d Rather be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

Written by blogger and author, Anne Bogel, I’d Rather be Reading is a collection of reflections of reading, literature and books that any bookworm can relate to. Remember the books that hooked you, when and where you fell in love with books, and the moments that make you the reader you are today in this brilliant literary companion.  I’d Rather be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of Reading Life is the perfect gift for any bibliophile.

Ruskin Bond – Looking for the Rainbow My Years with Daddy

Escaping his jail-like boarding school in the hills Ruskin goes to live with his father in Delhi. Bond travels to his past, recalling his favourite adventures.

Ruskin Bond – Coming Round the Mountain: In The Year of Independence

Ruskin Bond’s beautifully written memoir tells of his formative years growing up in India. In The Year of Independence, it’s 1947 and Bond recounts the story of partition from a 13-year-old’s point of view.

Ruskin Bond – Till the Clouds Roll by, Beginning Again

After his father’s death Ruskin travels to Dehradun to spend time with his mother and her new family, missing his father he takes to exploring this unfamiliar place.

James Bowen – A Street Cat Named Bob

For James living hand to mouth on the streets of London wouldn’t stop him from helping an injured cat curled up in a hallway, once back to health Bob stuck around, a true friend.

Rick Bragg – My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South

Explore the southern truths in these insightful and humorous essays written over a decade.

Saroo Brierley – A Long Way Home

Saroo Bailey the little Indian boy who at five years old lost his family. Follow his journey from living on the streets to an orphanage and then on to Australia where he lived with his adoptive parents. Read the memoir that became the box office hit “The Lion”.

Saroo Brierly – Lion

Now a major motion picture, Saroo Breirly’s book is the true story behind the film, Lion. The heartbreaking tale of Saroo who lived in a poor Indian village with his mother and three siblings, until the day he gets lost on a train, aged five. The book follows Saroo for the 25-years that follow as he crosses the world to find his way back home.

Douglas Brinkley – American Moonshot

Take a giant leap. 50 years on, historian Douglas Brinkley takes a fresh look at this great event and the people behind the planning and its success.

Jen Brister – The Other Mother

Comedian Jen Brister’s autobiography, The Other Mother, is a brutally honest and hilarious book about creating and raising a family as a same sex couple in the modern world. The Other Mother speaks to all parents who have struggled through the ups and downs of family life, but in particular it speaks to families who are outside the heteronormative ‘norm’ and reminds them that when it comes to parenting, nothing is ‘normal’.

Javier Cercas – Lord of All the Dead

In Lord of All the Dead, author Javier Cercas takes a courage journey into his family’s history that that of country collapsing because of a war. Cercas revisits Ibahernando, a village in Southern Spain to research the life of his uncle Manuel Mena, whom he grew up hearing about but who died aged 19 in the Spanish Civil War. A book about heroism, death and the influence of one life amidst the full history.

Jean-Claude Carrière – Big Bhishma in Madras

In this travelogue Carrière explores all the ways India celebrates the epic, fat Bhishma as well as incorporating other wonders they viewed along their path.

William Clegg QC – Under the Wig

Under the Wig is the autobiography of William Clegg QC which offers readers an insight into the world of criminal law. In this intriguing book, defence lawyer, William Clegg lays out his career alongside real life cases he’s worked on, many of which readers will be familiar with from the news.

Jim Corbett – The Hunter’s Friends

Jim Corbett gives insight into the life of a huntsman, as he protects the community in which he lives and works.

Jim Corbett – Man-eaters of Kumaon

Jim Corbett offers ten fascinating tales of hunting tigers in the Indian Himalayas in a bygone era of big-game hunting.

Gayatri Devi – A Princess Remembers

Excess, extravagance, palaces with 500 servants. Read all about this amazing way of life in the autobiography from Gaytri Devi, widow of the Maharaja of Jaipur.

Brian Ehlers – Soaring Through Silent Skies

In Brain Ehler’s Soaring Through Silent Skies the author provides first-hand insight into the life of a successful, deaf athlete, father, coach, and life mentor in a hearing world. A modern, positive and correct portray of the deaf culture that will surprise and inspire the reader.

Deborah Feldman – Unorthodox – The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots

A review of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir of a young Jewish woman’s escape from a religious sect, reviewed for us by LadyMeritaten.

Flea – Acid for the Children

Acid for the Children is the autobiography of Michael Peter Balzary Better known as Flea, he is the iconic bassist and co-founder of the band, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Flea finally spills the origins story from their dizzying highs to their gutter lows as an LA street rat becomes a world-famous rock star.

Winifred Foley – Shiny Pennies and Grubby Pinafores

1950’s in a crumbling cottage without heating or hot water, Winifred Foley’s determination to give her children the rural upbringing she had enjoyed.

Tan France – Naturally Tan

As an openly gay, Yorkshire-born boy from a Pakistani family, Tan France’s autobiography, Naturally Tan represents an often-under-represented group in the media. Queer Eye’s fashion expert, Tan France opens up about his life, from childhood to his first fashion range, from meeting his husband Rob to fame in Netflix’s Queer Eye, in this heart-warming memoir.

Anne Frank – The Diary of a Young Girl

A record at the height of the Nazi occupation, seen through the eyes of Anne Frank while hiding with her family and others, fearing for their lives.

Derek Frost – Living and Loving in the Age of AIDs: A Memoir

Derek Frost’s memoir, Living and loving in the Age of AIDs is a poignant and heartbreaking real-life story of a couple, living through the AIDs epidemic. Their privileged lives quickly change when J test positive and friends all around them get ill and start dying but throughout it all, they hold on to joy and love.

Yve Gibney – Face of a Bigamist

Yve Gibney’s Face of a Bigamist is a memoir that tells the story of Gibney’s love, marriage, and the eventual realisation that her husband of 19 years, Maurice, is a master of deceit, manipulation, and coercive control, holding secrets that culminate in ultimate betrayal. Gibney reveals how she unearthed the hidden clues after stumbling upon a profile picture of a stranger online before finally discovering her husband’s bigamous marriage in Oman.

Simon Gjeroe – Made in China: A Memoir of Marriage and Mixed Babies in the Middle Kingdom

Simon Rom Gjeroe went to China as a language student, fell in love, and married the teacher. His memoir, Made in China highlights the weird and wonderful world of cross-cultural marriage and parenting, raising a mixed-race baby in China.

Katie Green – Lighter Than My Shadow

Katie Green uses her experiences growing up to create a graphic novel showing the effects an eating disorder can have on not just the person with the condition but those closest to them.

Thor Heyerdahl – Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft

Thor Heyerdahl’s memoirs are a timeless boys-own adventure. Review reproduced here with kind permission of Campbell McAulay.

Naoki Higashida – The Reason I Jump

Through the eyes on a thirteen year old boy, this book explains why Naoki does some of the things he does and therefore shows an insight into the life and mind of a autistic child.

Susan Hill – Howards End is on the Landing

Howards End is on the Landing: A year of reading from home – is a documentation of Hill’s personal journey through her own collection of books.

Sally Hyder – Finding Harmony

With her youngest child Melissa diagnosed with severe autism, Sally needs help, she finds much more in Harmony.

Caitlyn Jenner – The Secrets of My Life

Caitlyn Jenner’s poignant, honest, and humorous memoir, written with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger, covers her childhood as Bruce Jenner and the confusion of growing up, her transition and her experiences as a transgender woman in the spotlight of fame.

Adam Kay – This is Going to Hurt

An open and detailed diary of a junior doctor exploring the reality of working for the NHS. Bitter sweet, hilariously funny and heart-breaking all in one book.

Adam Kay – Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas

Adam Kay, the author of the bestselling book This Is Going to Hurt, returns with a Christmas special book. Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas is a book full of unseen diary entries that cover Kay’s time in the NHS over the Christmas holidays. Full of festive anecdotes and stories, Adam Kay’s Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas is just as painfully hilarious as his first book.

Paul Kimmage – Rough Ride: Behind the Wheel With a Pro Cyclist

Paul Kimmage always dreamed of cycling glory but as he turned professional he discovered it’s drugs that allow you to finish the race, he speaks out about the drug issue in sports.

Phil Knight – Shoe Dog

Shoe Dog is the memoir from Phil Knight, the creator of the world -renowned Nike brand. In 1962, fresh out of business school, Knight borrowed just $50 from his father to create a company which imports high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. This is the start of Phil Knight’s business career. Until now, the man behind the famous ‘swoosh’ Nike tick, has been shrouded in mystery, now, this autobiography reveals it all, with a book rich in wisdom, lesson, humour and insight.

Tony Levy – The Road to “L”: Do you remember your driving Instructor?

The Road to “L” Do you remember your driving Instructor? by Tony Levy is a humorous memoir Set in Central London during the 80s when the author was working for the British School of Motoring. Packed full of anecdotes and stories from the road whilst taking the reader on a trip around the famous and historic landmarks of London.

Sally Mann – Hold Still

An amazing collection of photos in Sally Mann’s memoirs and family history. No spoiler review by Denise Conner.

Sy Montgomery – The Spell of the Tiger The Man-eaters of the Sunderbans

Enter the world of the Sundarbans where tigers frequently eat people, from snatching fisherman at night, to woodcutters from the forest these great creatures are revered.

Demi Moore – Inside Out

The iconic Hollywood actress, Demi Moore, opens up in her reflective memoir, ‘Inside Out’. She divulges her childhood traumas, her battle with addiction and body image issues, and how she navigated her new position as a celebrity, in this biography which is not only about Moore’s life but also about the very human experiences of overcoming adversity, survival, and success.

Caitlin Moran – How to Be a Woman

Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women’s lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.

Ananya Mukherjee – Tales from the Tail End: My Cancer Diary

Ananya Mukerjee’s Tales from the Tail End is a tale of hope and courage as she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and began her battle with the cancer, trying to stay cheerful. Sadly, Mukerjee lost her battle in November 2018 but this book is a lasting legacy of her strength, courage and the power to make light even in the darkest of moments and live life to its fullest despite great adversity.

Dervla Murphy – On A Shoestring To Coorg

This beautifully written and exciting memoir takes the reader on a journey through Southern India, From Bombay to the hippy beaches of Goa and on to the tropical tip of India, travelling by boat and bus, staying in fishermans huts and no-star hotels.

Clare Pedrick – Chickens Eat Pasta

After watching a video showing a chicken eating spaghetti in a village in central Italy, Clare heads out to start a new life.

Dave Pelzer – A Child Called “It”

Dave isn’t a child he’s an it, a slave and a thing to play torturous, unpredictable games with. The story of his Dave’s early years and the horrors of child abuse.

Mary A. Perez – Running in Heels

Running in Heels: A memoir of grit and grace is a memoir that delivers. A personal story with many ups and downs, well written and complete.

Carissa Phelps with Larkin Warren – Runaway Girl

The unexpected kindness of a teacher and a counsellor helped turn Carissa Phelps life round leaving the streets and graduating from UCLA with a law degree and an MBA.

Sylvia Plath – Letters Home: Correspondence 1950-1963

Letters home gives a look into one of twentieth-century’s greatest poets, starting from her time in Smith College up to February 1963.

Billy Porter – Unprotected: A Memoir

Billy Porter is the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winner best known for playing Pray Tell in Pose and Lola in Broadway’s Kinky Boots. Unprotected is Billy Porter’s memoir that spans his life and career from childhood to adulthood. Porter opens up about his experience growing up gay and Black in America in this beautifully resonating tale of trauma and healing, determination, and unashamed queerness and Blackness that the world tried to take away from Billy Porter.

James B Rieley – Living on Rocks

James B Rieley’s memoirs give us a small taste of what it would be like living in another country and include his experience of a category 5 Cyclone during hurricane season.

Marc Rudolph – That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea

Written by the co-founder and first CEO of the streaming platform Netflix, Marc Randolph tells the incredible, never before told story of how Netflix was born. From DVDs to video streaming, from its original concept to the company we know today, Randolph’s ‘follow your dreams’ parable is explored in his book, That Will Never Work.

Marjane Satrapi – Persepolis

This graphic novel styled memoir follows Mariane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the time of the Islamic revolution.

Jonathan and Angela Scott – The Leopard’s Tale

Half-Tail and her daughter Zawadi become the stars of this story as Jonathn and Angela through photographs and text.

Jonathan Sharp – Prize Tw*T

Jonathan Sharp gives a memoir of living in the streets, penniless, due to his cocaine addiction. Prize Tw*t is a dark comedy about one mans struggles with drugs, sex and gambling.

Alison Singh Gee – Where the Peacocks Sing

Glamorous magazine writer Alison Singh Gee has a reputation for dating highborn British men, then she met Ajay, a charming and unassuming Indian journalist and her life is changed!

June Steenkamp – Reeva: A Mother’s Story

June Steenkamp talks about her time sitting in the Pretoria courtroom, Reeva’s life and her own life after the verdict.

Bryan Stevenson – Just Mercy

In Just Mercy, acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson explores the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned as they fight for justice, freedom and equality. Readers will find themselves in a call to action in the pursuit of justice in this collection of true stories. Part of the proceeds of this book go to help Stevenson’s important work, benefitting the voiceless, attempting to navigate a broken justice system in the U.S. 

Cheryl Strayed – Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail

Cheryl Strayed’s memoir follows her epic journey inspired after the loss of her mother to cancer. Raw and Gritty according to our reviewer.

Mark Synnott – The Third Pole: My Everest climb to find the truth about Mallory and Irvine

The Third Pole follows Mark Synott’s ascent of Mount Everest in search of answers to one of the mountain’s mysteries. George Mallory and Sandy Irvine were last seen in 1924, 800ft shy of the mountain’s summit which would have made them the first to reach the top. Irvine carried a camera to photograph their goal but it, and his body have never been found. Mark Synott made his own ascent up the north side in search of the camera, body, and answers. However, his mission occurred during a ‘traffic jam’ of climbers at the summit that resulted in tragic deaths. Synott’s quest soon becomes something bigger than the original mystery that drew him to this climb.

Ellie Taylor – My Child and Other Mistakes: How to ruin your life in the best way possible

Comedian, actress, and broadcaster Ellie Taylor’s book, My Child and Other Mistakes, is a hilariously funny, yet honest, raw, and relatable account of pregnancy and motherhood.

Corrie Ten Boom – The Hiding Place

Corrie and her family live above the watchmaker shop that Carrie’s father runs, their strong morals lead them to help Jewish people during the war.

Paul Theroux –  The Kingdom by the Sea

Follow award-winning writer Paul Theroux’s journey as he travels clockwise around the coast of Britain during the summer of 1982. A funny and honest travelogue full of information and insights that can be enjoyed equally by those who know the British coast and those who don’t.

Steven Toast – Toast on Toast

From school plays to RADA and from “It’s a Right Royal Knockout” to the Colony Club, Steven Toast draws on his vast and varied experiences, providing the reader with an invaluable insight into his journey as an actor

Sandra Uwiringiyimana – How Dare the Sun Rise

Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s How Dare the Sun Rise is a memoir for Young Adult readers.  How Dare the Sun Rise is the moving and remarkable true story of Uwiringiyimana, a child who grew up in Democratic Republic of the Congo, survived a massacre and then immigrated to America where she learnt to overcome her trauma through activism and art. This story of survival, finding hope and giving people a voice is a reminder that life stories should not be reduced to the word ‘refugee’.

Jeanette Walls – The Glass Castle

Walls doesn’t pull her punches in this personal memoir, gritty, unputdownable and well-received. Be aware that this review contains some spoilers.

Robert Webb – How Not to Be a Boy

Actor, comedian and writer Robert Webb’s autobiography is a hilariously funny, feminist, and authentic exploration of gender, masculinity, socialisation and complex issues including domestic abuse, depression, and losing a loved one.

Karen Wheeler – Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France

After her boyfriend Eric leaves, Karen gives up her life as a fashion editor and heads to rural France for a new start. Contains Spoilers.

Oscar Wilde – De Profundis

Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis is a letter written by the Irish writer while he resided in Reading Gaol to ‘Bosie’, portraying to the reader more of Wilde’s emotions and personal thoughts and feelings.

Amirtharaj Christy Williams – Tipu, Sultan of the Siwaliks A Wildlife Adventure

Tipu, Sultan of the Siwaliks A Wildlife Adventure is a memoir by Amirtharaj Christy Williams, an Asian elephant specialist, who spent time during the mid-90s at Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand. In this biography, Amirtharaj Christy Williams recalls the years he spent tracking elephants, and the relationships he formed with the animals. Warm, funny and hopeful, this book will remind readers of great nature writers such as Gerald Durrell.

Blake Wood – Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse by Blake Wood is a profound collaboration of more than 150 photographs both black and white, and colour of the artist in her prime.

Xinran – Sky Burial

The story of one 26 year old woman’s amazing journey as she tries to find out what really happened to her husband.

Jon Krakauer – Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

A narrative account of the rape culture in Montana illuminating the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape.

Harish Bhat – #TataStories: 40 Timeless Tales to Inspire You

#TataStories is a collection of lesser-known tales that explore the lives of individuals, events, and places from the Tata Group that have shaped India as we know it today. The Tatas have a 150-year nation-building legacy and their stories span this arc of time with the ability to inspire readers and even provoke readers to take meaningful action in their lives.

Ruskin Bond – A Little Book of Happiness

Ruskin Bond brings together his own pithy observations and those by artists and thinkers he admires in this beautiful little anthology about what makes people happy.

Dave Burrows – Making the Most of Your Teenage Years

Making the Most of your Teenage Years is a life guide, lean how to invest in yourself, build relationships based on respect and set realistic goals for your future.

Rebecca Campbell – Light Is The New Black: A Guide to Answering Your Soul’s Callings and Working Your Light

This guidebook is for the new breed of women who are here to bright the dark of the world. These women are modern day lightworkers who bring us into the age of light.

Michaela Coel – Misfits: A Personal Manifesto

By the creator of ‘I May Destroy You’, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto is a razor-sharp and beautiful honest declaration by Michaela Coel. An expansion of Michaela Coel’s MacTaggart Lecture, Misfits is a rousing manifesto dedicated to everyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

Heather Hansen – Advocate to Win: 10 Tools to Ask for What You Want and Get It

Award-winning trial attorney, Heather Hansen has created a system to help her clients make the best choices for their lives, their cases, and ultimately for their wins, giving them the tools they need to believe in themselves. Now, she’s passing those tools on to readers in her book, Advocate to Win: 10 Tools to Ask for What You Want and Get It.

Akhil Khanna – Let’s Talk Money

Well written educational book to help anyone looking for financial advice and investment options. Reviewed by Prathamesh.

Anne Lamott – Bird by Bird

Advice on life and writing by Anne Lamott. Reviewed here by Kasturi.

Nancy Lewis – Smiling at Strangers: How One Introvert Discovered the Power of Being Kind

Smiling at Stranger is a handbook for building a community of kindness, written by one shy and introverted author. The perfect book to empower even the most introverted of us to interact with the world in a new and different way.

Mark Manson – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mark Manson cuts down the positive thinking and gives a refreshingly honest truth about life and how people can make themselves truly happy.

Yasmin Mogahed – Reclaim Your Heart

A self-help book with a difference. Reclaim Your Heart is a manual for living that shows you how to free your heart from its restraints. Awaken your heart and learn to avoid the same disappointing patterns of love and heartbreak.

Luis Carlos Montalvan – Until Tuesday

An ex US Army captain, hurt in more ways than one and a golden retriever make perfect companions.

Thomas Moore – A Religion of One’s Own

A religion of one’s own is a non-fiction philosophy read for those who are trying to find a place to fit in in this secular world.

Randy Pausch – The Last Lecture

Based on the lecture given by Randy Pausch shortly after being given the diagnosis of terminal cancer. This review contains spoilers.

Jordan Peterson – 12 Rules for Life

Psychologist Jordan B. Peterson answers the question of what everyone in the modern world needs to know by uniquely combining the Hard-won truths of ancient tradition with scientific research.

Dr Manjiri Prabhu – The DOGtrine of Peace: A unique guide to spiritual awakening and enlightenment

In her book, Dr. Manjiri Prabhu pours a lifetime of work with dogs and her learnings into the pages which explore a spiritual adventure. The DOGtrine of Peace is a unique guide to spiritual awakening and enlightenment filled with anecdotes from dog owners, scientists and animal activists to find the way to inner peace with man’s best friend, a dog.

Gretchen Rubin – The Happiness Project

The search for true contentment is the subject in The Happiness Project, follow the year-long attempted discovery.

Shirley Yanez – The Mind Detective

Anyone at any time in their life can be in need of some help with their mental health. This is not your usual self-help book. Shirley Yanez’s Mind Detective is part memoir and part self-therapy guide written for everyone.

Obayed Akash – Faux Assassin

Faux Assassin is an anthology of poems by Obayed Akash written in both Bengali and English. Edited by Ashoke Kar and Mahfuz Al-Hossain, and translated from the Bengali by Ashoke Kar, Haikal Hashmi, Mahfuz Al-Hossain, Kamrul Hassan and Razia Sultana.

Ruskin Bond – I was the Wind Last Night

Ruskin Bond is one of India’s most popular writers, loved as much for his lyricism as for his classic stories and this poetry collection is a reflection of the simplicity and talent for prose he has.

Darrielle Cresswell – Spilling Ink

A beautiful collection of poetry from newly published poet, Darrielle Cresswell. Lovely book, lovely poems, lovely everything! Highly recommended.

Hakim Ali Elhaj – A Conversation with one of My Selves

A Conversation with one of My Selves is a collection of poetry and prose from Sudanese writer and poet, Hakim Ali Elhaj. Loved by our reviewer Maria Gonzales.

Hakim Ali Elhaj – Age of Arsonist

Age of Arsonist follows is the second book of Hakim Ali Elhaj’s literary project “The Other”, the first being “A Conversation with one of My Selves”

Greenstone Lobo – 91 Predictions: The Fate of the World and Its People in the Next Half Century

In Greenstone Lobo’s book, 91 Predictions, author and scientific astrologer explores the fate of our world and the people living in it in the next half century. Lobo predicts what we can expect in the next fifty years, and tells readers how to prepare for it.

Sarah Kay – No Matter The Wreckage

No Matter the Wreckage is the debut poetry collection of Sarah Kay collating her work over the past decade and is beautiful, heartbreaking, funny and sublime.

Sylvia Plath – Collected Poems

Sylvia Plath’s brilliant poetry is brought together in “The Collected Poems”. Reviewed by Bo Jack.

Damilola Sodiq Sanusi – Talking Drum

Damilola Sodiq Sanusi’s The Talking Drum is a collection of poems which tackles a range of social issues including; love, sickness and heartbreak. Much like the talking drum used to communicate and send messages in Africa, this book sends messages to the reader on a variety of relatable themes.

Gertrude Stein – Tender Buttons

Gertrude’s best known work is separated into three section; food, objects and rooms. Read what Molly thought of her works.

John Berendt – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

It’s a crime novel, but it’s based on true events that happened in the 1980s and our reviewer loved Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Casey CEP – Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the last trial of Harper Lee

An exciting courtroom drama based on the true story of Reverend Willie Maxwell, accused of murdering five family members. For fans of Harper Lee, it is also the story of the young writer as she watches the trial and endeavours to create her own “In Cold Blood”.

William Clegg QC – Under the Wig

Under the Wig is the autobiography of William Clegg QC which offers readers an insight into the world of criminal law. In this intriguing book, defence lawyer, William Clegg lays out his career alongside real life cases he’s worked on, many of which readers will be familiar with from the news.

Ronan Farrow – Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill is the untold, true crime story of power, wealth and intimidation covering up the crimes of one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers. A dramatic account from a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist, Catch and Kill takes reader back to 2017 as Farrow edged closer to the truth and his career was threatened by high-price lawyers and elite war-hardened spies.

David Grann – Killers of the Flower Moon

A small Federal police force took up the case of the oilmen who were being murdered, The Federal police force soon became the F. B. I. and this was the organization’s first major homicide investigation.

James st James – Disco Bloodbath

Disco Bloodbath by James St. James takes the reader to the post-Warhol 80s clubland, home to the surreality of the Club Kids, hedonistic living, drug taking, glittering parties and unimaginable debauchery. The author reveals the true story of Michael Alig, a club-promoter who finds trouble following the murder of a drug dealer.

Kirk Wallace Johnson – The Feather Thief

Kirk Wallace Johnson was in a river in New Mexico when he first heard the news on a heist at the Natural History Museum at Tring. 20-year-old musical prodigy Edwin Rist broke in and stole as many rare bird specimens as he could carry before escaping. Johnson then embarks of an investigation which leads him into a secretive underground community obsessive with the art of salmon fly-tying. Johnson asks himself was Rist a genius or just a pawn?

Joanna Jolly – Red River Girl

BBC journalist Joanna Jolly recounts the story of Tina Fontaine a runaway whose body is found in Winnipeg’s Red River. An in-depth account of the investigation that followed this discovery. A true-crime story of an Indigenous teenager failed by the system.

Alex Kotlowitz – An American Summer

One summer in the city of Chicago. The stories of people whose lives have been affected by gun violence in the city’s most turbulent neighborhoods.

D. J. MacDonald – Dead End at Buffalo Corner

D. J. MacDonald’s Dead End at Buffalo Corner is a murder investigation biography which tells the story of a decaying body found in the bush just off a remote mountain road in Uganda’s Western Province. The find sparks a complex investigation to find the killers. Written by D.J. ‘Jock’ Macdonald, who headed up the investigation this book vividly brings to life the people, places and events that surrounded the brutal murder of Joseph Henri Mazy, a Belgian refugee fleeing to Uganda.

Cara Robertson – The Trial of Lizzie Borden

Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in 1892. This true-life crime story is a brand new account of the trial of their daughter Lizzie. Based on original transcripts and newspaper reports. Was Lizzie Borden guilty or not guilty?

Neil Woods and J. S. Rafaeli – Good Cop, Bad War

Neil Woods worked undercover dealing with some of the most violent and unpredictable criminals in Britain, here is the true-account of his time.