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Recommendations based on The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscriptsby Joshua Hammer
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
by Bill Bryson
A humorous account of a man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, reflecting on the beauty and history of the American wilderness.
The book starts with Bryson explaining his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail near his house. He and his old friend Stephen Katz start hiking the trail from Georgia in the South , and stumble in ... (Wikipedia)
Wishful Drinking
by Carrie Fisher
An autobiographical account of the author's life and struggles with fame, addiction, and mental illness.
In Wishful Drinking , Carrie Fisher tells the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit. Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play a princess in a little movie called Star ... (Goodreads)
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.
“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann
Exposé of a series of murders of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI's investigation.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, ... (Goodreads)
A Fighting Chance
by Elizabeth Warren
Autobiographical account of the Senator's rise from a middle-class family to the halls of power.
An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really works—and really doesn't—in A Fighting Chance As a child in small-town Oklahoma, ... (Goodreads)
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
by Casey Cep
The true crime story of Reverend Willie Maxwell and the trial that fascinated Harper Lee.
The story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird . Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of ... (Goodreads)
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
by Jeff Guinn
A deep dive into the history of the Peoples Temple and the life of its leader, Jim Jones.
2018 Edgar Award Finalist—Best Fact Crime “A thoroughly readable, thoroughly chilling account of a brilliant con man and his all-too vulnerable prey” ( The Boston Globe )—the definitive story of ... (Barnes & Noble)
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany
by Norman Ohler
Examines the Nazi regime's widespread use of drugs to fuel its war machine.
In this highly original book, a bestseller in Germany, Norman Ohler investigates the murky, chaotic world of drug use in the Third Reich. There have been other books on Dr Morell's cocktail of ... (Goodreads)
The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
by Amanda Palmer
A memoir about the power of asking for help and the importance of connection in art and life.
Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. ... (Goodreads)
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
by Simon Winchester
Narrative of the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, its impact and aftermath.
The bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the ... (Goodreads)
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
by Sy Montgomery
An exploration of the wonders of the octopus, with insights into its intelligence and emotions.
In pursuit of the wild, solitary, predatory octopus, popular naturalist Sy Montgomery has practiced true immersion journalism. From New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the ... (Goodreads)
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
by Richard P. Feynman
Exploring the wave-particle duality of light and matter, and their implications for our understanding of the universe.
Famous the world over for the creative brilliance of his insights into the physical world, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining ... (Goodreads)
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
by J.D. Vance
An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.
Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.
In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
by Steven Johnson
The discovery of the source of a cholera outbreak in London and its implications for modern science and urban living.
From Steven Johnson, the dynamic thinker routinely compared to James Gleick, Dava Sobel, and Malcolm Gladwell, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner about a real-life historical hero, Dr. John ... (Goodreads)
Stumbling on Happiness
by Daniel Todd Gilbert
A scientific exploration of why we often fail to predict what will make us happy and how we can find happiness in unexpected ways.
• Why are lovers quicker to forgive their partners for infidelity than for leaving dirty dishes in the sink? • Why will sighted people pay more to avoid going blind than blind people will pay to ... (Goodreads)
Modern Romance
by Aziz Ansari
A humorous exploration of contemporary love, using the latest research and personal anecdotes.
At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. ... (Goodreads)
Salt: A World History
by Mark Kurlansky
Comprehensive overview of the influence of salt on human society, from ancient times to the present.
In his fifth work of nonfiction, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the ... (Goodreads)
MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend
by Rachel Bertsche
A memoir chronicling the author's quest to find a new best friend after moving to a new city and getting married.
When Rachel Bertsche first moves to Chicago, she’s thrilled to finally share a zip code, let alone an apartment, with her boyfriend. But shortly after getting married, Bertsche realizes that her new ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
by James McBride
A memoir of a black man's journey to understand his white mother's past and how it shaped his own identity.
Touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son. Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A ... (Goodreads)
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
by Erik Larson
Story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and one man's desperate struggle to save his city.
September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange ... (Goodreads)
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe
A humorous exploration of science, tackling the most bizarre questions with real-world scenarios.
Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has ... (Goodreads)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
A journalist's exploration of a mysterious murder in Savannah, Georgia.
A sublime and seductive reading experience. This portrait of a beguiling Southern city was a best-seller (though a flop as a movie). ~ Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, ... (Goodreads)
Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy
by Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott explores the concept of mercy and how it can be rediscovered in our lives, even in the midst of chaos and pain.
“Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” —,Chicago Tribune,From the bestselling author of, Help, Thanks, Wow, and, Stitches, comes a powerful exploration of mercy, its limitless (if sometimes hidden) presence, why ... (Goodreads)
Primates of Park Avenue
by Wednesday Martin
An anthropological study of the wealthy mothers of Manhattan's Upper East Side, exploring their social rituals and cultural practices.
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, Primates of Park Avenue is an “amusing, perceptive and…deliciously evil” ( The New York Times Book Review ) memoir of the most secretive and elite ... (Barnes & Noble)
Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House
by Alyssa Mastromonaco
A memoir of Alyssa Mastromonaco's time as Deputy Chief of Staff under President Obama, offering insights into the inner workings of the White House.
If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . . Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for ... (Barnes & Noble)
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande
An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.
In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)
Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime
by Ron Stallworth
The true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s.
The #1, New York Times, Bestseller!,The extraordinary true story and basis for the Academy Award winning film, BlacKkKlansman, written and directed by Spike Lee, produced by Jordan Peele, and ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One
by Amanda Lovelace
A collection of feminist poetry that empowers women and challenges the patriarchy.
2016 Goodreads Choice Award-winning poet Amanda Lovelace returns in, the witch doesn't burn in this one —, the bold second book in her "women are some kind of magic" series. The witch: supernaturally ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Astronaut Wives Club
by Lily Koppel
The story of the women who supported America's early space program, showing strength and resilience.
As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from ... (Goodreads)
