User menu

Shopping cart

Staff Nonfiction Favorites

A rotating selection of some of our staff's favorite titles, both new and old. New reviews added quarterly, matching our in-store display.

Getting to Center by Marlee Grace

This book is like getting gentle advice from your queer, sober older sister. Marlee's wisdom is given in a generous stream of tender insightfulness. Touching on addiction, art practice, divorce, and intimacy, this will be a book to revisit for its practices and comfort again and again. - Celeste

Staff Pick Badge
Getting to Center: Pathways to Finding Yourself Within the Great Unknown By Marlee Grace Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062969774
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - October 27th, 2020

White Magic by Elissa Washuta

Millennial, writer, Cowlitz Indian Tribe member, witch, popular culture consumer - through these individual but interconnected essays Washuta has formed a sampling of her very soul. In these funny, poignant, sincere yet self-aware, and at times painfully familiar essays, Stevie Nicks, Twin Peaks, and Red Dead Redemption share equal time with childhood memories, oppressed heritage, adult heartbreak, and magic in ways that will have you demanding more beyond the last page. - Jocelyn

Staff Pick Badge
White Magic By Elissa Washuta Cover Image
$26.95
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781951142391
Published: Tin House Books - April 27th, 2021

Be Holding by Ross Gay

Starts with a significant moment in basketball history and turns into a lyrical masterpiece about connection, loss, and the intimacy of human witness. Gay writes with urgency and attention, you'll find yourself in tears over a moment from the 1980 NBA finals. For fans of Hanif Abdurriqib and Ocean Vuong, this book-length poem will break your heart in all the right ways, only to put it back together again with force.

—Holly

Staff Pick Badge
Be Holding: A Poem (Pitt Poetry Series) By Ross Gay Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780822966234
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: University of Pittsburgh Press - September 8th, 2020

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

It’s not just the horrifying story of the Golden State Killer, but also the story of victims and survivors. It’s a timeline of DNA technology and the investigation techniques that influenced the trajectory of this case and others like it. It’s also the story of Michelle and the impact this case will continue to have on anyone with an interest in true crime.

—Magnolia

Staff Pick Badge
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer By Michelle McNamara, Gillian Flynn (Introduction by), Patton Oswalt (Afterword by) Cover Image
By Michelle McNamara, Gillian Flynn (Introduction by), Patton Oswalt (Afterword by)
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062319791
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial - February 26th, 2019

The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku

Classicist Brian Muraresku tried to move on from his obsession with dead languages and became a lawyer, but couldn’t stop his mind from wandering back to the ancient world. He became fixated on the Eleusian Mysteries of the Greeks, and a psychoactive concoction imbibed in the chthonic ceremony called the kykeon. Told with a conversational tone, and using years of extensive research, Muraresku’s narrative sheds new light on the origins of religious experience. - Aric

Staff Pick Badge
The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name By Brian C. Muraresku, Graham Hancock (Contributions by), Graham Hancock (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Brian C. Muraresku, Graham Hancock (Contributions by), Graham Hancock (Foreword by)
$32.50
ISBN: 9781250207142
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: St. Martin's Press - September 29th, 2020

The End of Everything by Katie Mack

A book about the end of life, the universe, and everything? Right NOW? Pop-culture references and complex scientific concepts (made absolutely relatable and understandable!) aside, physicist Katie Mack is funny, educated, incredibly smart—and will make you feel the same. Mack’s passion will hook you through to the last (hilarious) footnote, leaving you exhilarated for what is still to be discovered (and following @AstroKatie on Twitter) before the end. - Jocelyn

Staff Pick Badge
The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) By Katie Mack Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781982103552
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Scribner - May 4th, 2021

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Marzano pens an absorbing and complex investigation of trauma, truth, and the stories we tell ourselves. As Marzano-Lesnevitch shifts from her own narrative to that of a decades-old murder, her attention to minor, seemingly insignificant details brings the twining narratives to life. This modern true-crime classic is both furious and compassionate, and everything I didn't know I needed in a book!

—Brooks

Staff Pick Badge
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir By Alex Marzano-Lesnevich Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250080554
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Flatiron Books - May 8th, 2018

Assata by Assata Shakur

From the front lines of the Black liberation struggle to the underground torture chambers of Riker’s Island Correctional facility, Shakur’s harrowing autobiography details the systemic injustice and brutality of American society. Gracefully weaving together poetic brilliance, a pure love for humanity, and an uncompromising commitment to the struggle for liberation, Assata is among the most important books concerning the American experience ever written. - Travis

Staff Pick Badge
Assata: An Autobiography By Assata Shakur, Angela Davis (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Assata Shakur, Angela Davis (Foreword by)
$18.95
ISBN: 9781556520747
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Lawrence Hill Books - November 1st, 1999

Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky

Need a healthy, delicious, and fast meal prep? This is the perfect go-to for any hangry athlete, busy parent, or new meal-prepper. Shalene's vibrant, easy Lemon Miso Dressing and Thai Quinoa Salad quickly became my lunchtime staples. Each recipe is designed to last in the fridge and keep you satisfied throughout the day. A must-have for tasty and nutritious plates, quick crowd pleasers, and mid-week meals. - Charlotte

Staff Pick Badge
Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.: Quick-Fix Recipes for Hangry Athletes: A Cookbook By Shalane Flanagan, Elyse Kopecky Cover Image
$24.99
ISBN: 9781635651911
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Rodale Books - August 14th, 2018

Evicted by Mathew Desmond

True stories of income inequality told with the style and readability of a great novel. Desmond, a Harvard-trained sociologist, lived in low-income neighborhoods for three years, recording the lives of people in the slums of Milwaukee, as they struggled (and failed) to keep a roof over their heads. It ends happily, with thoughtful solutions to ensure that everyone has a place to call home. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. - Jason

Staff Pick Badge
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City By Matthew Desmond Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780553447453
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown - February 28th, 2017

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Staff Nonfiction Favorites