Staff Picks

Category: Non-Fiction

Find your new favorite reads with this collection of top titles curated by our expert librarians.

Melissa F.

Man's Search for Meaning

"In this work, a Viennese psychiatrist tells his grim experiences in a German concentration camp which led him to logotherapy, an existential method of psychiatry"

Melissa F.

WHat My Bones Know

"A searing memoir of reckoning and healing from an acclaimed journalist and former This American Life producer investigating the little-understood science behind Complex PTSD"

Andy

"an intimate history of the turning point of World War II"

Joanna

The Mushroom at the End of the World

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

"A poetic and remarkably fertile exploration of the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, and what can still be done to stem its rapid deterioration"

Jill

I'll Show Myself Out

"hilariously explodes the cultural myths and impossible expectations around motherhood and explores the humiliations, poignancies, and possibilities of midlife"

Crisanne

Radical Compassion

"Recognize. Allow. Investigate. Nurture. RAIN meditation is a easy-to-learn program that can help practitioners loosen the grip of difficult emotions and limiting beliefs."

Crisanne

Lyanda Lynn Haupt

"cutting-edge science supports a truth that poets, artists, mystics, and earth-based cultures across the world have proclaimed over millennia: life on this planet is radically interconnected"

Joanna

"Vulnerable, tender, acute, these are serious poems, brave poems, exploring with honesty the ambiguous moment between the rapture of youth and the grace of acceptance."

Joanna

"A brilliant, searching exploration of different kinds of intelligence--plant, animal, human, artificial--and how they transform our understanding of humans' place in the cosmos"

Dennis

Killers of the Flower Moon

"Tells the story of the brutal murders behind white settlers' attempted dispossession of an Osage family's Oklahoma lands, under which lay some of the world's most valuable oil fields."

Dennis

Around the World in 80 Trees

"AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY TREES, beautifully illustrated by Lucille Clerc, is about eighty different trees species and their intricate relationships with people, animals and other plants."

Matt

The Power of Trees

Peter Wohlleben

"An illuminating manifesto on ancient forests: how they adapt to climate change by passing their wisdom through generations, and why our future lies in protecting them."

Lauren

Failure is an Option

H. Jon Benjamin

"H. Jon Benjamin--the lead voice behind Archer and Bob's Burgers--helps us all feel a little better about our own failures by sharing his own in a hilarious memoir-ish chronicle of failure."

Maggie

"Passionate advocate for end-of-life care and TikTok star Nurse Hadley shares moving stories of joy, wisdom, and redemption from her patients' final moments, offering powerful lessons on facing death"

Maggie

"In her new book, Amy Bloom writes about loving her husband and helping him to end his life after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's."

Jackson

Robin Wall Kimmerer

"Gathering moss is a mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses."

Gloria

Yuval Noah Harari

"This is a scientific exploration of what traits led to the dominance of Homo sapiens and how we have evolved to evade the laws of natural selection and now design the world around us."

Jackson

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Shunryū Suzuki

In one of the best and most succinct introductions to Zen practice, the important teacher Shunryu Suzuki discusses posture and breathing in meditation as well as selflessness, emptiness & mindfulness

Joanna

"All About Love is a blueprint for finding myriad types of love, which hold the redemptive power to change our minds and lives."

Crisanne

"Poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado"

Carli

Miracle In the Andes

"Nando Parrado regained consciousness to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as family members and supporters, had crashed deep in the Andes."

Jeannie

Warren Farrell & John Gray

Examines issues challenging today's young men in the areas of education, mental health, sexuality, and leadership, outlining a comprehensive blueprint for parents, teachers, and policymakers to help

Alison

"Distinguishes medical falsehoods from evidence-backed truth on topics including exercise, supplements, diets, alternative medicine, vaccines, and more."

Joanna

The Way of Imagination

Scott Russell Sanders

"Essays on out-of-the box thinking as a modality of response to climate change, status quo, and political disruption."

Matt

Art Before Breakfast

"For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5- to 10-minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule"

Matt

Steven Pressfield

"In this powerful, straight-from-the-hip examination of the internal obstacles to success, bestselling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers"

Crisanne

It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism

A progressive takedown of the uber-capitalist status quo that has enriched millionaires and billionaires at the expense of the working class, and what transformational change would actually look like.

Dennis

Around the World in 80 Plants

"Jonathan Drori takes another trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture, and folklore."

Jeannie

Underwater Wild

"From the creators of the Academy Award-nominated documentary My Octopus Teacher, an immersive journey into the underwater world that inspired it-and holds transformative lessons for us all."

Maggie

"The powerful story of an inspiring doctor who made a difference, by helping to create a program to care for Boston’s homeless community."