Notable Non-Fiction
August 2025
Recent Releases
Dinner With King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
by Sam Kean

Bestselling science writer Sam Kean (The Icepick Surgeon) offers a lively chronicle of how experimental archeologists utilize evidence found at dig sites to replicate ancient rituals and customs, including hunting with period-appropriate weaponry, playing an Aztec ballgame, brewing ancient Egyptian beer, and even mummifying corpses. Further reading: Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Eliot Stein.
How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence
by Matt Richtel

Greatly expanding his award-winning New York Times series on the contemporary teen mental-health crisis, Pulitzer Prize–winning science reporter Matt Richtel delivers a groundbreaking investigation into adolescence, the pivotal life stage undergoing profound—and often confounding—transformation.
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder
by Rachel McCarthy James

Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, to its use in King Henry VIII's favorite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons.
Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos-- and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting
by Thomas E. Weber

Killer tornadoes. Catastrophic hurricanes. Lethal heat waves. Across the the world, extreme weather events bring an unending torrent of death and destruction. One indispensable tool consistently offers the ability to help reduce the impact of these calamities: the weather forecast. For centuries, humans have sought to foretell nature’s next moves, from ancient farmers to trailblazers of the Space Age, who brought computers and satellites to bear on the problem. Now a new wave of advances, including artificial intelligence and data-gathering drones, makes it possible to accurately detect these fearsome events further in advance. 
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion
by Manvir Singh

This book offers an adventurous journey into one of humanity’s oldest spiritual traditions. Traveling across continents and cultures, it reveals how shamans navigate unseen worlds to heal, guide, and transform. Thought-provoking and immersive, it invites readers to consider what ancient wisdom can still teach us today.
The Self-esteem Class: Simple Lessons for a Lifetime of Contentment
by Hong Gyun Yoon

If you are trying to become your very best self but are struggling with low self-worth, this book is the place to start. The Self-Esteem Class guides you toward a deeper understanding of your own unique value and an internal sense of validation as you define confidence and happiness on your own terms.