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Notable Non-Fiction February 2026 |
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Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire
by Julian Sancton
Roger Dooley wasn't looking for the San José. But an accidental discovery in the dusty stacks of a Spanish archive led him to the story of a lifetime, the tale of a great eighteenth-century treasure ship loaded with riches from the New World and destined for Spain. But that ship, the galleon San José, met a darker fate. It was drawn into a pitched battle with British ships of war off the coast of Cartagena, and when the smoke cleared, the San José and its bounty had disappeared into the ocean, its coordinates lost to time. Though a diver at heart, Dooley was an unlikely candidate to find the San José. He had little in the way of serious credentials, yet his tenacity and single-minded devotion to finding and excavating the ship powered him across four decades, even as he became a man in exile from the country of his birth. As Dooley jousted with famous treasure hunters and well-funded competitors, he slowly homed in on a patch of sea that might contain a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck--or nothing at all.
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Cheapskate in Lotusland: The Philosophy and Practice of Living Well on a Small Budget
by Steve Burgess
With over three decades in Vancouver, Steve Burgess has watched his rent more than triple while his income has stubbornly hovered in the same bracket. By some financial measures, he qualifies as poor. Yet with a home near Stanley Park, a well-stocked kitchen, money saved, and plenty of stamps in his passport, he is, by most measures that matter, doing just fine. Blending personal memoir, economic philosophy, and sharp social observation, this book explores frugality as a way of life rather than a sacrifice. From mastering grocery store bargains to questioning the relentless push of consumerism, the author offers lessons in living comfortably on less--without deprivation or despair. Along the way, he engages with experts, literature, and other everyday people to reveal how financial security isn't always about numbers--it's about priorities, perspective and knowing the value of a good pair of shoes.
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Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling
by Danny Funt
Everybody Loses is the first major investigation into America's sports gambling industry. Journalist Danny Funt has obtained wild stories and stunning admissions from the people trying to transform our nation of sports fans into a nation of sports gamblers, including:
- Former sportsbook executives who cop to misleading customers, with one admitting they're selling that you can win, but you can't.
- VIP hosts at the gambling companies who divulge the extravagant perks they offer their biggest losers to keep them hooked.
- Insiders who recall secret meetings where NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB executives learned how much money their leagues stood to make if they abandoned their opposition to gambling.
- Lobbyists who detail how they converted skeptical politicians into gambling industry cheerleaders.
This riveting narrative will captivate sports fans, concerned parents, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of money and morals.
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Battle of Arctic
by Hugh Sebag Montefiore
Winston Churchill called it ‘the worst journey in the world’. But was even this telling quote, describing the transportation of military aid to northern Russia during WWII, an understatement? As this book’s title - Battle of the Arctic - implies, it tells a unique story. For much of the conflict was complicated by terrific storms, snow, ice, fog, whales, and Arctic mirages, creating an atmosphere similar to Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. The action unfolded as Allied naval and merchant seamen, airmen, submariners, and intelligence officers delivered on their countries’ promise to take arms to Russia as the Germans hunted them in aircraft, U-boats, and surface fleet spearheaded by Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. When ships were attacked, and went down in seas so cold that a man could die after five minutes of immersion, it triggered events reminiscent of the do-or-die moments during the sinking of the Titanic.
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The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love
by Justin R. Garcia
Why do we love who we love? Why do we stay in unfulfilling relationships, and stray from rewarding ones? Is it ever a good idea to open a relationship? How has the digital age impacted courtship? And why do some long-time couples crash and burn while others stay madly in love? In The Intimate Animal, one of the world's leading experts on the science of love and sex answers these questions and more, taking readers on a journey through the lifecycle of a romantic relationship, from the thrill of first attraction to the devotion that lasts decades. Intimacy is core to the human condition, a key pillar of a loving relationship, and an evolutionary drive. In fact, Dr. Garcia reveals that the need for intimacy -even more than sex drive- is key to our species' survival and flourishing.
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Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy
by Chris Duffy
In his days as an exhausted fifth grade teacher, Chris Duffy taught the funniest person he's ever met: eleven-year-old Gary. Gary was the school newspaper's official food critic, blasting cafeteria pizza for looking like cardboard and opining that the baked beans weren't beany enough. These days, Duffy is a professional comedy writer and the host of a podcast with millions of listeners, but he's never forgotten the transformative joy of laughing with Gary during a bleak Boston winter. In Humor Me, he shares a road map for how to cultivate and strengthen a sense of humor in a challenging world.
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