April 2026 list by Donalee Jacobs |
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Apple: The First 50 Years
by David Pogue
In time for Apple's 50th anniversary, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue tells the iconic company's entire life story: how it was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world. Apple: The First 50 Years includes new interviews with 150 key people who made the journey, including Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Jony Ive, and many current designers, engineers, and executives. The book busts long-held myths; goes backstage for both the successes and the failures; and assesses the forces that challenge Apple's dominance as it enters its second half century.
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Burn the Haystack
by Jennie Young Phd
How do you find a needle in a haystack? You burn the haystack to the ground. Among Dr. Jennie Young's legion of fans, the needle is a long-term, committed partner and the haystack is the group of men available to date. Young's engaging system empowers readers to sort through profiles quickly and effectively, preserving both time and sanity. And with its blend of scathing humor and academic rigor, Burn the Haystack is so much more than a dating tool -- it gives women the skills to break down communication from the classroom to the boardroom and everywhere in between, and the confidence to approach life with a deeper, more powerful level of understanding.
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Chain of Ideas
by Ibram X. Kendi
Recall the string of mass shooters across the globe -- in Oslo, Christchurch, Buffalo, El Paso, and Pittsburgh -- who claimed their crimes were a defense against White genocide. Recall business and media figures cultivating anxiety and furor over demographic change. These incidents only scratch the surface: Popular and ruling politicians around the world have expressed some version of great replacement theory, eroding democratic norms in the name of preventing demographic change. In Chain of Ideas, bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi offers an indispensable history of how great replacement theory brought humanity into this authoritarian age -- and how we can free ourselves from it.
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El Paso
by Jazmine Ulloa
El Paso charts the history of El Paso through five families. From the Mexican Revolution and the Mexican Repatriation, to the shifting immigration laws under Reagan and Trump and the violence and bloodshed brought on by the drug war, it captures a place often misunderstood or forgotten by the rest of the country, and the world. El Paso is a brave new work of narrative nonfiction that gives voice and perspective to history that has long been checked at the border, or told through the lens of white men alone. Ulloa draws upon meticulous research, reporting, and historical detail to craft the narratives of an unforgettable cast of characters.
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Emergence
by David Sussillo
David Sussillo has made a career at the cutting edge of neuroscience and technology -- yet his path there was anything but a straight line. Born to drug-addicted parents, he navigated a childhood marked by violence and neglect. But a seed was planted at the local arcade. What follows is a journey of resilience and transformation, from group homes to Columbia and Stanford. Along the way, Sussillo explores the dance between neuroscience, physics, and computation that laid the groundwork to modern artificial intelligence. As he advances in the field, he begins to pursue an answer to a more personal question: why, and how, did he succeed against all odds?
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Good Writing
by Neal Allen
Two writers show how to turn a worthy sentence into a memorable one. These essential rules for persuasive language work on any type of writing, and anyone can learn them quickly. Each rule is accompanied by examples and a lively pair of essays, the first by Neal Allen, who developed the list of tips over the course of his journalism and corporate careers; the second by his wife, Anne Lamott, acclaimed author of Bird by Bird and other nonfiction works and novels. The authors don't always agree on the specifics, but they are passionate about making better sentences. Whether you're a novice writer or a seasoned author, this entertaining guide will revolutionize your approach to crafting sentences.
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How Flowers Made Our World
by David George Haskell
An exquisite exploration of the power of flowers, placing them at the center of the story of how evolution created the world. How Flowers Made Our World combines lyrical writing, sensual exploration, and the latest in scientific research to explore some of the most consequential life forms ever to have evolved, showing how our planet came to be and how it thrives today.
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Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!
by Liza Minnelli
Global icon and EGOT, Liza Minnelli shares her inspiring story: stepping out from the long shadow of a mega-star mother and legendary film director father, fighting a lifetime battle with addiction, and emerging from it all to become a once-in-a-lifetime artist. Despite every challenge, Liza's is a life wrapped in laughter and her tremendous capacity to give and receive love. Today at nearly 80, she opens her heart, mind and memories, sharing secrets we never knew. Liza's book celebrates supreme artistry and, more importantly, her human rights activism. It's time to tell the truth, Liza says, and help people heal, as I have, one day at a time.
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The Meaning of Your Life
by Arthur C. Brooks
From the bestselling author of From Strength to Strength, the definitive account of how the modern world makes meaning so hard to find -- and a plan to discover your life's deepest purpose.
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Missing Me
by Ayana Lage
When writer and blogger Ayana Lage became pregnant, she researched and prepared as any parent would. But days after giving birth, Ayana's sense of control began to break when God started speaking to her. Eventually, she was diagnosed with post-partum psychosis and sent to a psychiatric ward. Slowly, the medication and treatment began to work, and when she was well enough to be released, the hard road to recovery began. Drawing from Ayana's notebooks and medical records, Missing Me is a gorgeously-written exploration of the revelations Ayana received during her psychotic episode, the surprising lessons about her life and faith revealed in the aftermath, and the long road to trusting her mind once again.
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Nightfaring
by Megan Eaves-Egenes
People, plants and animals all depend on the natural night -- both its darkness and its starlight -- for so much. But darkness is disappearing, and with it, our view of the stars. In Nightfaring, Megan Eaves-Egenes travels around the world, embarking on a journey from New Zealand to Uzbekistan, Italy to Japan, Germany to the Himalaya, exploring the many ways that humans have depended on, feared, and mythologized darkness. Blending travel and nature writing with history and self-discovery, Megan writes of how the stars have helped her chart the course of her own life--just as they've guided humankind for as long as we've slept beneath them.
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Nothing Is Impossible with God
by Shannon Bream
Shannon Bream, the bestselling author of The Women of the Bible Speak series, returns with a fresh collection of biblical stories that will hearten readers who feel stuck in a spiritual rut. The Christian life often doesn't feel like the stained-glass images we remember from childhood -- happy, holy, hopeful. But God never promised that we won't have trouble. Rather, He promises to be with us through the storm. Be encouraged by the real struggles of biblical heroes. Their journeys were full of trials, but they found abounding peace in Jesus. Nothing Is Impossible with God is an encouraging reminder of how the Lord is willing and able to bless us more than we can possibly imagine. It will comfort, inspire, and equip you for life's challenges by showing that nothing is impossible with Him.
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Phases
by Brandy
From the moment she first sang at church in McComb, Mississippi, Brandy knew her voice was special. At fourteen she landed her first record deal. At fifteen her first album went platinum. At sixteen she was starring in the hit sitcom Moesha and became the first Black actress to play Cinderella on screen alongside fairy godmother, Whitney Houston. Yet as the accolades piled up, so too did the pressure to maintain a flawless image. In this piercing, revelatory memoir, Brandy shares: the inside stories behind her most iconic songs and albums; her star-studded connections with Whitney Houston and Diana Ross; the affirmation of friends and family, including her brother Ray J, that helped her through challenging times; and so much more.
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Poisonous People
by Leanne Ten Brinke
Psychologist Dr. Leanne ten Brinke offers a brilliant new perspective on dark personalities. Weaving together personal stories and pathbreaking research, she depicts a surprising reality: a small portion of the population causes most of the world's suffering. Fortunately, science offers powerful solutions. In Poisonous People, ten Brinke gives us powerful, science-based tools for navigating dark personalities in a range of everyday contexts. As she argues, we have the power to reduce their power over us, whether at home, at school, at work -- even in the political realm.
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Rory
by Alan Shipnuck
The definitive biography of the most important, popular, and confounding player of the post-Tiger era, by Alan Shipnuck, the bestselling author of Phil and LIV and Let Die. Rory McIlroy can overwhelm a golf course with his transcendent talent and then, at the next tournament, look utterly lost. He is golf 's most eloquent ambassador and a trash-talking troll, sometimes in the same press conference. McIlroy's victory at the 2025 Masters packed such an emotional punch because he is golf's most vulnerable superstar. Shipnuck traces McIlroy's evolution from a young phenom in Northern Ireland to a game-changing force on and off the golf course, and he goes deep into McIlroy's personal history at a time when the spotlight on Rory has never been brighter.
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Salt Lakes
by Caroline Tracey
More than a hundred salt lakes dot Earth's surface, most of them hidden away in remote desert valleys. But today nearly all of them are at risk of drying up. Caroline Tracey didn't know this when she began crossing paths with salt lakes during her early twenties. From the Great Salt Lake to the Aral Sea, the beauty of these bodies of water captured her imagination. In Salt Lakes, Tracey seeks out and describes these vanishing lakes and the people dedicated to saving them. Running parallel is an intimate, human story: one of her finding queer love and building a home in a world fast being remade by ecological crises. An exquisite blend of travel writing, memoir, and reportage, Salt Lakes is an inspiring call to fight for all that is fragile in our lives.
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The Secret Language of Work
by Erin McGoff
From the creator of AdviceWithErin, the definitive book on how to use the right words at work -- so you can build the career you deserve. In The Secret Language of Work, McGoff shares her best, customizable scripts for how to communicate in the professional world -- word-for-word, exactly what to say during interviews, while negotiating salaries, when you need to set boundaries with co-workers, as you advocate for yourself, and in any sticky situation at the office. With McGoff's advice, you will master the unwritten rules of work speak that are key to career advancement.
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Seven Sisters
by Veronica Buckley
A spirited, poignant history of the seven daughters of the great Empress Maria Theresia -- among them, Queen Marie Antoinette of France -- tracing their lives as they balanced dynastic duty with personal ambition in a time of revolutionary cataclysm. Meticulously researched and animated by the sisters' own diaries and the almost daily letters traversing the continent, Seven Sisters reveals the drama, tragedy, and comedy of these exceptional yet all too human lives. It is a vivid portrait of a brilliant world collapsing in a fearful time.
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The Stimulated Mind
by Tommy Wood
In The Stimulated Mind, Dr. Tommy Wood, a Formula 1 sports performance coach and neuroscientist specializing in lifelong brain health, dispels the myth that the brain is doomed to decline with age. Instead, by providing the right stimulus and building more headroom -- the amount of mental function we have available to us -- we can help our brain to adapt and develop. Dr. Wood explains that a brain that improves with age is the result of actions within our control--diet, sleep, physical activity, social connection, and stress tolerance. Driven by how we use our brains on a daily basis, these modifiable factors come together in his groundbreaking 3-S model that describes what a brain needs to thrive for a lifetime: Stimulation, Sleep, and Nutrient Supply.
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This Land Is Your Land
by Beverly Gage
Ride along with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans learn -- and fight -- about our history. From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia to Disneyland and the California dream, Gage offers a guided tour of thirteen places and thirteen key moments that define America's greatest successes and challenges. This Land Is Your Land is for everyone who wants to find that history -- to experience it and confront it, to celebrate it and condemn it -- in the places where it happened.
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To Catch a Fish
by Mark Kurlansky
From the award-winning, best-selling author of Cod and Salt, comes a collection of essays that explore a lifetime fascination with fishing. For as long as there have been humans, there have been humans trying to catch fish. The two species -- fish and man -- live in constant tension. Some of us are hard-wired for that chase. Guiding readers through the waters and into the mind of the fish, Kurlansky considers who fish are and why they behave the way they do, and along the way delves into the many approaches to catching a fish, their ecology, and the ins and outs of cooking and eating your catch. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a novice, or simply want to explore the world of fish, the essays in this collection shed new light on these creatures and our relationship to them.
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True Color
by Kory Stamper
I. H. Godlove was one of the experts Merriam-Webster hired in 1930 to help revise the dictionary to reflect a rapidly modernizing world. His fascinating life mirrors the wild and winding journey that color science, color psychology, and color production took through the twentieth century. Stamper tracks these industries as they move into the atomic age and intertwine in strange and surprising ways, spanning two world wars and involving chemical explosions, an unexpected suicide, dramatic office politics, and an extraordinary love story.
Filled with captivating facts about color words and colors themselves and fueled by Stamper’s inexhaustible curiosity, True Color will transform the way you see the world, from black-and-white to Technicolor.
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The Wage Standard
by Arindrajit Dube
The go-to guy on minimum wage tackles one of the thorniest social issues of our times -- income inequality -- from a new vantage point with field-leading economics. Painting a new picture with data, Dube shows us how wages for most workers became painfully frozen. He argues this fate was not inevitable, and more importantly, that it can be reversed. First, chances are, you deserve a raise. And second, it's not necessary to fix the broken politics of Washington, DC, in order to get one. Political will, public engagement, and persistence can set a new standard to reset the labor market and improve the lives of American workers starting today. In fact, signs of progress are already offering a glimpse of what a fairer economy can and will look like.
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The Westerners
by Megan Kate Nelson
From award-winning historian Megan Kate Nelson, an epic account of the creation of the American West in the 19th century, shattering the traditional frontier myth that has dominated popular American culture. Nelson's vivid, eye-opening account centers on seven extraordinary individuals whose lives capture the true history of the frontier: Sacajawea, Jim Beckwourth, María Gertrudis Barceló, Ovando Hollister, Little Wolf, Canadian Ella Watson, and the Polly Bemis. Nelson roots this bold new history of the American West in the deep research and gripping storytelling that have garnered her critical acclaim. Highlighting the perseverance and ingenuity of the communities that have otherwise been forgotten or erased from history, The Westerners challenges us to reimagine who we are and where we came from.
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What Mattered Most
by Ty Herndon
An intimate, often hilarious but always sincere memoir from country legend Ty Herndon on his struggles with addiction, mental health, his career, relationships, and being the first openly gay male country superstar. Read by the author.
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What to Make of a Life
by Jim Collins
Jim Collins, international bestselling author of Good to Great, offers transformative lessons on constructing -- and reconstructing -- a life through the cliff moments and transitions we all will face repeatedly in our lives. Surprising, story-driven, deeply researched, and uplifting, What to Make of a Life is a book like no other, convincingly showing how a richly fulfilled life is within reach of us all.
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A Wheelie Awkward Romance
by Tess Campbell
Tess wasn't searching for love-but she still found it in Corby, a man with a power chair, dad jokes, and a heart as golden as his wit. Their unlikely connection becomes a wildly funny, refreshingly honest journey of love, growth, and self-acceptance. Together they prove that love isn't about perfection-it's about showing up, being seen, and rolling with life's surprises.
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When the Forest Breathes
by Suzanne Simard
The author of Finding the Mother Tree and scientist who pioneered the concept of sophisticated communication between trees, Suzanne Simard now offers a powerful vision for saving our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, Simard examines how human interventions endanger new growth and longevity. If we honor the tools that trees have honed for sharing intergenerational wisdom, she argues, we can protect these sacred places for many years to come. As she considers how older living things facilitate the conditions for new growth to flourish, Simard faces parallel rhythms of loss and regeneration in her own life. Animated by wonder for our forests, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community.
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