No-nonsense November
November 2025
Briefly perfectly human : making an authentic life by getting real about the end by Alua Arthur
Briefly perfectly human : making an authentic life by getting real about the end
by Alua Arthur

America's preeminent death doula shows how reframing how we think about death by imagining how we wish to spend our last days can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful life while we are still here.
How emotions are made :  the secret life of the brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
How emotions are made : the secret life of the brain
by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Outlines new theories about how the brain constructs emotions to evaluate a growing potential for revolutionizing psychology, health care, law enforcement, and modern understandings about the human mind.
Eve : how the female body shaped human evolution by Cat Bohannon
Eve : how the female body shaped human evolution
by Cat Bohannon

Learn about the female body, including how adolescent brains are going through changes and shifting hormones, in a story about how the female body gave rise to the human species and what this means for women in the future.
The Blue Zones secrets for living longer : lessons from the healthiest places on Earth by Dan Buettner
The Blue Zones secrets for living longer : lessons from the healthiest places on Earth
by Dan Buettner

Drawing on 20 years of research, a National Geographic Explorer visits places around the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives such as Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; and Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, documenting the best strategies for longevity.
Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain
Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking
by Susan Cain

Demonstrates how introverted people are misunderstood and undervalued in today's culture, charting the rise of extrovert ideology while sharing anecdotal examples to counsel readers on how to use introvert talents to adapt to various situations and empower introverted children.
Maybe you should talk to someone : a therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed by Lori Gottlieb
Maybe you should talk to someone : a therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed
by Lori Gottlieb

The national advice columnist presents a behind-the-scenes tour of a therapist's world from the perspective of both a patient and a psychotherapist who found answers in her client's journeys.
Fight right : how successful couples turn conflict into connection by Julie Schwartz Gottman
Fight right : how successful couples turn conflict into connection
by Julie Schwartz Gottman

The founders of the world-famous Love Lab discuss how even the happiest and most successful couples fight and discuss ways how to harness conflict to build stronger, healthier relationships by calming down and staying connected.
A hunter-gatherer's guide to the 21st century : evolution and the challenges of modern life by Heather E. Heying
A hunter-gatherer's guide to the 21st century : evolution and the challenges of modern life
by Heather E. Heying

"For evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, the cause of many modern woes is clear: the world is out of sync with humans' ancient brains and bodies. The authors cut through the disputes surrounding issues like sex, gender, diet, parenting, sleep, education, and more to outline a science-based worldview that will empower the reader to live a better, wiser life. They distill more than twenty years of research and first-hand accounts from the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth into straightforward principles and guidance for confronting our culture of hyper-novelty."
The book of alchemy : a creative practice for an inspired life by Suleika Jaouad
The book of alchemy : a creative practice for an inspired life
by Suleika Jaouad

Explores the transformative power of journaling, blending the author's insights with essays and prompts from 100 writers, artists, and thinkers, offering guidance to navigate life's challenges, embrace creativity, and uncover deeper self-awareness through themes of beginnings, love, loss, and renewal.
The courage to be happy : the bestselling Japanese phenomenon that gives you the freedom to create the life you desire by Ichiråo Kishimi
The courage to be happy : the bestselling Japanese phenomenon that gives you the freedom to create the life you desire
by Ichiråo Kishimi

The authors of the internationally best-selling The Courage to Be Disliked continue the conversations between a philosopher and disillusioned young man learning to apply the powerful teachings of Alfred Adler, a 19th-century psychologist, to his everyday life.
Abundance by Ezra Klein
Abundance
by Ezra Klein

A compelling exploration of how systemic scarcity in areas like housing, healthcare and climate action stems from outdated solutions emphasizes the need for a mindset shift toward abundance and proactive systems to drive transformative progress.
Shift : managing your emotions - so they don't manage you by Ethan Kross
Shift : managing your emotions - so they don't manage you
by Ethan Kross

Presents a research-backed approach to understanding emotions as valuable information rather than simple“good” or“bad” feelings, debunking myths about avoidance and mindfulness, and offering practical strategies—drawn from personal stories and scientific insights—to help readers manage emotions for improved decision-making, resilience, and health.
Mindreader : find out what people really think, what they really want, and who they really are by David J. Lieberman
Mindreader : find out what people really think, what they really want, and who they really are
by David J. Lieberman

A New York Times best-selling author and longtime consultant to the FBI, CIA and NSA takes“people reading” to a whole new level, showing readers how to apply cutting-edge methods to countless everyday situations.
The molecule of more : how a single chemical in your brain drives love, sex, and creativity-and will determine the fate of the human race by Daniel Z. Lieberman
The molecule of more : how a single chemical in your brain drives love, sex, and creativity-and will determine the fate of the human race
by Daniel Z. Lieberman

George Washington University professor and psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Georgetown University lecturer Michael E. Long present a potentially life-changing proposal: Much of human life has an unconsidered component that explains an array of behaviors previously thought to be unrelated, including why winners cheat, why geniuses often suffer with mental illness, why nearly all diets fail and why the brains of liberals and conservatives really are different.
The myth of normal : trauma, illness & healing in a toxic culture by Gabor Matâe
The myth of normal : trauma, illness & healing in a toxic culture
by Gabor Matâe

"In this revolutionary book, renowned physician Gabor Matâe eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really "normal" when it comes to health?"
Together : the healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world by Vivek Hallegere Murthy
Together : the healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world
by Vivek Hallegere Murthy

Argues that an epidemic of loneliness is a cause in the current mental wellness crisis, discussing the importance of community and offering readers strategies to connect with others.
Don't believe everything you think : why your thinking is the beginning & end of suffering by Joseph Nguyen
Don't believe everything you think : why your thinking is the beginning & end of suffering
by Joseph Nguyen

Learn how to overcome anxiety, self-doubt, and self-sabotage without needing to rely on motivation or willpower - now updated with expanded guidance and contemplative exercises to help change the way you think. In this book, you'll discover the root cause of all psychological and emotional suffering and how to achieve freedom of mind to effortlessly create the life you've always wanted to live.
Breath : the new science of a lost art by James Nestor
Breath : the new science of a lost art
by James Nestor

"No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how resilient your genes are, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Science journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong with our breathing and how to fix it.
Secrets of adulthood : simple truths for our complex lives by Gretchen Rubin
Secrets of adulthood : simple truths for our complex lives
by Gretchen Rubin

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity and happiness.
Behave : the biology of humans at our best and worst by Robert M Sapolsky
Behave : the biology of humans at our best and worst
by Robert M Sapolsky

A professor of biology and neurology at Stanford reveals what makes humans do the things they do, delving into environmental stimuli, things that trigger the nervous system, hormonal responses and how they work in conjunction with evolutionary and cultural factors.
Determined : a science of life without free will by Robert M. Sapolsky
Determined : a science of life without free will
by Robert M. Sapolsky

An acclaimed behavioral scientist tackles major arguments of free will and takes them out, navigating through the chaos and complexity of science, quantum physics and philosophy to apply a new understanding of life beyond free will to some of our most essential questions around punishment, morality and living well together.
Consilience : The Unity of Knowledge by E. O. Wilson
Consilience : The Unity of Knowledge
by E. O. Wilson

The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning expert on sociobiology and biodiversity argues for the fundamental unity of all knowledge in the face of the increasing fragmentation and specialization of knowledge over the past two centuries.
Talk : the new science of conversation and the art of being ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks
Talk : the new science of conversation and the art of being ourselves
by Alison Wood Brooks

"A groundbreaking book that reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on our relationships in work and life-from a celebrated Harvard Business School professor and leading expert on the psychology of conversation."