As autumn arrives, your thirst for knowledge grows stronger than ever. As a Lifelong Learner, you know that rainy days are best spent with a good book that will teach you something new.
Our collection of new release books for Lifelong Learners includes biographies, essays, memoirs, self-help books and titles about art, science, business and even microbiology. Check out our hand-picked guide to this season's best nonfiction new releases to see which titles you should add to your TBR. Stay curious. Stay informed!
New Nonfiction Books October 2026
Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited
by Tracy Daugherty
A biography of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Cormac McCarthy, from Tracy Daugherty, the New York Times bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist biography Larry McMurtry: A Life.
Cormac McCarthy is hailed as one of America's greatest novelists. In his body of work, the nation's story is told in incomparably vivid shades of violence, greed, and love. And yet, most of his personal story has been largely untold--until now.
Early in life, McCarthy chose to devote himself almost exclusively to his literary pursuits. Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited movingly details what this choice cost him in his family relationships, his marriages, and his friendships. Mentally and physically restless, often solitary and yet gregarious and charming, McCarthy lived as wildly, complexly, and close to the bone as any of his characters, journeying often to remote locations, communing deeply with the natural world, and traversing intricate emotional and psychological terrain. In his novels, he reported wisdom hard-learned through harsh experience and intense observation.
With precision and grace, Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited recounts his story from poverty to riches, obscurity to worldwide acclaim, and unveils the man behind the myth in a must-read biography for both lifelong fans and new McCarthy readers alike.
Earthrise: Inside Artemis II, the Groundbreaking Human Mission Into Deep Space (Original)
by John Larsen - Jeremy Hansen - Chris Hadfield
The dramatic, high-stakes account of Artemis II, the first human journey into deep space in 50 years, told from the perspective of astronaut Jeremy Hansen
The historic Artemis II mission was celebrated around the world and broke the record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from Earth. Jeremy Hansen and his crew mates viewed parts of the moon never before seen by human eyes, journeyed a total of 700,237 miles, took the next step in space travel--and won the hearts of everyone back home on Earth in the process. Now, Earthrise gives readers a passenger-seat view into the daring deep-space journey and the long years of intense training, grit, and perseverance Hansen needed to prepare for lift-off and fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut.
A riveting and intimate account of the iconic achievement of Artemis II, Earthrise--written by author John Larsen and based on extensive interviews he conducted with Hansen--is a testament to what can be achieved with unity, teamwork, and a bold belief in humanity's ability to reach for the stars.
Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes
by Lindsey Fitzharris
The untold story of the Edinburgh doctor who became Arthur Conan Doyle's model for Sherlock Holmes, and his adventures in the criminal underworld of Victorian Britain.
Throughout nineteenth-century Edinburgh, the surgeon Joseph Bell was known for his extraordinary talent for detection and diagnosis. To the amazement of onlookers at the Royal Infirmary, he could read a patient's ailments, occupation, and personal habits from a single glance. Though such deductive powers were all quite "elementary" to Bell, they had a profound influence on the medical student and budding writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Soon enough, Bell's methods helped spark the creation of fiction's most iconic detective.
Since Sherlock Holmes first appeared in 1887, he has become a global phenomenon. Yet the man Conan Doyle credited as Sherlock's prototype has slipped into the shadows. In Sleuth-Hound, the New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris brings Bell center stage, recounting how his work took him from ward to witness box as a medical detective probing murder and misdeeds. He worked closely and covertly with the police surgeon Henry Duncan Littlejohn and a pioneering ballistics expert named Dr. Watson, and even collaborated with Conan Doyle to overturn a homicide conviction. Bell's forensic investigations took him from gaslit alleyways to Gilded Age drawing rooms, put him on the trail of poisoners and child killers, and even drew him into the hunt for Jack the Ripper.
By scrutinizing a scratch on a desk, a trace of cigar ash, or the slightest peculiarity of a man's gait, Bell could turn the smallest clues into revelations. His sharp mind forever changed the way we read bodies, detect crimes, and serve justice.
The Collision: What AI Does to Us
by Eric C So
AI promises effortless solutions and endless capacity. But the collision of human intelligence and machine intelligence has also started to create two diverging groups: those who use AI to think better and those who use AI instead of thinking. What if the accessibility of a tool this fast, creative, and smart is eroding our ability to think for ourselves?
Through lucid storytelling and cutting-edge research, including his own widely discussed work and examples from workers across industries who are struggling and succeeding with AI, MIT professor Eric C. So reveals the science behind the way AI is reshaping our brains--and offers practical guidance for wielding these powerful tools without letting our minds atrophy: Value the struggle of human effort. Know who you are without AI. Reinvest the cognitive surplus AI creates. Treat AI as a cognitive trainer, not a replacement.
Rich with takeaways for professionals, parents, and everyone trying to understand AI's perils and promise, The Collision is an essential guide for using AI without losing yourself.
The God Notes: How Sound Creates the World
by Lynne McTaggart
From the author who proved our intentions shape our reality, an awe-inspiring scientific detective story revealing the mysteries of sound--impacting everything within and around us, from our cells and brains to other living things, our relationships and even the cosmos.
Specific sounds create major effects on the human mind and body, and there are both "good" sounds (or "God notes") capable of instantly transporting human beings into an altered state, or healing all manner of illness, and "bad notes" (such as from seismic rumblings, container ships, solar flares or wind turbines), causing distress or illness.
The God Notes takes readers through a mind-expanding and paradigm-busting scientific detective story of the universe as one intergalactic sonic superorganism, revealing that
- Rhythm, vibration and sound are responsible for many molecular functions in the body, from chemical reactions and nervous system messengering to the activity of proteins and collective brain activity.
- Plants can "hear"; certain sounds help them grow and also ward off predators.
- The sun, the planets, pulsars and even black holes emit rhythmic sounds now thought to contribute to the growth of entire galaxies and to have a profound effect on life on earth.
- A hidden "musical score," based on the work of the British mathematical code-buster Alan Turing, underpins every part of our vibrating universe, a vast physical patterning across all natural phenomena.
The God Notes is first book to explain just how the sounds around us and the sounds we make affect our lives, and the tools it offers can bring peace, balance, and harmony into our lives.
The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World
by Nathaniel Philbrick
A New York Times Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 - A Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Fall
National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower, reveals how California's Gold Rush forged the modern United States--and lit the long fuse to civil war
In January 1848, a carpenter spotted flecks of gold in a shallow stream at Sutter's Mill in California, triggering the greatest voluntary migration in U.S. history, as hundreds of thousands raced west in pursuit of sudden wealth, reinvention, and power. From the feverish gold-mining camps of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the wharves and vigilance committees of San Francisco, Nathaniel Philbrick renders a combustible, all-world society: Chilean brothers reinventing themselves to outrun prejudice; Native communities navigating dispossession and violence; the merchant-showman Samuel Brannan, drawn into the center of early vigilantism; and the politicians vying for control of California's future--the ambitious Free-Soil political boss David Broderick, who squared off against William Gwin, the Southern power broker intent on tilting the state toward slavery and the Confederacy.
In The Rush, Nathaniel Philbrick transforms the Gold Rush from a tale of sudden riches into the origin story of America's modern contradictions--capital consolidated at dizzying speed, democracy in thrall to private power, xenophobia weaponized in the name of liberty--and a stubborn belief in the American experiment that refuses to die. This is the story of a nation tearing at the seams and a republic tested by its own ideals. Not until ayear after the outbreak of the Civil War, when President Lincoln signed legislation that would unite the nation east to west by building a transcontinental railroad, was California's loyalty secured.
Philbrick follows the gold as it moves from riverbed to countinghouse to the halls of power, revealing how vigilantism hardened into law and how debates over slavery in the West tipped the balance in Washington. The result is a clear, human story of how a scramble for wealth reshaped ideas of freedom, labor, and belonging--and how California's rise helped push a fractured nation toward war. The Rush is alive with characters whose choices still reverberate: a searing, panoramic epic that captures both the fury and the promise of America.
The Sea-King and the Sorceress: Life and Death in the Viking Age
by Neil Price
From the acclaimed author of Children of Ash and Elm, an intimate, continent-spanning human journey through the Viking world.
"[Price] has a talent for visual reconstruction; it's like being with him on these digs, watching as ancient secrets are revealed. Nearly every page brings a surprise, sometimes disturbing, often moving, always profound."―Times (UK)
For centuries, Vikings have been stereotyped as brutish and violent pillagers. But now, based on the latest archaeological research, preeminent scholar Neil Price reveals the true diversity and individuality of the Viking Age.
From an arctic hunter to a woman of Persian ancestry; from a Sámi nomad to a bear endowed with personhood; from Viking raiders to Rus' river traders; from sorceresses to shape-shifters; from immigrants to diplomats; from followers of many gods, to the worshippers of one; from settlers to farmers--as we meet all these and many more, Price enlists the full range of modern archaeological knowledge to reconstruct Norse lives in personal detail, presenting a new and complex image of the Viking Age. Taking the reader from Greenland to Greece and across three centuries, Price demonstrates that Vikings--in all of their heterogeneity--were both surprisingly similar to us today, and also thrillingly strange.
Densely peopled, beautifully rendered, and impressively wide-reaching, The Sea-King and the Sorceress sheds a light on the realities of life in the Viking diaspora.
Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth's Greatest Carnivore
by Riley Black
From the author of the beloved The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, an imaginative celebration of T. rex from hatching to adulthood
Tyrannosaurus rex is a prehistoric celebrity. Exceeding 40 feet in length and weighing over 9 tons, the largest individuals of this dinosaurian species were intimidating predators capable of crushing bone and consuming more than a hundred pounds of flesh in a bite. But the last of the tyrant dinosaurs had a life beyond ripping and tearing. More than 66 million years ago, T. rex courted each other, nested, watched over their offspring, slept, drank, and explored ancient floodplains inhabited by a fantastic cast of impressive dinosaurs like the huge long-neck Alamosaurus and burly, three-horned Torosaurus. For the first time, the life story of this impressive, sensitive predator is told as if you were there to watch it unfold.
In her latest prehistoric nature walk, bestselling and award-winning author Riley Black follows the life of plucky T. rex Snaggletooth from the time she hatches through her tumultuous adulthood. The prehistoric forest Snag emerges into is full of danger, and yet, as Riley bases Snaggletooth's life on the latest scientific discoveries, the carnivorous dinosaur survives to play, court, fight, sleep, nest, and more as she grows up in Cretaceous North America. She tussles with rival tyrannosaurs, hunts for delectable prey, and finds soft moments of connection in the forest. Even the most die-hard dinosaur fan will come away with a new perspective and appreciation for the Tyrant Lizard Queen.
Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World
by Adam Grant
#1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant illuminates the surprising science of chemistry and closeness
When we vibe with other people, it fuels our happiness and success. Yet building meaningful ties is one of the most pressing problems of our time. As face-to-face interaction gives way to digital screens, communication gets outsourced to AI, and the world becomes more polarized, our loneliness crisis shows no signs of slowing.
To reveal how we can forge faster, stronger, and longer bonds, Adam Grant offers groundbreaking studies, expert insights, and myth-busting stories. Filled with the eye-opening takeaways that have brought millions of readers to his books, Vibe teaches us that similarity is not necessary for solidarity, chemistry doesn't always happen quickly, and closeness doesn't always take time.
Along the way, Grant introduces us to a crew of astronauts who learned to trust people they don't like, a comedy troupe that swears by taking time apart as a key to staying together, a band that grew closer by learning to fight more, and a journalist who designed a gathering that led to seventy-eight marriages. He also opens up about his personal struggles to find his place as a shy introvert and the lessons that propelled his transformation into an enthusiastic convener. Through these examples and more, Grant uncovers the keys to creating deeper relationships and tighter communities.
Vibe will change how you interact with people. No matter how good you are at connecting, you can always get better--and help others get better too.
Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand
by Tania Lombrozo
An insightful look at the science of explanation, using psychology, philosophy, and stories to reveal surprising truths about how we make sense of ourselves and the world
Humans are explanation-seeking creatures. We wonder why there's traffic, why a friend behaved a certain way, why the sky is blue, and--in moments of existential reflection-- why we are here. Over the last twenty-five years, renowned cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo has turned this explanation-seeking tendency back on itself to ask: Why do humans explain? What does explanation do for us? And, most important, how can we do it better?
In Why We Ask Why, Lombrozo takes readers on a journey into the depths of explanation, exploring the role that this fundamental cognitive process plays for each of us as we engage with others and the world around us. She reveals what makes some explanations more satisfying than others, why we seek simpler explanations (and whether we should), how explanations drive learning, and the role of explanations in creating meaning and igniting change. Along the way, she provides crucial tools to refine the craft of explanation--for ourselves, for others, and to build a better world.
Through scientific studies and lively stories, we come to appreciate that explanations aren't simply facts that describe the past--they're also mental acts that decide the future. Astute, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, Why We Ask Why is a book that offers explanations for questions you didn't even know you had.
September Nonfiction New Releases
The Art and Craft of Stephen King: The Story Behind Every Novel, Novella, and Short Story
by Guy Astic - Frank LaFond
The first complete, in-depth examination of every work published by the "King of Horror," Stephen King.
Stephen King is perhaps the most well-known author across horror, thriller, science fiction, and mystery genres, with more than 350 million books sold. Stephen King All the Stories examines in extensive detail how each novel, novella, and short story was created, developed, published, and adapted into successful films television and other media. At 648 pages, Stephen King All the Stories is filled with the most popular titles like Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and Carrie as well as the lesser-known ones like Joyland and Revival.
This illustrated account contains more than 300 photographs that complement King's journey from a Maine high school teacher and part-time writer to a literary giant, gifted in crafting haunting atmospheres that elevated horror as a genre.
The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out
by Lindsay Crouse
"Sometimes the most powerful way forward is knowing when to let go. In The Case for Quitting, Lindsay shows us how." -- Allyson Felix, most-decorated Olympic track & field athlete in history
"Required reading for anyone feeling trapped by the pressure to push through." -- Annie Duke, bestselling author of Quit and Thinking In Bets
In a world that prizes persistence, acclaimed journalist Lindsay Crouse offers a radical strategy for getting what we want: Quit.
We live in a society that champions perseverance, sweat, and tenacity no matter the cost. But what if our relentlessness results in failure, sunken costs, and poor health, rather than success, happiness, and vitality?
An endurance athlete and 15-year veteran of the New York Times, Crouse explores stories from across our lives--work, relationships, and broader goals--to argue that when perseverance turns against us, quitting isn't just a way out. Often, it's the first step to something better. A pivot. A break. A chance to go further--or be free.
She delves into the science of perseverance versus walking away from aspects of our lives, and relays a diverse blend of compelling personal stories, historical examples, and psychological insights--from the origins of the self-help genre to Bear Bryant's "hell camp" to the Finnish concept of sisu, resilience--to answer such questions as:
- When is it time to let go of unproductive efforts?
- How does quitting make new opportunities?
- When are relationships growing and when are they just a dangerous rut?
For anyone at a crossroads in their personal or professional lives, The Case for Quitting is a groundbreaking guide that ruptures our core beliefs. Career seekers, athletes, entrepreneurs, and anyone exploring new opportunities or feeling stuck in unproductive routines will appreciate its insights on the courage and strategy involved in quitting.
Hawking: His Life and Work
by Graham Farmelo
The authorized biography of a brilliant theoretical physicist and science communicator, featuring revelations from never-before-seen personal records, by an award-winning writer and biographer
"Deeply researched, unfailingly honest, and accessibly written for readers who are not scientists ... I warmly recommend it." -- Kip Thorne, emeritus professor at Caltech and Nobel Laureate in Physics
"When one is faced with the possibility of early death, it makes one realise that life is worth living." -- Stephen Hawking
An insatiable curiosity and appreciation for life powered Stephen Hawking to the furthest reaches of the universe and human achievement: during his remarkable lifetime he shed light on many of the mysteries of black holes and made key contributions to our understanding of the beginnings of the universe, all while captivating the world and selling more than twenty-five million copies of A Brief History of Time.
A brilliant theoretical physicist, Hawking lived one of the most extraordinary lives of the past century. And yet none of this should have been possible. Diagnosed with ALS at age 21, he was given only a few years to live--and spent the next 55 showing what can be achieved despite near-hopeless odds.
Drawing on his parents' previously unseen letters and diaries, and exclusive interviews with Stephen's family, friends, and closest colleagues, Costa Award-winning biographer and physicist Graham Farmelo reveals the complex man behind the theories and global celebrity--and the resilience, fortitude and support that enabled him to defy his life-limiting diagnosis.
Vividly told and rigorously researched, Hawking is the definitive portrait of an exceptional man and an extraordinary intellect.
Living with Freddie: How a Dog Taught Me to Be Human
by Anna Heyward
An extraordinary memoir about learning to see the world through a dog's eyes, by a New Yorker writer and animal behavior expert
"Part memoir, part animal science, Living with Freddie joins such triumphs as My Dog Tulip that seem to be about dogs but manage to be deep, incisive, and sometimes heartbreaking portraits of the people who are devoted to them." -- Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief
When Anna Heyward adopted Freddie, a rescued Italian greyhound, she was thrilled to bring a dog into her life. But Freddie, she quickly realized, had severe separation anxiety, unable to be left alone for more than 30 seconds without crying uncontrollably or injuring himself.
Some would have given him back, but Anna dedicated her life to entering the mind of her dog, putting her relationship, social life, and job at risk. As Anna observed Freddie's behavior, she began to experience the world as he did, and she changed--but not in the way you might expect.
Living with Freddie is a meditation on what it means to be bad or good, on how much we can--or should--try to alter another being's behavior, and what is possible to know about another mind. But at its heart, this is a beautiful, heart-wrenching portrait of the relationship between a human and a dog. And at the end of Freddie's story, you, too, may find yourself changed.
Off the Top of My Head: Stories from the Operating Room That Will Make You Laugh (or Cry)
by Barbara Lazio
Inside every skull is a story of heart, humanity--and the occasional hairball.
You might think brain surgery is all cool precision and high-stakes drama. Sometimes it is. But more often, it's a gritty, smelly, surprisingly absurd job--one that involves titanium screws, tumors the size of grapefruits, and moments so human they'll break your heart or make you snort with laughter behind your surgical mask. In Off the Top of My Head, Dr. Barbara Lazio peels back the sterile curtain of the operating room and shares the unexpected stories that come with a life spent elbows-deep in the human brain.
With warmth, wit, and a scalpel-sharp eye for detail, Dr. Lazio invites readers into her world--where mortality is never far away, but neither is meaning, connection, or the occasional gallows-humored joke.
Inside, you'll find:
- Gripping behind-the-scenes moments from the OR--equal parts miraculous and messy
- Memorable patients facing the unimaginable with courage, humor, and grace
- A rare glimpse into the emotional life of a neurosurgeon
- Unexpected levity in the face of death, grief, and the unknown
Whether she's rebuilding a shattered skull or laughing through tears with a family on the edge of loss, Dr. Lazio reminds us that behind every dramatic headline or surgical success is something deeply, beautifully human.
Off the Top of My Head is a book for anyone who wonders what really happens when the brain--and life--hangs in the balance.
Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body
by Andrew D Huberman
Andrew Huberman, host of the world's leading health and science podcast Huberman Lab, and neuroscientist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine, presents an essential guide to improving brain function, enhancing mood and energy, optimizing bodily health and physical performance, and rewiring your nervous system to learn new skills and behaviors that can positively transform your life.
The power of your physiology can be harnessed in two complementary ways: First, through a set of foundational behaviors--core practices that substantially improve your day-to-day mental and physical state. Second, through specific science-based tools you can use to overcome common challenges or achieve elevated levels of mental or physical performance. In this book, Dr. Huberman offers essential practices for both, called "protocols."
These protocols can help you unlock your brain and body's full potential across seven areas:
- Sleep
- Exercise
- Stress Control
- Nutrition
- Light
- Focus, Motivation, and Learning
- Personal Growth
For example, a simple sleep protocol includes viewing sunlight as soon as possible after waking. Another protocol uses a unique breathing pattern to reduce stress in the moment. There are also protocols for getting stronger and leaner at any age, and for allowing you to learn faster. And much more.
In his clear and engaging style, Huberman explains the science behind each protocol, then shows how they can deliver immediate, effective results. What's more, he describes how to customize them, allowing you to adapt them to your individual needs.
Drawing on decades of research--from his own work and that of the many world experts he has interviewed over the years--Dr. Huberman delivers a comprehensive and indispensable guide to improving your mental health, physical health, and performance.
Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less
by Jim Vandehei - Mike Allen - Roy Schwartz
With AI upending work and life, the founders of Axios and bestselling authors of Smart Brevity offer a one-stop survival guide to dramatically improving your life, work, and happiness.
- Toxic complexity clogs our meetings, inboxes, calendars--even in our daily habits. We can do so much more, but first we need to do less.
- Simplify shows you how. It's a step-by-step playbook for spending most of your time doing things that make you feel and perform better.
This urgent manual lets you take control of what is essential in a world where AI might simplify you out of a job. Maximize success by simplifying every aspect of your life. Ruthlessly distill what really matters to you, then clear the space to focus on what you do best.
The authors draw on lessons from founding two hot startups--Axios and Politico--and their years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies. Simplify is packed with advice from some of the world's most successful people--your handbook for eliminating dreary distractions... so you can focus on what matters.
The World Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All
by Frank Ashwood
A vivid tour into the subterranean that encourages us to look downwards, revealing how the earth's most biodiverse frontier sustains all life above the soil surface
The ground beneath us hums with a staggering abundance of winding roots, interconnecting fungal networks, wriggling creatures, and mind-blowing microbial life. This hidden ecosystem is the single most biodiverse habitat on the planet. Over half of all the Earth's species exist underfoot, where decaying matter is transformed into new life; just a handful of soil can contain an entire world. Without soil, there would be no life as we know it--and yet we rarely take the time to know the countless lives happening below.
In The World Beneath Our Feet, soil ecologist Frank Ashwood dives deep into this precious ecosystem, spanning the globe from the frozen landscape of Greenland to the black soil deposits of the Amazon and the Eurasian Steppe, while also examining the jaw-dropping evolutionary adaptations that make lives very alien from our own possible.
Unearthing soil layers one at a time, Ashwood reveals every sublayer to be a distinct macrocosm, teeming with organisms essential to our planet's wellbeing. Supported by interviews with global soil biologists, as well as his own expert research, Ashwood shows us how life at a microscopic scale impacts us all.
Powerfully illuminating the dark depths of the earth, and accompanied by the author's own up-close photography, which magnifies and reveals creatures only millimeters long, The World Beneath Our Feet opens our eyes to the hidden and wondrous world of soil--perhaps the greatest unexplored frontier on our planet.
Related Book Recommendations
For more nonfiction books, check out our top recommendations for Self-Starters, focusing on business and personal development. You may also want to check out our top picks for Lifelong Learners from Spring and Summer 2026.