Don’t panic (or celebrate) just yet, but summer is on its way.
That means it’s time to start assembling the stacks of books that will keep you company, whether it’s on the beach, poolside, or in your armchair with the air conditioner being put through its paces.
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Plenty of readers turn to fiction to while away the time, and if that’s the case for you, we’ve got you covered with recent lists of mysteries and thrillers, romances, horror novels, debut novels, and short story collections.
But sometimes you want to dive deep into a work of nonfiction, whether it’s about history, music, food, sports, or more. Read on to discover 20 recently published or forthcoming nonfiction books to pick up at your local library or indie bookstore.
Out Now
“No New York: A Memoir of No Wave and the Women Who Shaped the Scene” by Adele Bertei (Beacon Press)
Los Angeles musician, actor, and director Bertei is one of the most recognizable names associated with No Wave, the late-1970s music and art movement that spawned the compilation album “No New York,” produced by Brian Eno. In her new book, she writes about the women — Nan Goldin, Kiki Smith, Lizzie Borden, and more — that made the scene so important to modern culture.
“Dog Days” by Emily LaBarge (Transit Books)
From indispensable California indie press Transit Books comes this mix of memoir and criticism from author LaBarge, who recounts the trauma she endured when she and her family were held hostage by six men while on vacation on an island during the Christmas season.
“Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness” by Ashanté M. Reese (W.W. Norton & Company)
In her new book, anthropologist Reese dives into the topic of food justice — the idea that we need to work to make sure the food system is equitable. She writes about the ways Black communities gather around food and make sure that everyone is fed.
“The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy” by Steven J. Ross (Bloomsbury)
University of Southern California professor Ross was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 2017 book “Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America.” His latest tells the story of three men who infiltrated antisemitic hate groups in the years following World War II.
“The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts” by Leander Schaerlaeckens (Viking)
Soccer fans don’t have to wait long for the World Cup to commence all around North America (including L.A.). They can still bide their time with this chronicle of the United States men’s team from 1990 — when soccer began to rise in popularity in the U.S. — to today, when the nation’s eyes will be focused on the USMNT.
“Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000” by Barry Walters (Viking)
In his new book, Walters, who has written about LGBTQ+ people and culture for decades, traces queer music from art-rock pioneers the Velvet Underground to recent times, making note of musicians including David Bowie and the Indigo Girls.
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June 2
“The Dog’s Gaze: A Visual History” by Thomas W. Laqueur (Penguin Press)
Dogs have been man’s best friend for thousands of years, and artists have always taken note. This new book from the University of California, Berkeley history professor emeritus Lauquer takes a look at the significance of canines in visual art, and what it says about both dogs and humans.
“Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess” by Ben Mezrich (Grand Central)
From the author of “The Accidental Billionaires,” which was adapted into Aaron Sorkin’s film “The Social Network,” comes a story about drama in the rarefied world of chess. The book follows the controversy surrounding teenage chess whiz Hans Niemann, who was accused of cheating after beating world champion Magnus Carlsen in a 2022 match.
“Decoding the Devil: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb” by Sarah Valentine (Harper)
In the years after WWII, the American government hired 100 Black women cryptologists to decode and read Soviet documents — the women were segregated and underpaid, but their work eventually led to the end of the Cold War. Valentine, who has taught at UCLA and UC Riverside, tells their story in this new book.
“Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival” by Justine van der Leun (Ecco)
Journalist van der Leun’s new book, which she researched for seven years, tells the story of three women — the victims of abuse in childhood and adulthood — who had to kill to survive, and who were incarcerated for their actions.
June 9
“The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria’s Romance Scammers” by Carlos Barragán (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Journalist Barragán was inspired to write his book after his mother began emailing with a good-looking American soldier, who turned out to be a scammer from Nigeria. He went to the country to learn about the poverty-stricken young men who catfish the lonely-hearted online.
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“The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice” by Devlin Barrett (Simon & Schuster)
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Barrett’s latest book explains how President Donald Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice to get revenge against his political opponents, and how the changes he’s made to the department could be repaired.
“The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss” by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris (W.W. Norton & Company)
Macfarlane and Morris, who teamed previously for “The Lost Words: A Spell Book,” return with a new kind of field guide for those dedicated to our avian friends. Readers will learn to identify almost 50 endangered birds, but also what their habitats, songs, and more mean for us as a species.
June 16
“Monster of a Land: On the Road in Search of Modern America” by Lauren Hough (Pantheon)
Hough scored a bestseller with her 2021 essay collection “Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing.” She follows that up with her account of her John Steinbeck-inspired journey across America in a 2001 Dodge van with her beloved dog Woody at her side.
“Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time” by Brad Ryan (Simon & Schuster)
Sometimes you need a break from the bad news. You’ll find it here in veterinarian and conservationist Ryan’s book, which tells the true story of his seven-year journey to visit every U.S. national park with his Appalachian-raised grandmother.
June 23
“The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars” by Isaac Butler (Bloomsbury)
Journalist, historian, and director Butler won a National Book Critics Circle Award for “The Method,” his book about Konstantin Stanislavski’s famed acting techniques. His latest book tells the story of the censorship of art and the assault against the National Endowment for the Arts in the late 20th century.
July 7
“Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks” by Angelica Glass (Riverhead Books)
Glass, who spent decades as a social worker in California, started walking as a way to relieve stress from her job. Later, she decided to walk every street in Santa Cruz County, which helped her connect with the natural world and come to terms with her past — this book is her account of her incredible journey.
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July 14
“Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef” by Nephi Craig (Penguin Press)
White Mountain Apache and Diné chef Craig almost went to prison when he was 18, but got probation instead, and decided to turn his life around and enter culinary school — now he’s the executive chef of Café Gozhóó in Whiteriver, Arizona. His book tells the story of his career in food and his attempts to beat his substance use disorder.
July 21
“The Biggest Lie: The Prehistory of American Fascism, 1818-1915” by Joseph Kelly (Bloomsbury)
Many Americans in the 1930s were horrified when homegrown fascists, spurred by figures like Father Charles Coughlin, Fritz Kuhn, and Virgil Effinger, started marching in the streets. Kelly’s book argues that the history of fascism in the U.S. actually goes back to the years before the Civil War, when Southern planters argued that slavery would disappear without government intervention.
July 28
“Biological War: A Scenario” by Annie Jacobsen (Dutton)
L.A. author Jacobsen terrified readers with her book “Nuclear War: A Scenario,” in which she examined what might happen in the first minutes after the launch of a nuclear missile. Her new book takes a look at how the world would change in the period after a large-scale biological attack.