Recs if you like The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl...

Niche nonfiction, aka micro-histories!

This list was a winner of the Q2 2026 Community Voting event - if you'd like to participate in the Quest, a link is pinned in the comments.

Nonfiction about macabre and taboo subjects

Books that take a look at life in 1930s era America - time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

list includes both fiction and nonfiction

“Hey do you remember [insert horrible event here]? I should read a book about that.”

Books on disasters, horrible events, and scientific blunders.

Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments!

Research material and references from the podcast. Relying heavily on lists made by others.

Nonfiction (mostly 😺) that read like fiction

This list contains 1 book from each of the 50 states (author or topic), Presidents & First Ladies, other American authors & works of note. The good, the bad, the ugly - a lot has happened in 250 years.

nonfiction books focusing on situations where humans find themselves fighting against nature (and sometimes their fellow humans) in hopes of survival

"People need to be cautious because anything built by man can be destroyed by Mother Nature." - Russel L. Honoré, retired lieutenant general of the United States Army. This list is inspired by the terrifyingly beautiful intensity of nature at its most extreme. This is the nonfiction edition of this subject. Recommendations always welcome!

Non-fiction centered around American History

Reads about the climate crisis that’s facing humanity

I own too many books