Recs if you like The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women...

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.

microhistory: the intensive historical investigation of a well defined smaller unit of research (such as an event, community, individual or a settlement); it aspires to "ask large questions in small places"

medical nonfiction written like the most engaging action novels that will expand your knowledge without pain let me know if i should add anything here!

Nonfiction books to explore your morbid curiosity. Topics include death, pathogens, the paranormal, and more.

Check out my list horror nonfiction for books about horror media.

These are some of my favorites and books I want to read--nonfiction that reads like fiction or is otherwise compelling. If you're intimidated by books on history, science, memoir, or other subgenres in nonfiction, start here.

books where workplaces or locations are not compliant with osha standards or they become not compliant with osha standards during the events of the book disclaimer: whether or not these are actual osha violations is unknown but they are osha violations in my heart please don't arrest me mister us government

If we are going to do Qwordy's the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 3.0 - we should probably get some Pagebound badges along the way! I'm specifically going to be adding books from Quests and readalongs that go past the July start date and match at least one of these title prompts: Periodic Table, Familial Terms, Rainbow of Words (also Joseph's coat), Numerical Titles, Titular Counting 5+, Pun in the Title, and First & Last Name in the Title. Recommendations welcome!

Books in this list are in at least two quests. Thus helping to earn more badges. Books will span different genres. Once I scan through all the quests, I plan to further organize the list. I am thinking of creating a seperate list and moving the books with three or more quests to the new list and keeping the two badge books in this list. Are there other ways you would organize a list this big?

Accessible non-fiction titles that are a good intro to the genre—suggestions always welcome! As an added bonus, most of the audiobooks are also great 🎧

For when you want something more ominous, macabre, or mysterious in taste that also centers on a deeply specific subject. Ranging from the occult to the supernatural to just plain weird and interesting. Expand your knowledge by reading these narrow glimpses into the past.

reading is political.

recs welcome!

history you probably didn't learn in school

Nonfiction about strange, outlandish, and/or macabre subjects (books that make you more or less go “wtf?!”)

Niche nonfiction books that dads are still likely to enjoy that either 1) are not military history at all or 2) a niche area of a war that is not military history

Qwordy's Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 3.0 Periodic Table Titles Prompt You must find five books that use a different element of the periodic table in the title of the book This is an on going list and always open for recommendations

Nonfiction that'll blow your mind, especially if you grew up in the North American School System. Get ready to learn!

A juicy lineup of books about corporate chaos; where billion-dollar companies make extremely questionable decisions and somehow think no-one will notice them. From scandals and cover-ups these books spill the beans on what really happens behind the scenes.

List is a work in progress!

Nonfiction about macabre and taboo subjects