So you think you hate nonfiction
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 🎧
created by Smilepal
last updated August, 2026
Comments
No no noooo ! Don't make me like non fiction, or my tbr will get even more impossibly looooong !! /j
I think Radden Keefe's Say Nothing would also be good to add here too! tbh I think in Say Nothing he does a bit better at intertwining all the stories/tangents than he does in London Falling.
also The Innocent Man by John Grisham - I've never read any of his thrillers, but I really like his non-fiction work!
SmilepalOP
Thank you!!
np! i could probably rec more but i would probably end up dominating the list with just true crime stuff 🤭
Hi! May I ask which of the audiobooks you’d recommend from this list? 🤗
Absolutely! I listened to Cultish, the Wager, and London Falling as audiobooks and they were really good. I didn't listen to Anthropocine Reviewed, Everything is Tuberculosis and I'm Glad my Mom Died but I've heard other people recommend them! Say Nothing is probably pretty good too, because I think it's the same narrator as London Falling. Haven't heard anything about Fuzz, The Innocent Man, or Radium Girl's narration. I tend to prefer audiobook for non-fiction because I love listening to it at work, or while I'm doing chores, and always happy to share recs! :)
Ooh thank you! I want to read most of these so I might just get audiobooks for them all. Starting with London Falling, the author narrates it himself which I love 🤭
Edit: I also think Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann would be a great addition to this list! It’s what got me into non-fiction 😺
Ooo thanks!! Always happy to add more to the list (and to my own tbr 😍💕)—London falling was great! I ended up listening almost straight through, and it reminded me of one of those high budget Netflix crime documentaries. Definitely a case of “real life is weirder than fiction”
I already got the audiobook and it sounds great 🤭🤭 Listening to a good audiobook makes chores less tedious, now I can’t walk my dog for more than 30 minutes if the book I’m listening to is not working for me. So thanks again for the recs!
Anytime!! And thank you for the recs too 🥰💕💕—can’t wait to hear your thoughts on them
Why Fish Don’t Exist would be a great addition here!
I think the Light Eaters might be a good fit for this list 🙂↕️
If you're looking for suggestions, I thought Into Thin Air was a good introduction to nonfiction (at least for me personally)! Such a horrific story that many times I felt like it couldn't NOT be fiction (it unfortunately is a true story though)
I think Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou could be a good fit here, for those who also were totally locked in on the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos story. Also, I think Educated by Tara Westover is a really good memoir that most would enjoy.
SmilepalOP
Oooo thank you!! Those are both some great choices :)
I think Hidden Valley Road would be a good addition to this already excellent list!
SmilepalOP
Aaaa awesome rec! And thank you 🥰❤️
SmilepalOP
Thank you all for those recs! I'll add them now ❤️🥰
