This Week in Nonfiction: The Class of 6.24.25
New nonfiction just dropped. One says do less, one wore a cape, one packed snacks for a retro road trip—and a surprising number want to talk about sex.
It’s another Pub Day—meet the class of 6.24.25:
There are 19 nonfiction titles on my list today—but as much as I wish I could, I can’t read them all!
The ones at the top of my watchlist are The Brain at Rest (because doing nothing is apparently good for me), Agents of Change and Super Visible (badass women, different missions), It’s Only Drowning (that title pulled me in), and The Great American Retro Road Trip (nostalgia, served roadside).
Vote in the poll below and help me choose which one to start with!
Keep scrolling for the full nonfiction class of 6.25.24—grouped by vibe, sorted for your sanity. (^ Where noted, visit the author’s Substack page).
Big Ideas & Self-Work
Not your average “fix yourself” books—these go deeper.
Get Out of Your Own Way: 10 Steps to Unlock Your True Potential by Alex Goldie
Go One More: Find the Clarity to Make Intentional, Life-Changing Choices by Nick Bare
The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life by Joseph Jebelli, PhD
Truth Medicine: Healing and Living Authentically Through Psychedelic Psychotherapy by Michael Ryoshin Sapiro
Bodies, Power & Reproductive Freedom
Raw, bold, and deeply necessary reads about who gets control and why it matters.
Access: Inside the Abortion Underground and the Sixty-Year Battle for Reproductive Freedom by Rebecca Grant
No Holes Barred: A Dual Manifesto of Sexual Exploration and Power by Weezywtf
Sex Magic: Take Your Body, Mind, and Relationship to the Next Level with Spectacular Intimacy by Laura Berman, PhD
The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future by Carter Sherman
No Woman Left Behind: A Journey of Hope to Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth by Kate Grant
True Crime
Some truths are too dark to ignore.
Down to the Bone: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest for Justice by Caitlin Rother
Women Making History
Trailblazers, rule-breakers, and quiet warriors rewriting history.
Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA by
^Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics by Margaret Stohl
Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics by Carol Moseley Braun
Memoir & Personal Stories
Real lives, real messiness, and hard-earned lessons.
How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir by Steve Grove ^
It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Pursuit of Common Ground by David Litt ^
Pop Culture, Food & Travel
From country hits to road trip kitsch—these reads celebrate what we savor.
Songs of Nashville: The Real Stories Behind Country Music's Greatest Hits by Jake Brown
The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside Americana by
^The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found by Michael Shaikh
V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup
Missed a week? You can find all the past Pub Day posts right here.
Happy Reading!
Jaymi the OC Book Girl
P.S. I got tired of forgetting what I wanted to read—so I made a tracker. It’s free, printable, and designed for the thoughtful nonfiction reader. Try it out and tell me what you think!
600+ NEW nonfiction books for 2025. If you want to see what’s caught my eye (and maybe preorder a few for yourself), it’s all right here.
You just keep pumping out the good recs!!
Steve Grove's memoir caught my eye and on my TBR list now. Thanks.