New non-fiction books for March
by Brandon King
Take a look at our latest non-fiction titles for March 2024, including zen wisdom for difficult times and a memoir by RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen.
Looking for something new to read? Browse our recommendations.
Why We Remember, by Charan Ranganath
A radical reexamination of memory by pioneering neuroscientist and internationally-renowned memory researcher, Charan Ranganath. We talk about memory as a record of the past, but here's a surprising twist: we aren't supposed toremember everything. In fact, we're designed to forget. Over the course of twenty-five years, Charan Ranganath has studied the flawed, incomplete and purposefully inaccurate nature of memory to findthat our brains haven't evolved to keep a comprehensive record of events, but to extract the information needed to guide our futures. Using fascinating case studies and testimonies, 'Why We Remember' unveils the principles behind what and why we forget and shines new light on the silent, pervasive influence of memory on how we learn, heal and make decisions.
The Rising Down, by Alexandra Harris
When Alexandra Harris returned to her childhood home of West Sussex, she realised that she barely knew the place at all. As she probed beneath the surface, excavating layers of archival records and everyday objects, bringing a lifetime's reading to bear on the place where she started, hundreds of unexpected stories and hypnotic voices emerged from the area's past. Who has stood here, she asks; what did they see?
From the painter John Constable and the modernist writer Ford Madox Ford to the lost local women who left little trace, these electrifying encounters inspired her to imagine lives that seemed distant, yet were deeply connected through their shared landscape. By focusing on one small patch of England, Harris finds 'a World in a Grain of Sand' and opens vast new horizons, becoming our intimate companion as we travel on visionary journeys through space and time.
Learning to Think, by Tracy King
Put yourself in Tracy King's shoes. Growing up in an ordinary council estate outside Birmingham; a house filled with creativity, curiosity and love, but marked by her father's alcoholism and her mother's agoraphobia. By the time she turns twelve her father has been killed, her sister taken into care and her mother ensnared by the promises of born-again Christianity. This isn't the stuff of cult documentaries; this is the story of an ordinary family trapped in a broken system. It's a story that could happen to anyone without the tools to transform their circumstances. And it's the story of how Tracy found her way out.
When Things Don't Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times, by Haemin Sunim
What if moments of great difficulty are, in fact, opportunities for growth and self-discovery? What if they can serve as stepping stones to greater things in life? Modern life doesn't always go our way. Loss, rejection, uncertainty, and loneliness are unavoidable parts of the human experience - but there is solace to be found. In 'When Things Don't Go Your Way', Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim provides simple but powerful wisdom for navigating life's challenges. Through his trademark combination of illustrations, insightful stories, and contemplative aphorisms, Sunim helps us reframe our mindsets and develop emotional agility.
Borrow When Things Don't Go Your Way →
The Long and Winding Road, by Lesley Pearse
Lesley Pearse didn't publish her first novel until she was 48. Now she has sold over ten million books around the world and is a constant presence on the bestseller chart. A writer of heart-stopping stories, Lesley's books are filled with heroines struggling to make it in a difficult world. Yet this description could apply to Lesley herself. In this, her first ever autobiography, she tells of growing up in an orphanage after her mother's death, her racy twenties in London during the swinging sixties and working as a bunny girl and dressmaker. Packed full of Lesley's signature warmth, wit and poignancy, this is the story of a woman and a writer fighting against the odds to achieve her dreams.
Borrow The Long and Winding Road →
The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir, by RuPaul
A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity, 'The House of Hidden Meanings' is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. Central to RuPaul's success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world's largest television franchises, RuPaul's ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and super mogul. Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, RuPaul makes himself truly known. Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breath taking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography.
Borrow The House of Hidden Meanings →
Cloistered: My Years as a Nun, by Catherine Coldstream
Here is a memoir of twelve years as a contemplative nun in a silent monastery. 'Cloistered' takes the reader deep into the hidden world of a traditional Carmelite monastery as it approaches the third Millennium and tells the story of an intense personal journey into and out of an enclosed life of poverty, chastity and obedience. Finding an apparently perfect world at Akenside Priory, and a haven after the loss of her father, Catherine Coldstream trusts herself to a group of twenty silent women, believing she is trusting herself to God. As the beauty and mystery of an ancient way of life enfolds her, she surrenders herself wholly to its power, only to find that all is not as it seems behind the Order's closed doors.
Hildasay to Home: How I Found a Family by Walking the UK's Coastline, by Christian Lewis
Since his time on Hildasay, Chris's adventure has only gotten wilder. No one was more surprised than Chris when, in November 2020, he had an unlikely encounter with fellow adventurer Kate. The two turned out to be kindred spirits and Kate made the bold decision to join Chris on the walk of a lifetime. Day in, day out, as they trekked the coastline down from Scotland together, their relationship grew, and soon the couple were thrown in at the deep end when their first child - baby Magnus - arrived. But, away from Scotland, Chris's struggles with mental health returned. Several times Chris was attacked by groups of youths because of his unruly appearance, and as a result he became more and more anxious and withdrawn. Through injuries and setbacks, with Jet the dog ageing and baby Magnus growing by the day, the adventurous family of four had to find their feet and come together to complete this epic challenge.
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI, by Madhumita Murgia
A riveting and revealing exploration of the world created by computer algorithms and its impact on individuals, from the workers across the globe who feed artificial intelligence systems with data to the impact of algorithms on our own behaviour, as consumers and citizens.
The Menopause Brain: The New Science Empowering Women to Navigate Midlife with Knowledge and Confidence, by Dr Lisa Mosconi
Menopause and perimenopause are still baffling to most doctors, leaving patients exasperated as they grapple with symptoms ranging from hot flashes to insomnia to brain fog. As a leading neuroscientist and women's brain health specialist, Dr Mosconi unravels these mysteries by revealing how menopause doesn't just impact the ovaries - it's a hormonal show in which the brain takes centre stage. The decline of the hormone estrogen during menopause influences everything from body temperature to mood to memory, potentially paving the way for cognitive decline later in life.
To conquer these challenges successfully, Mosconi brings us the latest approaches - explaining the role of cutting-edge hormone replacement therapies like 'designer estrogens,' hormonal contraception and key lifestyle changes encompassing diet, exercise, and self-care.
Lobster: And Other Things I'm Learning to Love, by Hollie McNish
As people, we are capable of both love and hate; amazement and disgust; fun and misery. So why do we live in a world that is constantly telling us to hate, both ourselves and others? We are told constantly to be repulsed by our own bodies, bodies that let us laugh and sweat and eat toast, amongst other activities; to be ashamed of pleasure; to be embarrassed by fun. In this brand-new collection, Hollie McNish brings her inimitable style to the question of what have been taught to hate, and if we might learn to love again.
The Book Forger: The True Story of a Literary Crime That Fooled the World, by Joseph Hone
London, 1932. Thomas James Wise is the toast of the literary establishment. A prominent collector and businessman, he is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for unearthing the most stunning first editions and bringing them to market. Pompous and fearsome, with friends in high places, he is one of the most powerful men in the field of rare books. One night, two young booksellers - one a dishevelled former communist, the other a martini-swilling fan of detective stories - stumble upon a strange discrepancy. It will lead them to suspect Wise and his books are not all they seem.
Inspired by the vogue for Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, the pair harness the latest developments in forensic analysis to crack the case, but find its extent is greater than they ever could have imagined. By the time they are done, their investigation will have rocked the book world to its core.