The Most Anticipated Nonfiction of 2026, According to All the Lists

The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026 (The New York Times)

The New York Times published its running list of the buzziest nonfiction of the year, including A Hymn to Life by Giséle Pelicot, The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams, and On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward. This is one to save and check in on throughout the year.

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Here Are the Nonfiction Books You Need to Read in 2026 (BookBub)

Here’s one for the lovers of a hidden gem. While a bit short, BookBub’s list includes a number of under-the-radar titles, like The Sea Captain’s Wife by Tilar J. Mazzeo, Winter: The Story of a Season by Val McDermid, and The Power of Real Optimism by Deepika Chopra.

Adult Books for Spring 2026 (Publisher’s Weekly)

Publisher’s Weekly includes several nonfiction lists, dividing them by genre. I love that they include a Cooking & Food list, featuring must-have titles like A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior by Crystal Wahpepah and Lebanon: Cooking the Foods of My Homeland by Anissa Helou.

January 2026 Nonfiction Releases by Publisher’s Lunch (via Bookshop.org)

This easily browsable list features a lot of unique titles that other lists don’t always pick up on. I especially love to see A Black Queer History of the United States by C. Riley Snorton, When It’s Darkness on the Delta by W. Ralph Eubanks, and Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

The Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books of 2026 (Barnes & Noble)

Barnes & Noble is a highlight reel of titles that (mostly) features big names everyone will be talking about, like Patrick Radden Keefe, Cher, Michael Pollan, and Lena Dunham. If you’re looking to see which titles that are getting a lot of marketing dollars will be hitting the bestsellers list, this list will give you a good idea of what’s ahead for 2026.

Most anticipated nonfiction of 2026 (BookPage)

Adult Braces by Lindy West, How Flowers Made Our World by David George Haskell, Light and Thread by Han Kang (translated by Maya West) make this list one of the most delightful eclectic lists of the bunch. While you may have already heard of some of these titles, there’s sure to be one title you may have missed.

You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.