*New & Notable Adult Nonfiction - May Highlights*

Published this month and new to the collection

Updated May 20, 2026
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Backtalker: An American Memoir
Crenshaw, Kimberle Williams
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller One of the most influential public intellectuals in the world and the architect of the two biggest ideas to reshape the American conversation about fairness offers the intimate story of how her life gave birth to these ideas. ...
Ghost Stories: A Memoir
Hustvedt, Siri
Paper Book
A searing memoir of love and grief centered around the loss of Siri Hustvedt's husband, Paul Auster. "Genuinely moving...Hustvedt's book is like Didion's [The Year of Magical Thinking] in tone...a grainy and resonant book about loneliness, despair, and confusion. It's...
Mother Tongue: A Memoir
Novic, Sara
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of True Biz retraces her path out of the hearing world and into the deaf community--and seeks to understand what it means to raise children who are different from her--in this emotionally rich memoir. "In this enraging history and...
This Dark Night: Emily Bronte, a Life
Lutz, Deborah
Paper Book
Emily Brontë (1818-1848) was only twenty-seven-years old when she began work on one of the most important novels in the English language. Two years later in 1847, she completed Wuthering Heights. It took the world almost a century to catch up to Brontë's masterpiece, and it has taken even longer...
This Is Me: A Reckoning
Panettiere, Hayden
Paper Book
Heroes and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere reclaims her story in a remarkably candid memoir.  Hayden Panettiere's career in entertainment began before she was old enough to walk. From early commercials to film and television roles in hits...
True crime : a memoir
Cornwell, Patricia Daniels
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestseller! #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell finally tells the story that rivals all of the works that precede it: her own. "Let's start, and end, with this: Patricia...
The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel: Romanovs, Revolutionaries, and the Forgotten Titan Who Fueled the World
Brunt, Douglas
Paper Book
From the author of the New York Times bestselling The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel comes the enthralling hidden history of one of the world's most successful business titans, a rival to the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds, whose legacy was erased in the aftermath of the Russian...
The Land and Its People: Essays
Sedaris, David
Paper Book
In this new collection, David Sedaris reflects on what it means to be a foreigner, a brother, a lifelong friend, in essays that are "among the best of his career" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). "A welcome return to form for the much-awarded and much...
A Bird's IQ: Innovation, Intelligence, and Problem Solving in the Avian World
Lefebvre, Louis
Paper Book
"This book is a gem, witty, entertaining, insightful, and deeply informative--a must-read for anyone interested in birds or brains." JENNIFER ACKERMAN, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, What an Owl Knows, and The Bird Way ...
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being
Zomorodi, Manoush
Paper Book
"A compelling, necessary and hopeful read for our busy, burned out, overwhelming and tech-addicted times. This book will make you want to move!" ―Brigid Schulte, New York Times bestselling author of Over Work From award-winning journalist and host of NPR...
Dead Bees Still Sting: Tales of Life at the Edge of Nature
Cormier, Susan
For readers of Raising Hare and How to Catch a Mole comes a poetic exploration of life at the precarious edge of nature and human settlement. "I loved every gorgeously-written and surprising page."--Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus<...
Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter
Tyson, Neil DeGrasse
America's favorite astrophysicist has written the most entertaining and universally appealing book of his stellar career: a practical guide for dealing with Alien visitors, an exploration of how it might happen, and a cultural history of our fascination with extraterrestrials. ...
AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter
Tyrangiel, Josh
In contrast to the wave of noisy polemics around AI, AI For Good explores how, in practice, it can actually improve our lives and tells the stories of everyday citizens at the forefront of this new "AI entrepreneurship." AI is often framed as a force of radical...
I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything
Stern, Joanna
Paper Book
What happens when artificial intelligence moves into your home, drives your car, and starts making your decisions Wall Street Journal senior tech columnist Joanna Stern surrendered her life to artificial intelligence for one year. The results are both hilarious and alarming. ...
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Schur, Michael
New York Times bestselling authors Mike Schur and Joe Posnanski travel the world in a hilarious and heartwarming celebration of fans and the things they love: baseball, basketball, chess, darts, football, futbol, Indigenous North American stickball, pickleball, WWE, Taylor Swift,...
Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
Epstein, David
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Fascinating stories. . . . Boxing ourselves in may be the ultimate way to think outside the box." --Wall Street Journal "I thought David Epstein's first two books were brilliant, but Inside the Box is his best. I'll never...
On Witness and Respair: Essays
Ward, Jesmyn
Paper Book
The collected creative nonfiction of a singular American writer, Jesmyn Ward, including widely shared classics, three never-before-published speeches, and an introductory essay. Respair (noun, obsolete), fresh hope after despair. From the two-time National...
A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World--And How It Can Save Us
Feiler, Bruce
Paper Book
One of our great decoders of human connection chronicles the astonishing rise of new rituals around the world--and offers a road map for restoring togetherness with gatherings you'll love Since time immemorial, humans have turned to ritual to connect us in periods of change....
The Power of Belonging : How a Compassionate Mindset Unleashes Joy and Connection
Negi, Lobsang Tenzin
Rooted in modern science and Buddhist meditative tradition, Engaged Compassion presents a seven-step path to lasting wellbeing through CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion Training), from the creator of the program developed at Emory University's Center for Contemplative Science and...
Signals: The Hidden Power and Secret Language of Hormones
Hameed, Saira
"Signals is a special book, ... [an] utterly fascinating guide to who you are and how you work. It's compassionate, humane and grounded in the author's deep clinical experience. A true gift." ―Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People In the tradition...
Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity--One Step at a Time
Conley, Courtney
NATIONAL BESTSELLER! Discover the new rules of walking to increase your health, longevity, and overall wellbeing--from two go-to experts.  "A surprisingly interesting, thought-provoking, and practical read. Walk is about much more...
Art from the Garden: Create 25 Beautiful Botanical Projects
Michaels, Kerry
Paper Book
Bring the beauty of your surroundings into your home through 25 tasteful art projects featured in the gorgeous creative guide.​ Art from the Garden is your guide to creating works of art with materials from nature and your own backyard. Learn how to...

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