A goal of mine is to read a ton more nonfiction books in 2026. And one way to do that is to know what nonfiction books are set to release this year. That is why we have curated a list of the best upcoming nonfiction books to read in 2026. Keep reading to find out which ones you need to check out!
Before 2025, I would barely read nonfiction books. While I enjoyed them, I was always more excited to read fiction books. But that changed when I read a couple of nonfiction books that were a lot better than the recent fiction books I had read.
Which made me realize that I was just not picking the right nonfiction books to read. If I had done more research to choose nonfiction books that catered to my style, I would have read a ton more nonfiction books.
And in 2025, I did just that. I added a ton of nonfiction books that caught my eye to my reading list. One way I did that was by checking the new nonfiction books releasing that year.
And it worked like I charm. I found a ton of amazing nonfiction books to read such as Waste Wars by Alexander Clapp and Born in Flames by Bench Ansfield. This year, I will be doing the same thing and have made a list of some of the best and most anticipated nonfiction books releasing in 2026. You can see the full list below!
Best Upcoming Nonfiction Books to Read in 2026
- Firestorm by Jacob Soboroff
- On Morrison by Namwali Serpell
- The People Can Fly by Joshua Bennett
- Young Man in a Hurry by Gavin Newsom
- The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca Solnit
- Cave Mountain By Benjamin Hale
- Chain of Ideas by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams
- Metropolitans by A.M. Gittlitz
- Against Breaking by Ada Limón
- The Future Is Peace by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon
- London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
- The Rolling Stones by Bob Spitz
- American Rambler by Isaac Fitzgerald
- The Land and Its People by David Sedaris
- On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward
- The Crooked Places Made Straight by Raphael G. Warnock
- Over/Under by David Bockino
- Trash! by Simon Pare-Poupart
- The Wreck of the Mentor by Eric Jay Dolin
- Catch the Devil by Pamela Colloff
- The Steps by Sylvester Stallone
Firestorm
The first book on the list is Firestorm by Jacob Soboroff and is set to release in January 2026. Soboroff is an MS NOW correspondent who grew up in the Palisades. The 2025 Los Angeles’s affected him on a personal level. And in this book, he focuses on the journalistic perspective as well as a personal one.
It can’t be easy seeing the place you grew up in being ravished by flames. This was one of the biggest stories of 2025 in the U.S. And I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to relive that while writing this book.
On Morrison
When we talk about some of the greatest living authors, you have to mention Toni Morrison. In Namwali Serpell’s latest book On Morrison, she looks are Morrison’s career and looks back at the her illustrious career. From the novel that made her famous to her other lesser known works. This book tells you everything you wanted to know about the Nobel Prize winner.
Young Man in a Hurry
While the 2028 presidential election is still a couple years away, we are seeing candidates starting to build the foundation for it. And one of the most likely candidates will be governor of California Gavin Newsom.
He is releasing a memoir titled Young Man in a Hurry in 2026 to share his story with the world. Newsom is one of the loudest critics of president Donald Trump and he is set to challenge the president on the national stage.
The Beginning Comes After the End
Speaking of politics, The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca Solnit looks at the past 65 years of social progress. One that focuses on the rise of authoritarianism as well as the dying of the old world. I love books like these that give insight that is harder to see on a day-to-day bases. But when you zoom out, the picture is a lot clear.
Cave Mountain
After reading a bunch of nonfiction books, I have realized there are a million true stories that deserve books about them. In Cave Mountain, author Benjamin Hale looks at a normal hike that went totally wrong. The disappearance of a 6-year-old girl who is Hale’s cousin leads him to a tale of a doomsday cult in the Arkansas Ozarks.
London Falling
The plot of London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe sounds more like a fiction novel than a true story. The family of 19-year-old Zac Brettler discovers his secret life of pretending to be the heir of a phony Russian oligarch after he plunges to his death.
Keefe tries to reconstructs the story of the Brettlers as they dive into the shady London underworld. They plan to find out what or who killed their son, leaving no stones unturned. Even if you aren’t a fan of nonfiction, this book is impossible to ignore.
The Rolling Stones
I know that many people like to read about their favorite celebrities and bands Luckily for them, The Rolling Stones by Bob Spitz is set to release this year. Fans of the Beatles are in for a treat as they get to read well know and little know facts about the Beatles.
American Rambler
Growing up, you couldn’t escape the tale of Johnny Appleseed. In American Rambler by Isaac Fitzgerald, we get to hear about the person became known as Johnny Appleseed. Now, we get to separate the man from the myth as Fitzgerald maps the journey of Mr. Appleseed himself.
Over/Under
It is hard to ignore how big sports betting has become in the 2020s. In Over/Under by David Bockino, we get a history lesson about sports betting. This might be one of the books I am most curious about on this list. One reason why is that Bockino boldly claims that sport betting is responsible for American sports culture.
Trash!
One of my favorite nonfiction books of 2025 ws about trash. So it is only right I read another nonfition book about trash this year. Luckily for me, Trash! by Simon Pare-Poupart is set to release later this year.
It is about a veteran Montreal trash collector in France who also has a sociology degree. The blurb makes me eager to read this novel and what he Pare-Poupart has to say about overconsumption as well as other commentary about our endless piles of trash.
Conclusion
These are some of the many best upcoming nonfiction books to read in 2026. I chose the ones that caught my eye and that I added to my reading list. The list includes a variety of books no matter what you like to read.
I want to continue my journey of reading more nonfiction books in 2026. And with a solid list of new books that pique my interest, I am sure that I will keep my streak going. Which books from this list are you most excited to read? let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
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