If you haven’t taken a look at any of the more recent nonfiction releases, here are a few that were published within the last year that are worth a read. You just might find one that’s even better than fiction.

You can check out any of these notable nonfiction titles from the JMRL catalog:

The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life by Sarah L. Kaufman – A culture writer and dance critic describes how to see elegance and grace in the everyday, finding examples in the most unlikely of places, from the bustling kitchen of a high-end restaurant to strippers in a basement go-go bar.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan – Describes the author’s experiences as a lifelong surfer, from his early years in Honolulu through his culturally sophisticated pursuits of perfect waves in some of the world’s most exotic locales.

Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson – A highly personal meditation on race, sex and American culture by the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic traces her upbringing and education in upper-class African-American circles against a backdrop of the Civil Rights era and its contradictory aftermath.

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman – Revealing the untold story of the father of Asperger’s syndrome, a landmark book reveals the secret history of autism, finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared, and provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle.

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson – A poet, critic and nonfiction author explores the possibilities and limitations of romance, love, desire and sexual identity by exploring her own relationship with a fluidly-gendered artist, Harry Dodge.

On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks – Recounts the author’s life and career, sharing his experiences as a neurologist in the early 1960s, his obsession with motorcycles and speed, and finding a long-forgotten illness in the wards of a New York chronic hospital.

The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hopper – Not merely a selection of two decades of Hopper’s most engaging, thoughtful, and humorous writing, this book documents the last 20 years of American music making and the shifting landscape of music consumption.