Best non-fiction books of 2024: True crime, fandom and the dangers of nostalgia

This year’s line-up of non-fiction releases was certainly eclectic: from productivity guides that eschew hustle culture clichés to fascinating literary and social histories, and even a deep dive into how the humble crisp became our go-to savoury snack.

A great non-fiction read has the power to challenge our assumption and change our perspective on the world. It might cause you to question your ingrained behaviour or forge unexpected connections.

Here’s our guide to the must-read non-fiction of 2024. Even if you normally prefer to curl up with a novel or memoir, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

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10 Rillington Place remains one of London’s most notorious addresses, and the horrifying story of serial killer John Reginald Christie – who hid the bodies of six women inside and in the garden of this unassuming Notting Hill flat – has been told again and again in books, films and TV shows. Kate Summerscale, the bestselling author behind The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, manages to shine new light on this well-known case, using her novelistic approach to true crime and re-telling the story from the perspectives of two very different writers caught up in the sensationalism of the case. Her book doesn’t shy away from probing questions. Why does our fascination with grisly true crime never seem to abate? And, crucially, why are some men compelled to kill women?(Bloomsbury)

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In the summer of 1983, novelist Barbara Kingsolver, who’s since gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize, was spending her weekends picking up work as a freelance reporter. She was commissioned to write about Phelps Dodge copper mine strike in Arizona, and ended up spending a year getting to know the women who’d congregated at the picket line. Holding the Line tells their fascinating stories. It was first published in the United States in 1989, but somehow only just made it across the Atlantic to the UK in 2024. It’s a fascinating companion piece for Kingsolver’s socially conscious novels. (Faber)

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Earlier this year, a veritable who’s who of modelling donned their angel wings and lacy lingerie for the first Victoria’s Secret fashion show since 2018. During that six year hiatus, the American underwear label had been hit by a string of controversies – and its place in the modern fashion landscape remains contested. In Selling Sexy, Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez explore the history of a brand that started out as a humble catalogue company before carving out a hyper-specific, hyper-feminine image of womanhood – all bouncy curls and impossible body standards –  through its fashion shows. (Henry Holt)

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The books that we devour as young readers leave a mark on us; they tend to colour our imaginations far more vividly than those we tackle as adults. Surely I can’t be the only one who can sometimes barely sum up the plot of something I read a month ago, but could easily recall the intricacies of a story I read at primary school. Sam Leith’s The Haunted Wood is a wonderful journey through (mostly) British children’s literature, exploring the motifs and myths that crop up over and over, and sketching the often sad lives of writers who have brought so much joy. (Oneworld)

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Ever wondered why coffee shops across the world have the same aesthetic hallmarks: the exposed brick, the words written in neon hanging from said brick walls, the leafy houseplants? Or why every Airbnb rental you enter seems to have identical furniture and artwork? In Filterworld, Kyle Chayka explores how digital algorithms have come to shape the look and feel of the real world – as well as how they anticipate our wants and mould our behaviour, creating a consumer culture where conformity and sameness is king. Warning: this may make you want to throw your phone in the nearest river (or at least, make you be a little more wary of clicking “accept cookies” next time you’re online). (Bonnier)

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Olivia Laing started restoring a walled garden in their Suffolk home in 2020, which was the first outdoor space that they could truly call their own. In The Garden Against Time, Laing weaves memories of this renovation project, a joyful respite from the uncertainties of the pandemic, with a wider exploration of gardens past and present, real and imagined. Laing’s non-fiction is always rich, lyrical and absorbing, and this is no exception. (Pan Macmillan)

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Writer Lucia Osborne-Crowley was one of only a handful of reporters who attended every day of Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 trial in New York, which eventually saw Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand woman convicted of five counts of sex trafficking of minors. In The Lasting Harm, she shares her account of the case, speaking to victims and also weaving in her own experience and perspective as a survivor of sexual abuse. The result is a blazing book that puts the criminal justice system under the microscope, and questions whether it’s fit for purpose for survivors. (Fourth Estate)

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Can you ever separate the art from the artist? It’s a conversation that many of us have had to grapple with, not least in the wake of the MeToo movement. Poet and writer Vanessa Kisuule grew up as a Michael Jackson super-fan – and it’s a preoccupation that has certainly given her pause in recent years. In Neverland, she explores what it means to love the music of a deeply dubious cultural figure, questioning what makes us fall into the trap of hero worship in the first place. (Canongate)

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A book about crisps – what’s not to like? Journalist Natalie Whittle delves into the history of the salty snacks, exploring how these golden slices of deep fried potato became the nation’s favourite savoury treat. It’s packed with offbeat anecdotes and trivia, from the origins of “ready salted” to the advent of more niche (and since discontinued) flavours, and is sprinkled with a healthy dose of nostalgia, as Whittle lovingly recalls the crisps that shaped her childhood (and probably yours too). Delicious. (Faber)

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Do you find that your working week tends to fly by in a whirlwind of constant meetings, firing off Slack messages, volleying emails to and fro and “just circling back”? If you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed by an onslaught of “busywork” that gets in the way of your actual job, Cal Newport’s call to arms against pseudo-productivity is a must-read. Newport, who previously coined the term “deep work” in his 2012 book of the same title, puts our collective obsession with busyness in context and advocates for a slower, more meaningful approach to our to-do lists. (Penguin)

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Smarter provides another refreshingly straightforward antidote to hustle culture. PR agency founder and entrepreneur Emily Austen doesn’t advocate for 5am start and fancy stationery; she isn’t about weird wellness techniques or pushing yourself to the point of burnout either. Instead, she lays out a 10 step plan to reframe your thinking, make better habits and carve out a consistent approach to work-life balance. Her book is full of useful exercises and prompts that will leave you feeling energised and genuinely excited about your working life. (Piatkus)

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John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the 1667 poem which charts Adam and Eve’s fall from grace and paints Satan as a remarkably compelling anti-hero, is surely one of the most influential works of English literature. In What In Me Is Dark, Orlando Reade examines the epic’s roots in radical thought and traces its remarkable afterlives, exploring its impact on philosophers, politicians and fellow poets. Few literary works have inspired such disparate interpretations and readings, and Reade makes a convincing case for Paradise Lost’s enduring legacy.  (Jonathan Cape)

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Back in the 17th century, nostalgia was thought to be an illness that could kill you. These days, it crops up everywhere from Facebook groups filled with boomers discussing what it was like to have “proper binmen” to adverts and political campaigns. Historian Agnes Arnold-Forster explores this slippery concept, looking at why we’re so obsessed with looking back through a rose-tinted lens, and why so many of us feel homesick for an idealised past that might have never even existed. (Picador)

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At the start of the 2010s, teenage mental health took a nosedive around the world. In one of the most talked-about books of the year, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the rise of smartphones and social media is behind this worrying trend, exploring what he calls the “great rewiring” of childhood, where hanging out face to face with friends has been replaced by increased screen time. He paints a worrying picture – and his conclusions have proved controversial in some quarters – but as debates over teenage smartphone use continue to rage, it’s well worth a read. (Allen Lane)

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