best of 2025: nonfiction

 A few notes before I begin:

- I read much less nonfiction than fiction, so this list only has five titles.

- This list is in random order, but I did make note of my favorite.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. You'll Never Believe Me by Kari Ferrell:  The author gained notoriety for being the "Hipster Grifter" (who I'd somehow never heard of despite being terminally online), committing check fraud, lying her way into (and out of) a job at Vice, and spending time in prison.  It's no surprise that Cat Marnell has a blurb on the front cover, because like Cat's book, I read it feeling like I should despise the author but I very much didn't.  It's a funny and acerbic book that's perfect for Orange Is the New Black fans.

2. Sweet Nothings by Sarah Perry:  I have a sweet tooth and I loved the author's previous book, so I was excited to read this.  It's a wonderful exploration of different kinds of candy mixed in with associated memories and highlighted by simple but evocative illustrations.  Just a heads up that not everything in this book is lighthearted; the author talks about a chronic vaginal infection and her mother's murder, for example.  I wasn't bothered, but I figured I'd mention it for those expecting a strictly sweet read.  My favorite nonfiction book of the year.

3. Care and Feeding by Laurie Woolever:  An absorbing and funny memoir about the author's time working in the food industry with superstars like Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain.

4. The Tell by Amy Griffin:  The author felt like she had it all, but chronic pain and a comment by her daughter led her to try microdosing.  She recovered memories of sexual assault and began the arduous path to healing. Raw and vulnerable, but be warned that the description of the abuse she suffered is absolutely horrifying and very graphic.

Side note: since I first read this book, there have been some allegations about its veracity.  If it is proven that the author lied, I'll remove this from my list.  (I will excuse some artistic license for nonessential things, or changing details to protect someone's privacy or avoid a lawsuit, but not outright lying about the assault.)

5. Murderland by Caroline Fraser:  A look into why so many serial killers were rampant in the Pacific Northwest during the 70s and 80s.  The author won a Pulitzer for a previous book about Laura Ingalls Wilder (quite the topic switch!), so it's more scholarly and less lurid than most true crime books.  It's also fascinating.