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Nonfiction Books That Read Like Fiction (Reddit 2025)

In February 2025, on the Reddit sub r/suggestmeabook someone posted a call for "Non fiction books that read like fiction. I love reading nonfiction books, but hate when they feel like I'm reading a textbook. I love mystery, history, health, autobiographies, and anything else you throw at me! Please send me your recs!"
And the sub provided. This is a list of the responses- deduped and curated to only include nonfiction - as classified. The variety of opinions and recommendations is what makes this a great list.
I did not include books: where someone said "anything by" a specific author; an entire series; or an author was not given and I could not reasonably verify.
If I missed anything else, I apologize, I'm human and I make mistakes and things could have been added since I looked at the list.
I see many new books to add to my list! Enjoy!
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367 users · 9,130 views
 
from reddit.com · made by Peggy
avg. score: 24 of 465 (5%)
required scores: 1, 7, 15, 25, 40 

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The Year of Living Biblically (A.J. Jacobs)
The Year of Living Biblically
1
A.J. Jacobs
Outwitting History (Aaron Lansky)
Outwitting History
2
Aaron Lansky
Challenger (Adam Higginbotham)
Challenger
3
Adam Higginbotham
Midnight in Chernobyl (Adam Higginbotham)
Midnight in Chernobyl
4
Adam Higginbotham
American Midnight (Adam Hochschild)
American Midnight
5
Adam Hochschild
Bury the Chains (Adam Hochschild)
Bury the Chains
6
Adam Hochschild
To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 (Adam Hochschild)
To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918
7
Adam Hochschild
The Frontiersman (Alan Eckert)
The Frontiersman
8
Alan Eckert
The Blue Nile (Alan Moorehead)
The Blue Nile
9
Alan Moorehead
A Life Discarded (Alexander Masters)
A Life Discarded
10
Alexander Masters
Endurance (Alfred Lansing)
Endurance
11
Alfred Lansing
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East (Amanda Podany)
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East
12
Amanda Podany
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA (Amaryllis Fox)
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA
13
Amaryllis Fox
Arrangements in Blue (Amy Key)
Arrangements in Blue
14
Amy Key
Yes Please (Amy Poehler)
Yes Please
15
Amy Poehler
The Earth Moved (Amy Stewart)
The Earth Moved
16
Amy Stewart
Open (Andre Agassi)
Open
17
Andre Agassi
Ranger Confidential (Andrea Lankford)
Ranger Confidential
18
Andrea Lankford
The Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)
The Invention of Nature
19
Andrea Wulf
Too Big to Fail (Andrew Sorkin)
Too Big to Fail
20
Andrew Sorkin
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers (Andy Greenberg)
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers
21
Andy Greenberg
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency (Andy Greenberg)
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency
22
Andy Greenberg
Denali's Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak (Andy Hall)
Denali's Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak
23
Andy Hall
In Deep: How I Survived Gangs, Heroin, and Prison to Become a Chicago Violence Interrupter (Angalia Bianca and Linda Beckstrom)
In Deep: How I Survived Gangs, Heroin, and Prison to Become a Chicago Violence Interrupter
24
Angalia Bianca and Linda Beckstrom
The Lion Children (Angus McNeice)
The Lion Children
25
Angus McNeice
There Is No Ethan (Anna Akbari)
There Is No Ethan
26
Anna Akbari
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Anne Fadiman)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
27
Anne Fadiman
Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
Diary of a Young Girl
28
Anne Frank
Yale Needs Women (Anne Gardiner Perkins)
Yale Needs Women
29
Anne Gardiner Perkins
Nuclear War: A Scenario (Annie Jacobsen)
Nuclear War: A Scenario
30
Annie Jacobsen
Marie Antoinette (Antonia Fraser)
Marie Antoinette
31
Antonia Fraser
Royal Charles: Charles II and the Restoration (Antonia Fraser)
Royal Charles: Charles II and the Restoration
32
Antonia Fraser
Berlin-The Downfall 1945 (Antony Beevor)
Berlin-The Downfall 1945
33
Antony Beevor
Stalingrad (Antony Beevor)
Stalingrad
34
Antony Beevor
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
35
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Running With Scissors (Augusten Burroughs)
Running With Scissors
36
Augusten Burroughs
What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator (Barbara Butcher)
What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator
37
Barbara Butcher
Nothing to Envy (Barbara Demick)
Nothing to Envy
38
Barbara Demick
Nickel and Dimed (Barbara Ehrenreich)
Nickel and Dimed
39
Barbara Ehrenreich
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt (Barbara Mertz)
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
40
Barbara Mertz
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