Nonfiction Books For Fall

It is no secret that we love to read nonfiction and today we have a list of great nonfiction books for fall.

Do you read seasonally? Are the books that you pick up in June totally different than the type of books that you pick up in October?

For me, it varies. When it comes to fiction if a book is set during the winter I like to read it during the fall or winter. If a book is set at the beach or during the summer, I usually prefer to read it during hot weather.

When it comes to nonfiction I read more true crime in the fall. I read it all year long, but I tend to read more of it during the fall.

I have found that I also read longer books this time of year. I think that is because the days grow shorter and I read more in the evenings than I do during the summer months.

During the summer I often want a quicker lighter read, but this time of year I am more likely to pick up a book that takes a little longer to read.

I also tend to read more nonfiction books about food this time of year. I think that is because I cook and bake more during the fall and winter.

This list of great nonfiction books for fall includes all of those things. It has true crime, a book about mushrooms, a couple of more historical type of books, and more.

Nonfiction Books For Fall

As always this list contains only books that we have read. There are so many great nonfiction books that we could have added to this list, but our lists only contain books that we have read and can recommend.

Killers of the Flower Moon. We love this book. It is my all time favorite book that is set in Oklahoma. It is a true crime story about the Osage Indians in Oklahoma. It is a well-written fascinating story that is so bizarre that it sounds like fiction. 

Devil In the White City. Erik Larson is a must read author for me. I love his nonfiction writing. This one is a fascinating true crime story that combines The World’s Fair, architecture, medicine, murder, detective work, famous people, and so much more.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist. Longtime readers will probably recognize this true crime book. Both my husband and I loved this one. It is a true crime book that I don’t think got the attention it deserved.

The Last Castle. Biltmore is known as the Nation’s Largest Home. The Last Castle is about Biltmore and Vanderbilt family, but it is about so much more. It has a lot of history in general.

It contains facts about presidents, Europe, the Depression, lesser-known facts about forestry and architecture in America.

Forty Autumns. This book is on the list because of the title, but it is one of my all time favorite nonfiction books.

Forty Autumns follows a family through multiple generations that lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall. There are a lot of books written about WWII, but very few books have been written about life in communist life in Eastern Europe following WWII. 

Isaacs Storm. This one seems appropriate because fall is hurricane season and this book is about a hurricane in Galveston Texas in 1900. Erik Larson does an excellent job making this storm and the history of Galveston, Texas come alive.

Canyon Dreams. This is a book about basketball and fall is football season, but basketball season comes after football season, so it seems to fit.

Okay so maybe that isn’t the best reasoning but this book came to mind when I was thinking about nonfiction books for fall. This book did not get the attention it deserved when it was released back in 2019. And fall really does seem like a good time to read books about sports. This one would make a great book for the sports fan in your life.

Friday Night Lights. This is a book about football and that makes it perfect for reading during football season. If you know anything about football and Texas then you know that they take football seriously.

The Day World Came To Town. This is a great time of year to read a book about 9/11 and this one is a great one to read. It is an inspiring story about the power of making a difference in the middle of disaster and suffering.

The Mushroom Hunters. Fall is mushroom season, at least it is in the area of the Pacific Northwest that I grew up in. I actually grew up mushroom-picking back in the 1980s when the gourmet craze was just starting to pick up. It is a hard way to make money, but I learned a lot doing it. There is nothing quite like hunting for mushrooms on a rainy, cold, fall, day in northwest Oregon.

If you have ever wondered about the world of gourmet mushrooms and where they come from you will probably enjoy this one. It is also a good book for people who love books about food and cooking.

Home Fires. When I was thinking of fall books this was one that came to mind. Honestly, I am not sure why because it doesn’t really have a fall theme. It is about WWII and the Women’s Institute in Britain during WWII.

I think this book made me think about Fall because it is about women living life during WWII while also mending fences, gardening, working outside the home, and doing jobs that the men were no longer home to do. I think it is the country life in England that makes me think of this as a good fall read.

Mayflower. I have not read this one, but Grace has. A book about the Mayflower just seems fitting for fall and November. I need to add this one to my to be read list.

American Hunter. This is an older review that Grace did, but I had to mention it because fall is hunting season in most areas. A book about hunting and the history of hunting is perfect for this time of year.