Absolutely adore your reading lists. I read The Order of Time earlier this year because you posted about it, and it finally got me into reading nonfiction! Now I’ve read 38 books this year :)
I appreciate you so much! I’m a mom using audiobooks to stay connected to my daughter when she travels and moves away to college to soothe my empty nest heart and we are LOVING this is what it sounds like! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this! There are some books here I'm really interested in. In 2026 it'll be two years since I left university and I'm hoping to start getting over the burnout. I miss learning for pleasure so much! You always show so much joy from learning and self-teaching and it's inspiring me to get back into non-fiction after a long (but needed!) break, thank you!
Fun question for you...are there any books that you would read more than once? Or, that you enjoyed more the second time you read through it?
I enjoyed reading through your recommendations and have added a few to my next reads, thanks!
Also, here are some STEAM recommendations for you!
1. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. After watching the HBO series on Chernobyl, I wanted to learn more of the details and see how accurate the show was. This book laid out the events very well and broke down Soviet Russia's attitude that eventually led to this inevitable catastrophe. I also really enjoyed the interviews that he conducted with some of the survivors. (I am seeing mixed reviews online about the accuracy, so do with that what you will).
2. An Immense World by Ed Yong. One of my guilty pleasures is a good nature documentary on the weekend narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Morgan Freeman, or Barrack Obama! This book goes through some of the amazing secrets of the animal kingdom and allows you to see how intricate nature really is. It does a good job of showing just how different us humans are. I loved it.
3. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. It has been a while since I read this book but I remember not being able to put it down in the airport. I am a sucker for a historical war movie that is dramatized for my buttery popcorn viewing. I wish I could sell it more but it is a great historical recount for WWII.
4. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. I picked this up after watching the movie in theaters (Christopher Nolan is my favorite filmmaker). It has also been a while since I read this one but I was through it pretty quick. No synopsis needed.
Hey maybe you already know this but BPD is a challenged diagnosis by some. Some say it could actually be CPTSD and that it’s a sexist diagnosis. I think the name is so misleading (its been requested to be changed many times) and harmful and that a lot would be better off addressing CPTSD, abandonment trauma, abusive behaviors, dissociation, psychosis, support system, and attachment styles instead of a whole other very confusing and hopeless diagnosis. I’ve been diagnosed with it and bipolar before that. These are heavily misdiagnosed. I don’t think I have those things and I was so hopeless reading about BPD. I am diagnosed with PTSD and could potentially be ADHD, ASD, and OCD. I am so so so skeptical of BPD. I won’t see anyone’s comment if they would like to challenge me I am sorry. The creator of DBT pretty sure they’re the one that wrote the book I’m mentioning but in the book it says that people with BPD have a stronger recall of negative memories and that it’s hard for them to remember good memories. Years later I find out that this is a general occurrence. Of course it’s about frequency and how detrimental it is right? But I think this can be attributed to PTSD and the tunnel vision and fear it puts you in on a daily basis as well as how it affects food intake, and sleep, making that even worse. I’m curious to hear more about what you discover in looking into it. It is so treacherous to have this diagnosis. The discrimination and weaponization of it is massive. I think it is so harmful to put a magnifying glass on it and separate it as a completely different diagnosis and I believe people would get more compassion and help if they had a PTSD or CPTSD diagnosis instead with features of what they consider BPD. The Reddit BPD love dones is just oh my god that destroyed me after being abused. I am so glad to not associate myself with this diagnosis it only brought me despair. Looking more into OCD, ASD, disassociative disorders, and PTSD has led me on so many more validating paths. Sad fact: the word BPD has also been censored by Instagram.
What an amazing collection Sarah! It might not be your cup of tea because it doesn't fall within the STEAM umbrella, but I would recommend a book called The Shadow Docket by Stephen Vladeck. Its about how The U.S. Supremes Court has a document separate from the merit docket, where a majority of the cases you hear on the news come from (ex. Obergefell). The Shadow Docket however are typically cases where its anonymous on who is in the majority and who dissenters. Its always existed but was made for death row cases where jt was a life or death situation. However, within the last ten years, especially post-RBG with the 6-3 majority its really increased.
You are legit the only person I trust when it comes to book recommendations like this. Thank you 💖🌈🌠
Aww thank you!! I hope you see something you like!!
Absolutely adore your reading lists. I read The Order of Time earlier this year because you posted about it, and it finally got me into reading nonfiction! Now I’ve read 38 books this year :)
Oh my god!! That’s amazing!! I’m so so happy to help :)
I appreciate you so much! I’m a mom using audiobooks to stay connected to my daughter when she travels and moves away to college to soothe my empty nest heart and we are LOVING this is what it sounds like! Thank you!
Oh my gosh! My heart!! This is so sweet and I am so happy y’all are loving it!!
What an incredible collection!!! I'm adding some to my own list x
Yesss! Happy reading!
Been meaning to read Your Brain on Art, even more so now that everyone keeps rating it so highly. Thanks for the list, gonna add even more to my TBR.
Have you read The Color of Law? One of my 5 star reads for this year.
Oh it’s such a good book! And I haven’t read The Color of Law but I just looked it up and now it’s on my TBR! Thank ya
Thanks for this list! Saving numerous for my to read list!
Yay!! Enjoy!!
oh my god what a treat🤩
☺️
My hold on Your Brain on Art became available today!!
YESSSSS!! Ugh it’s so good, I hope you love it! It’s just sooo *chefs kiss*
Thank you for sharing this! There are some books here I'm really interested in. In 2026 it'll be two years since I left university and I'm hoping to start getting over the burnout. I miss learning for pleasure so much! You always show so much joy from learning and self-teaching and it's inspiring me to get back into non-fiction after a long (but needed!) break, thank you!
Ahh!! So happy to help and I’m wishing you allll the best on your new reading adventure
Fun question for you...are there any books that you would read more than once? Or, that you enjoyed more the second time you read through it?
I enjoyed reading through your recommendations and have added a few to my next reads, thanks!
Also, here are some STEAM recommendations for you!
1. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. After watching the HBO series on Chernobyl, I wanted to learn more of the details and see how accurate the show was. This book laid out the events very well and broke down Soviet Russia's attitude that eventually led to this inevitable catastrophe. I also really enjoyed the interviews that he conducted with some of the survivors. (I am seeing mixed reviews online about the accuracy, so do with that what you will).
2. An Immense World by Ed Yong. One of my guilty pleasures is a good nature documentary on the weekend narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Morgan Freeman, or Barrack Obama! This book goes through some of the amazing secrets of the animal kingdom and allows you to see how intricate nature really is. It does a good job of showing just how different us humans are. I loved it.
3. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch. It has been a while since I read this book but I remember not being able to put it down in the airport. I am a sucker for a historical war movie that is dramatized for my buttery popcorn viewing. I wish I could sell it more but it is a great historical recount for WWII.
4. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. I picked this up after watching the movie in theaters (Christopher Nolan is my favorite filmmaker). It has also been a while since I read this one but I was through it pretty quick. No synopsis needed.
Wow! A truly amazing selection of books! Such an inspiring list.🫶🏻
Hey maybe you already know this but BPD is a challenged diagnosis by some. Some say it could actually be CPTSD and that it’s a sexist diagnosis. I think the name is so misleading (its been requested to be changed many times) and harmful and that a lot would be better off addressing CPTSD, abandonment trauma, abusive behaviors, dissociation, psychosis, support system, and attachment styles instead of a whole other very confusing and hopeless diagnosis. I’ve been diagnosed with it and bipolar before that. These are heavily misdiagnosed. I don’t think I have those things and I was so hopeless reading about BPD. I am diagnosed with PTSD and could potentially be ADHD, ASD, and OCD. I am so so so skeptical of BPD. I won’t see anyone’s comment if they would like to challenge me I am sorry. The creator of DBT pretty sure they’re the one that wrote the book I’m mentioning but in the book it says that people with BPD have a stronger recall of negative memories and that it’s hard for them to remember good memories. Years later I find out that this is a general occurrence. Of course it’s about frequency and how detrimental it is right? But I think this can be attributed to PTSD and the tunnel vision and fear it puts you in on a daily basis as well as how it affects food intake, and sleep, making that even worse. I’m curious to hear more about what you discover in looking into it. It is so treacherous to have this diagnosis. The discrimination and weaponization of it is massive. I think it is so harmful to put a magnifying glass on it and separate it as a completely different diagnosis and I believe people would get more compassion and help if they had a PTSD or CPTSD diagnosis instead with features of what they consider BPD. The Reddit BPD love dones is just oh my god that destroyed me after being abused. I am so glad to not associate myself with this diagnosis it only brought me despair. Looking more into OCD, ASD, disassociative disorders, and PTSD has led me on so many more validating paths. Sad fact: the word BPD has also been censored by Instagram.
What an amazing collection Sarah! It might not be your cup of tea because it doesn't fall within the STEAM umbrella, but I would recommend a book called The Shadow Docket by Stephen Vladeck. Its about how The U.S. Supremes Court has a document separate from the merit docket, where a majority of the cases you hear on the news come from (ex. Obergefell). The Shadow Docket however are typically cases where its anonymous on who is in the majority and who dissenters. Its always existed but was made for death row cases where jt was a life or death situation. However, within the last ten years, especially post-RBG with the 6-3 majority its really increased.
Sometimes its also called the emergency docket. So if you ever see a Supereme Court opinion not in June its probably a shadow docket case.
Hi Sarah! Is there any you suggest for physics or psychology to try out if you don’t have much starter knowledge on the subject??