I’m pleased to share what I consider the most promising, must-read nonfiction titles scheduled for release in December 2024. These titles make up our first group of nominees for Season 26 of the Next Big Idea Club.
Our Next Big Idea Club curators—Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink—will narrow the list down to a handful of finalists and, ultimately, two official season selections.
Authors will also be invited to create a “Book Bite”, a short audio self-recording that features five key insights from their book. Imagine chatting with a stranger while waiting in line at the supermarket—only that person just happened to write a fascinating nonfiction book.
And now, the December 2024 titles are…
Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health
By Kathy Willis
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A ground-breaking investigation into newly discovered evidence showing that remarkable things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses connect with the natural world. View on Amazon
Main Street Millionaire: How to Make Extraordinary Wealth Buying Ordinary Businesses
By Codie Sanchez
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
Rich people know a secret. In this book, former Wall Street investor Codie Sanchez pulls back the curtain. View on Amazon
The Cure for Women: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Challenge to Victorian Medicine That Changed Women’s Lives Forever
By Lydia Reeder
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
How Victorian male doctors used false science to argue that women were unfit for anything but motherhood―and the brilliant doctor who defied them. View on Amazon
Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human
By Guy Leschziner
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
Leschziner explores the underlying nature of the seven deadly sins, their neuroscientific and psychological basis, and their origin in our genes. View on Amazon
CABIN: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman
By Patrick Hutchison
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A memoir of Hutchison’s journey from an office job to restoring a cabin in the Pacific Northwest, based on his wildly popular Outside Magazine piece. View on Amazon
Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman
By Callum Robinson
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A captivating literary memoir, immersing readers in the life of a Scottish carpenter as he perfects his craft, builds a business, and reflects on what inheritance and shared responsibility really mean. View on Amazon
Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God
By Catherine Nixey
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A biography of the many, diverse variations of Jesus who thrived in early Christian traditions—and how they were killed off until just one “true” Christ survived. View on Amazon
Sleep Drink Breathe: Simple Daily Habits for Profound Long-Term Health
By Michael Breus
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
From The Sleep Doctor, a simple, affordable, and scientifically proven strategy to lower inflammation, balance your hormones, and lose weight by mastering the three basic pillars of health. View on Amazon
When We Sold God’s Eye: Diamonds, Murder, and a Clash of Worlds in the Amazon
By Alex Cuadros
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
The unbelievable true story of the Cinta Larga, a tribe first contacted by Westerners in the 1960s, who came to run an illegal diamond mine in the depths of the Amazon. View on Amazon
Pay the People!: Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America
By John Driscoll & Morris Pearl
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
From an unlikely source, a compelling argument that when workers are paid fairly, everyone, including businesses, benefits. View on Amazon
Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know
By Mark Lilla
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A dazzling exploration of our wish to remain innocent and ignorant―and its consequences. View on Amazon
The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong
By John Powell
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
A framework for building cohesion and solidarity between disparate beliefs and backgrounds. Bridging is more than a discrete list of actions to follow―it’s a mindset we can develop to help us foster belonging and connection. View on Amazon
Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive
By Eliot Stein
Publication Date: December 10, 2024
A vivid look at 10 astonishing people who are maintaining some of the world’s oldest and rarest cultural traditions. View on Amazon
You Don’t Need a Budget: Stop Worrying about Debt, Spend without Shame, and Manage Money with Ease
By Dana Miranda
Publication Date: December 24, 2024
A simple, no‑stress guide to managing money—free of the toxic messages and shame baked into traditional personal finance advice. View on Amazon
Lost & Found: 9 life-changing lessons about stuff from someone who lost everything
By Helen Chandler-Wilde
Publication Date: December 31, 2024
Combining personal experience, expert opinion and self-help advice, Lost & Found explains why we buy and keep the things we do, and how we can live a less cluttered life. View on Amazon
Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
By Olivia Campbell
Publication Date: December 31, 2024
The extraordinary true story of four women pioneers in physics during World War II and their daring escape out of Nazi Germany. View on Amazon
The Art of Danish Living: How the World’s Happiest People Find Joy at Work
By Meik Wiking
Publication Date: December 31, 2024
A beautiful, research-backed guide on how to work like the happiest people in the world, the Danes. View on Amazon
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