Chelsey's 2025 Nonfiction Summer Reading Guide

For when you want to read about cadaver science at the beach

In any given year I end up reading about half fiction, half nonfiction. I don’t try to do this; it’s just what happens. What that means is that I read a lot of nonfiction! I’ve shared some of my favorite in other posts (see my Book Roundups page), but I wanted this to be a list of books I haven’t mentioned before. These weren’t necessarily all 5-star reads for me, but they were at least 4-star, and I think they’re perfect for summer reading.

If nonfiction isn’t your thing, check out my 2025 Fiction Summer Reading Guide!

Stories that seem too crazy to be true

These books read like fiction with characters that seem pulled from the latest summer blockbuster.

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton

I’ve seen this one on several lists recently and I know why! I didn’t know anything about this story…