New On My TBR List This Month

Eight new books I came across in January

I’ll be honest: I came across at least 20 new books this month, but these are just the eight that I think are most broadly interesting. But I also recently realized that my physical TBR has gotten quite large – 35 books, which is about six months of reading. Prior to last year, I was pretty good at keeping my TBR at less than 10 books, but somewhere along the way I started expanding to a slightly stressful amount. All that said, I’m not sure when I’ll get around to buying and reading these but perhaps you’ll be able to.

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Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance

By Mark Whitaker

Published January 2018 from Simon & Schuster

I don’t recall where I found this book, but I’ve been interested in learning more about black history in America. I particularly enjoyed reading Black Detroit and this book seems like a fascinating complement, telling the story of black culture in Pittsburgh during the 1920s-1950s.

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Growing Up Human: The Evolution of Childhood

By Brenna Hassett

Published September 2022 from Bloomsbury Sigma

Anyone who has been following me for a while knows I’m fascinated by development, and especially from the perspective of evolution. I’m not sure how I missed this book when it came out, but it looks like a great read on the evolutionary science of human childhood.

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Remnants of Ancient Life: The New Science of Old Fossils

By Dale Greenwalt

Published January 2023 from Princeton University Press

This book popped up on my Instagram last week and it was an instant add to my TBR list. I love PUP’s books and this book sounds like a great interdisciplinary book on the history of science and the topic of archeology.

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Radical Curiosity: Questioning Commonly Held Beliefs to Imagine Flourishing Futures

By Seth Goldenberg

Published August 2022 from Crown

Curiosity is a topic I had no formal education on – despite a decade studying psychology – but one that I am, well, curious about. It’s a subject that I feel has been lost from the philosophy of education today, yet one that is vital to our learning.

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Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future

By Danielle Clode

Published January 2023 from W. W. Norton & Company

I recently published a book list on animal books and fellow nonfiction book substacker, OC Book Girl, recommended that I check out this new book on Koalas, which looks fantastic and is published by one of my favorite publishers.

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The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics

By Heinrich Päs

Published January 2023 from Basic Books

I love a good physics book, and one from my favorite publisher is an automatic must add to my TBR list. This book shares the provocative idea of monism – everything in the universe is an aspect of one unified whole – and blends history of physics with progress in modern physics. It has my attention!

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The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care

By Rina Raphael

Published September 2022 from Henry Holt and Co.

Ok, yea I know, this book has been everywhere for months, and I’ve been aware of it. But it seemed a bit “pop-y” to me, so I’ve been avoiding it. But seeing the reviews by people like Chris have convinced me to take a read. Also it has such a beautiful cover!

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For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug

By Nathan Vardi

Published January 2023 from W. W. Norton & Company

If you’re not yet reading about biotech, you should be. It’s the cutting edge of science and technology today. And this book looks to combine both cutting edge biotech with narrative history. Sign me up.

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