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• Cue the Sun

  the Invention of Reality TV

  Nussbaum, Emily, 1966-

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  TV history buffs cannot miss this incredible book about the history of reality TV. Many people will hear that and presume that this book will center on the sordid details of 90s and early 2000s shows like Survivor and the Real World but in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Chronicles of DOOM

  Unraveling Rap's Masked Iconoclast

  Fernando, S. H., Jr

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  MF Doom was an enigmatic figure, obscured by his many rap personas and near-obsession of privacy but his impact on the independent rap scene was massive. This book breaks down his life, career and lyrics which makes this a must read for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Land Between the Rivers

  a 5,000-year History of Iraq

  Bull, Bartle

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  Starting from the earliest known evidence for human settlement in the Fertile Crescent and ending in the middle of the 20th century, Bull provides an expansive yet readable history of this fascinating part of the world. Any book covering…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crude Capitalism

  Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market

  Hanieh, Adam, 1972-

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  Hanieh provides a sobering and thorough history of the rise of both oil as a commodity and capitalism as a world system, placing this important history in the context of larger developments in politics, finance, and commodity production in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dark Wire

  the Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever

  Cox, Joseph (Journalist)

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  As technology advances, how criminals operate also changes. In the last fifteen years, encryption technology use exploded which left law enforcement struggling to keep up. Seeing this change the FBI and other law enforcement agencies…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Last Entry Point

  Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters

  Friedrichs, Joe

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  "The Boundary Waters is not an amusement park." Accurate words. As someone who has enjoyed canoeing and swimming in the Boundary Waters it is easy forget that while this beautiful part of our state that is a treasure for so many people, it…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Burn Book

  a Tech Love Story

  Swisher, Kara

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  Considering everything she has seen as a tech reporter for the last three decades it's honestly surprising that Kara Swisher is still optimistic about technology's impact on the world. While I personally waver on that outcome, she has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Walls Have Eyes

  Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

  Molnár, Petra

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  A sprawling and incisive critique of the role technology plays in the violence of maintaining borders between countries, continents, and, ultimately, people. Molnár weaves together personal stories from those directly affected by these…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Other Significant Others

  Reimagining Life With Friendship at the Center

  Cohen, Rhaina

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  Today's society praises romantic soulmates and marriage as the height of human connection. At the same time there is a loneliness epidemic that is spreading across our country. Rhaina Cohen (NPR's Embedded, All Things Considered and Hidden…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Short Guide to a Happy Life

  Quindlen, Anna

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  I've probably read this more times than any other book, in part because it is so short. Many readers will complete it in fifteen minutes or less. While not everything in this little gem may ring true for you, there's bound to be something…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Worm

  a Cuban American Odyssey

  Rodriguez, Edel

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  Edel's family had seen Fidel Castro's takeover in Cuba but as time continued, they feared what would happen to them after years of rationing and paranoia of being deemed an enemy of the state. Terror builds until they finally decide to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Hammer

  Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor

  Nolan, Hamilton

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  American support of unions has reached the highest it has been in half a century all while media coverage of strikes and unionization makes it seem like the labor movement is ascendant. Labor journalist Hamilton Nolan cuts through the BS…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Simple Art of Rice

  Recipes From Around the World for the Heart of Your Table

  Johnson, J. J., 1984-

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  Whether you struggle to cook rice or have been whipping up rice dishes for decades you will likely enjoy and learn much from this book. Some of the simple recipe highlights that I look forward to trying out myself: Arroz con Pollo, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A City on Mars

  Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?

  Weinersmith, Kelly

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  Hype around space travel and particularly space settlement has reached a crescendo this past decade. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (Soonish) dive into the intricacies of how humanity could settle celestial bodies (spoiler alert: it's not easy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Midwestern Food

  a Chef's Guide to the Surprising History of a Great American Cuisine, With More Than 100 Tasty Recipes

  Fehribach, Paul

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  A fantastic cookbook that will lead midwestern readers down a memory lane of their region's culinary history. Some recipes will be plenty familiar, but others are lost gems waiting to be rediscovered. - Antonio B., Plymouth Library

• MCU

  the Reign of Marvel Studios

  Robinson, Joanna (Podcaster)

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  For the last twenty years nothing has been bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (aka the MCU) in movie theaters. But how did that happen? A trio of whip-smart writers tackle that question, and the result is the definitive book on how…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Your Face Belongs to Us

  a Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It

  Hill, Kashmir

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  Like many other tech dystopian nonfiction books, Your Face Belongs Us, will leave readers disturbed and shocked at both the technological progress of surveillance and the societal consequences that we will be living through because of it.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Golden Screen

  the Movies That Made Asian America

  Yang, Jeff

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  This is a superb book that film history fans won't be able to stop reading. Not only is it a near encyclopedia of Asian and Asian American cinematic milestones (encompassing many of the good, bad, and ugly representations shown on screen)…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Heat Will Kill You First

  Life and Death on a Scorched Planet

  Goodell, Jeff

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  Jeff Goodell, best-selling and award-winning author of books like "Big Coal" and "The Water Will Come," explains how heat is the first and most lethal threat to the world as we enter into a climate crisis. Throughout the book, he shares…Read moreRead more of this annotation