Archives and voyages: New popular non-fiction

Bad archive / Feltham, Flora

Archivist Flora Feltham delves into the minutiae of memory in this collection of personal essays. She covers a number of different topics including 14th century anchoress Julian of Norwich, meditates on the meaning of grief and love, and recounts a chaotic bender in Croatia. Feltham is preoccupied with the often fallible memories we hold onto, and the patchwork of experiences that make up our lives.

Voyagers : our journey into the anthropocene / Fuge, L. M.

L. M. Fuge combines nature writing, science and history with beautifully written human stories in this impactful book on voyaging and exploration, asking: what drives the human urge to explore and wander? It has led us all across the world, as well as towards new frontiers of knowledge, and towards new resources. But our planet is finite – so what does it mean when we reach these limits? Will it bring the world to breaking point?

Everyone who is gone is here : the United States, Central America, and the making of a crisis / Blitzer, Jonathan

Journalist Jonathan Blitzer writes about the humanitarian crisis along the border between the United States and Central America, and the long history which created it. Analysing decades of American policy decisions, as well as telling the individual stories of migrants who have fled their homes, this deeply researched book is a timely and sobering history of the border conflict.

Hot, sour, salty, sweet : essays and interviews / Su, Adrienne

Sumptuous food writing meets literary memoir and social critique in this essay collection by poet Adrienne Su. The food we eat can be loaded in significance for us and mean little to others, but the rich writing it produces is always a delight. If you love books and love food, then this is the pick for you.

Terra nova / Christian, Harrison

Christian has spent years researching the letters and diaries of Robert Falcon Scott and his second-in-command, Edward Evans. Through these, he sheds new light on the turbulent relationship between the two men on their expedition to the South Pole. Their disagreements, as scientific endeavour clashed with personal ambition, would prove fatal for some of the party on the long journey across the deadly frozen continent - but not all.

An African history of Africa : from the dawn of humanity to independence / Badawi, Zeinab

The continent of Africa is immense, with an equally vast history that, in the West, goes largely untold. This book offers a sweeping account of African history, centring African voices, and takes us through time, from the very beginning of humanity to ancient civilisations and powerful empires, all the way to the present day. While the approach at times sacrifices depth, this is otherwise an accessible introduction to those unfamiliar with these rich histories.

Other hood : essays on being childless, childfree and child-adjacent

This impactful collection features the diverse stories of people who are childless, childfree or child-adjacent. With many different authors, some of the essays are hilarious while some are heart-breaking; all of them contribute to a richer understanding of the spectrum of human existence, and the many different shapes a life can take.