Nonfiction · 2013

Best Nonfiction Books of 2013

A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena: A Novel by Anthony Marra was the most-recognized nonfiction book of 2013, named by 18 of the 153 sources we track. The table ranks all 88 by how many sources named them.

Sources is the number of distinct awards and year-end lists that name the book's ISBN, in any year. 2013 is the award or list year in our catalog.

#BookAuthorSourcesNamed by
1A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena: A NovelAnthony Marra18
2Five Days At MemorialSheri Fink16
3SomeoneAlice McDermott9
4All That Is: A NovelJames Salter4
5WilsonA. Scott Berg4
6A Natural History Of Dragons: A Memoir By Lady TrentMarie Brennan3
7After Visiting Friends: A Son's StoryMichael Hainey3
8Bough DownKaren Green3
9Drinking With Men: A MemoirRosie Schaap3
10Miss Anne In Harlem: The White Women Of The Black RenaissanceCarla Kaplan3
11The Blood Of HeavenKent Wascom3
12The Luckiest Lady In LondonSherry Thomas3
13One Good Earl Deserves A LoverSarah MacLean2
14Shocked: My Mother, Schiaparelli, And MePatricia Volk2
15The Cooked Seed: A MemoirAnchee Min2
16Toms River: A Story Of Science And SalvationDan Fagin2
17A Reader's Book Of Days: True Tales From The Lives And Works Of Writers For Every Day Of The YearTom Nissley1
18FeverMary Beth Keane1
19Life After LifeKate Atkinson1
20Thank You for Your ServiceDavid Finkel1
21The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New AmericaGeorge Packer1
22The Woman Who Lost Her SoulBob Shacochis1
23We Are All Completely Beside OurselvesKaren Joy Fowler1
24A Duke Never YieldsJuliana Gray0
    25A Tale For The Time BeingRuth Ozeki0
      26After the Music StoppedAlan S. Blinder0
        27Bolivar: American LiberatorMarie Arana0
          28Book Of Ages: The Life And Opinions Of Jane FranklinJill Lepore0
            29Breakfast With Lucian: The Astounding Life And Outrageous Times Of Britain's Great Modern PainterGeordie Greig0
              30Cat Sense: How The New Feline Science Can Make You A Better Friend To Your PetJohn Bradshaw0
                31Cinnamon And Gunpowder: A NovelEli Brown0
                  32Daily Rituals: How Artists WorkMason Currey0
                    33Days of FirePeter Baker0
                      34Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New AmericaGilbert King0
                        35Do You Believe In Magic? The Sense And Nonsense Of Alternative MedicinePaul A. Offit0
                          36Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, And 3 RVs On Our Canine Cross-Country AdventureDavid Rosenfelt0
                            37Every Grain Of Rice: Simple Chinese Home CookingFuchsia Dunlop0
                              38Fear Of Flying: A NovelErica Jong0
                                39FosseSam Wasson0
                                  40From Scratch: Inside The Food NetworkAllen Salkin0
                                    41Hitler's Furies: German Women In The Nazi Killing FieldsWendy Lower0
                                      42How We Do It: The Evolution And Future Of Human ReproductionRobert Martin0
                                        43I Hate To Leave This Beautiful PlaceHoward Norman0
                                          44I'll Be Seeing YouSuzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan0
                                            45Indian Cooking Unfolded: A Master Class In Indian Cooking, With 100 Easy Recipes Using 10 Ingredients Or LessRaghavan Iyer0
                                              46Johnny Cash: The LifeRobert Hilburn0
                                                47Kansas City Lightning: The Rise And Times Of Charlie ParkerStanley Crouch0
                                                  48Keepers: Two Home Cooks Share Their Tried-And-True Weeknight Recipes And The Secrets To Happiness In The KitchenKathy Brennan, Caroline Campion0
                                                    49Lawrence In Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly And The Making Of The Modern Middle EastScott Anderson0
                                                      50League Of Denial: The NFL, Concussions And The Battle For TruthMark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru0
                                                        51Levels Of LifeJulian Barnes0
                                                          52Mary CoinMarisa Silver0
                                                            53Masterminds And Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope With Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends And The New Rules Of Boy WorldRosalind Wiseman0
                                                              54Men We Reaped: A MemoirJesmyn Ward0
                                                                55Metaphysical DogFrank Bidart0
                                                                  56Mrs. PoeLynn Cullen0
                                                                    57One Good DishDavid Tanis0
                                                                      58Ottolenghi: The CookbookYotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi0
                                                                        59Queen Anne: The Politics Of PassionAnne Somerset0
                                                                          60ShamanKim Stanley Robinson0
                                                                            61Speaking From Among The Bones: A Flavia De Luce NovelAlan Bradley0
                                                                              62Suitable Accommodations: An Autobiographical Story Of Family Life: The Letters Of J.F. Powers, 1942-1963Katherine A. Powers (editor)0
                                                                                63Sweet Delights From A Thousand And One Nights: The Story Of Traditional Arab SweetsHabeeb Salloum, Muna Salloum, Leila Salloum Elias0
                                                                                  64The Alchemists: Three Central Bankers And A World On FireNeil Irwin0
                                                                                    65The Apple OrchardSusan Wiggs0
                                                                                      66The Art Of Youth: Crane, Carrington, Gershwin, And The Nature Of First ActsNicholas Delbanco0
                                                                                        67The Autumn BrideAnne Gracie0
                                                                                          68The Beast: Riding The Rails And Dodging Narcos On The Migrant TrailOscar Martinez0
                                                                                            69The Daylight GateJeanette Winterson0
                                                                                              70The Hired ManAminatta Forna0
                                                                                                71The House Girl: A NovelTara Conklin0
                                                                                                  72The Last BanquetJonathan Grimwood0
                                                                                                    73The Maid's Version: A NovelDaniel Woodrell0
                                                                                                      74The Most Of Nora EphronNora Ephron0
                                                                                                        75The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland RecipesAmy Thielen0
                                                                                                          76The New Persian KitchenLouisa Shafia0
                                                                                                            77The Painted GirlsCathy Marie Buchanan0
                                                                                                              78The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice Of A Thirteen-Year-Old Boy With AutismNaoki Higashida, translated by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida0
                                                                                                                79The SleepwalkersChristopher Clark0
                                                                                                                  80The Telling Room: A Tale Of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, And The World's Greatest Piece Of CheeseMichael Paterniti0
                                                                                                                    81The Twelve Tribes Of HattieAyana Mathis0
                                                                                                                      82The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir Of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength And The Power Of FamilyJosh Hanagarne0
                                                                                                                        83This House Is HauntedJohn Boyne0
                                                                                                                          84To The End Of JuneCris Beam0
                                                                                                                            85Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy DivisionPeter Hook0
                                                                                                                              86WaveSonali Deraniyagala0
                                                                                                                                87You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, And My Misadventures With Two Of Music's Most Maligned TribesNathan Rabin0
                                                                                                                                  88Zen Confidential: Confessions Of A Wayward MonkShozan Jack Haubner0