Recommendations based on Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Mannersby Therese Oneill

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

    by Kate Moore
    Uncovering the untold story of female factory workers poisoned by radium paint in 1920s America.

    A New York Times , USA Today , Wall Street Journal , and Amazon Charts Bestseller! For fans of Hidden Figures, comes the incredible true story of the women heroes who were exposed to radium in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them

    by Jennifer Wright
    A witty and informative journey through the history of plagues, exploring the heroes who fought them and the lessons we can learn from them.

    Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the diseases history and circumstance have dropped on them. Some of their responses to those outbreaks are almost too strange to believe ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

    by Gavin de Becker
    Examining how fear can be used to protect oneself from violence, and how it is a valuable tool.

    True fear is a gift. Unwarranted fear is a curse. Learn how to tell the difference. A date won't take "no" for an answer. The new nanny gives a mother an uneasy feeling. A stranger in a deserted ... (Goodreads)

  4. Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

    by Leah Remini
    An account of Leah Remini's journey of faith, fame, and a decades-long involvement with Scientology.

    The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus ... (Goodreads)

  5. Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

    by Mary Roach
    A journey through the digestive system, exploring its secrets and mysteries.

    The irresistible, ever-curious, and always best-selling Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside. “America’s funniest science writer” ( Washington Post ) ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. Men Explain Things to Me

    by Rebecca Solnit
    Examines the cultural phenomenon of men explaining things to women without full understanding of the topic.

    In her comic, scathing essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things ... (Goodreads)

  7. Bad Feminist

    by Roxane Gay
    A collection of essays exploring feminism, race, and gender, and their intersections.

    Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be, cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read, Vogue, and I’m not doing it ... (Goodreads)

  8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

    by Caitlin Doughty
    A journey through the funeral industry, exploring death, grief, and the beauty of life.

    "Morbid and illuminating" ( Entertainment Weekly )—a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession. Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. At Home: A Short History of Private Life

    by Bill Bryson
    An exploration of the extraordinary and often overlooked history of the home.

    “Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.” Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has ... (Goodreads)

  10. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

    by Michael Pollan
    Argument for a return to traditional diets and away from processed, industrialized food.

    Michael Pollan's last book, The Omnivore's Dilemma , launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time. Pollan ... (Goodreads)

  11. What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

    by Randall Munroe
    A humorous exploration of science, tackling the most bizarre questions with real-world scenarios.

    Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has ... (Goodreads)

  12. You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas

    by Augusten Burroughs
    A collection of humorous and heartwarming stories about the author's experiences during the holiday season.

    You’ve eaten too much candy at Christmas…but have you ever eaten the face off a six-footstuffed Santa? You’ve seen gingerbread houses…but have you ever made your own gingerbread tenement? You’ve ... (Goodreads)

  13. Yes Please

    by Amy Poehler
    Humorous memoir of a celebrated comedian, exploring her life, career, and relationships.

    In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please , she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some ... (Goodreads)

  14. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

    by Allie Brosh
    A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy

    by Anne Lamott
    Anne Lamott explores the concept of mercy and how it can be rediscovered in our lives, even in the midst of chaos and pain.

    “Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” —,Chicago Tribune,From the bestselling author of, Help, Thanks, Wow, and, Stitches, comes a powerful exploration of mercy, its limitless (if sometimes hidden) presence, why ... (Goodreads)

  16. Sex Object: A Memoir

    by Jessica Valenti
    A candid memoir about the author's experiences with sexism, objectification, and harassment as a woman in modern society.

    Author and Guardian US columnist Jessica Valenti has been leading the national conversation on gender and politics for over a decade. Now, in a darkly funny and bracing memoir, Valenti explores the ... (Goodreads)

  17. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

    by Alyssa Mastromonaco
    A memoir of Alyssa Mastromonaco's time as Deputy Chief of Staff under President Obama, offering insights into the inner workings of the White House.

    If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . . Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

    by David Lebovitz
    A journey of culinary exploration in Paris, uncovering the secrets of its food culture.

    From the, New York Times, bestselling author of, My Paris Kitchen, and, L'Appart,, a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections., ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. The Miracle Worker: A Play

    by William Gibson
    The story of a young girl's triumph over blindness and deafness, with the help of a devoted teacher.

    In Tuscumbia, Alabama , an illness renders infant Helen Keller blind , deaf , and consequently mute ( deaf-mute ). , Pitied and badly spoiled by her parents, Helen is taught no discipline and, by the ... (Wikipedia)

  20. This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.

    by Augusten Burroughs
    A humorous yet thoughtful collection of personal stories and advice on dealing with life challenges.

    If you're fat and fail every diet, if you're thin but can't get thin enough, if you lose your job, if your child dies, if you are diagnosed with cancer, if you always end up with exactly the wrong ... (Goodreads)

  21. Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History

    by Antonio J. Méndez
    The true story of how the CIA and Hollywood collaborated to rescue six Americans during the Iran Hostage Crisis.

    The true account of the 1979 rescue of six American hostages from Iran On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and held dozens of Americans hostage, sparking a ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

    by Sam Kean
    A captivating exploration of the history of the human brain, unraveled through fascinating case studies.

    From the author of the bestseller, The Disappearing Spoon, tales of the brain and the history of neuroscience. Early studies of the functions of the human brain used a simple method: wait for ... (Goodreads)

  23. A Thousand Mornings

    by Mary Oliver
    An exploration of nature, beauty and gratitude through lyrical poetry.

    In A Thousand Mornings , Mary Oliver returns to the imagery that has come to define her life’s work, transporting us to the marshland and coastline of her beloved home, Provincetown, Massachusetts. ... (Goodreads)

  24. Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

    by Mara Leveritt
    Uncovering the truth behind a murder case that wrongfully convicted three innocent boys.

    In 2011, one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American legal history was set right when Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were released after eighteen years in prison. ... (Goodreads)

  25. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  26. Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

    by Nadia Bolz-Weber
    An exploration of faith, grace, and redemption through the stories of ordinary people.

    What if that person you've been trying to avoid is your best shot at grace today?,...And what if that's the point?, In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling au­thor Nadia Bolz-Weber invites ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe

    by Simon Singh
    A comprehensive exploration of the Big Bang Theory, from its earliest beginnings to its implications today.

    A half century ago, a shocking Washington Post headline claimed that the world began in five cataclysmic minutes rather than having existed for all time; a skeptical scientist dubbed the maverick ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine

    by Lindsey Fitzharris
    An exploration into the pioneering work of Joseph Lister and his revolutionary contribution to modern medicine.

    Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Short-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize,A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017,, Publishers Weekly, A Best History Book of 2017,, The ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. Just My Type: A Book about Fonts

    by Simon Garfield
    Exploration of the fascinating history and variety of typefaces that have shaped our world.

    What’s your type? Suddenly everyone’s obsessed with fonts. Whether you’re enraged by Ikea’s Verdanagate, want to know what the Beach Boys have in common with easy Jet or why it’s okay to like Comic ... (Goodreads)

  30. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy

    by Sue Klebold
    A mother's story of her son's involvement in a school shooting and her journey of understanding and healing.

    On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill twelve students and a teacher and wound ... (Goodreads)