21 of the best non-fiction books

The broadcaster and Strictly star’s memoir sees her reflect on everything from parenting to the importance of a good eyeliner. 

Filled with wry humour and perfectly balanced with thoughtfulness and wisdom, reading Quite makes you feel like you're having a good gossip with Claudia.

This thought-provoking book couldn't be more timely. Looking at diversity, inclusion and equality in the work place, its authors explain why it's in everyone's interests to have a truly diverse work force and most especially a diverse leadership team. As well as a call to arms, the book offers a practical advice on how best to go about making such changes. A must-read for anyone in business. 

As a Black, gay woman fronting '90s rock band Skunk Anansie, Skin has broken her fair share of ground – but it has come at quite the personal cost. 

This is a story of resilience and courage, prejudice and passion.

There’s much more to Mariah than glitter, glamour and All I Want for Christmas Is You, as her first autobiography shows. 

Digging into both the triumphs and the trauma she’s experienced from her childhood to now, this one gives you an unfiltered glimpse into Mimi's world.

Dawn O'Porter's reflection on 2020 is poignant and funny. Written as a daily diary, it's more than just a Covid memoir; it's an intimate look at grief (having lost her friend Caroline Flack), parenting (particularly when it doesn't go so well) and strength ("When life was stripped right back to the bones, she writes in the introduction, 'I realised how strong my skeleton was.")

Inspired by her podcast of the same name, Elizabeth's book is an exploration of failure as a concept as well as a memoir of all the things that haven't gone right in her own life.

Comforting, uplifting, and filled with wisdom that we could all do with, this book is a true gem.

This brilliant memoir about Black motherhood became an instant Sunday Times bestseller when it was released in May. 

Exploring everything from pregnancy to white privilege, Candice writes with vim in this book which is as much an astoundingly good read as it is an essential one. 

Journalist and co-host of the hit podcast The High Low releases her  brilliant debut book of essays this month. 

With her trademark wit, wisdom and warmth, Pandora seems to leave no stone of modern life unturned in this thought-provoking read.

From the outside, editor Terri White's life looked shiny and perfect, but inside she was falling apart. This exceptionally brave and brilliant memoir tells the story of how she picked up the pieces again.

Celebrity interviewer Sophie Heawood was living the high-life in Hollywood when she unexpectedly became pregnant. Her debut book recounts what followed - and how, on her return to London to single-handedly raise her daughter, she came to find true love as a mother.

As funny as it is moving, The Hungover Games is a gorgeous read.

Reni Eddo-Lodge's bestselling book sparked a conversation that was long overdue.

Looking at everything from white allyship to the erasure of Black history, this is both a wake up call and a vital handbook that everyone should read. 

Psychotherapist Sasha Bates went from expert to patient when she suddenly lost her husband Bill. A beautifully written and honest look at grief, this is an exceptional and much-needed book.

This memoir spent weeks on end in the bestseller chart, and for a good reason. Alderton reflects on her twenties with such warmth, it's one of those books that makes you laugh as much as it makes you cry. 

Let Elizabeth Gilbert coax out your creativity and take you on a journey of self-discovery in the process. Brimming with wisdom, this book is a must for anyone who has a creative inkling. 

In 2015, author and journalist Poorna Bell lost her husband after he took his own life. Travelling across New Zealand and India, this is the story of how, piece by piece, she began rebuilding herself.

A funny, heart-warming read, Marianne Power tries one self-help book a month for a whole year to see what they can teach her. 

Behavioural scientist, activist and writer Dr Pragya Agarwal carefully unpicks what unconscious bias is exactly and what we can do about it to create a fairer society. A fascinating and vital read.

The bestselling novelist's foray into memoir was a successful one; telling the extraordinary story of her 17 brushes with death with astonishing heart.  

Feminism might have come a long way but it has even further to go, as this book digs into. This is essential reading that looks at how white feminism is neglecting marginalised communities, and what can be done about it.

A handbook for every woman at any stage of her career, this brilliantly inspirational read from Viv Groskop explores how sisterhood intersects with ambition.