In the world of books, it’s easy to get swept up by the bestsellers and the titles everyone is talking about. Walk into any bookstore, and you’ll see the same famous nonfiction books on display—the ones about habits, history, or celebrity lives that have already sold millions of copies. While many of those popular books are great, there’s a whole universe of incredible nonfiction that flies under the radar. These are the hidden gems, the books that offer profound insights, tell unforgettable stories, and change the way you see the world, even if they haven't topped the charts. They are the kinds of books you finish and immediately want to press into a friend's hands. If you’re looking for a read that’s a little off the beaten path but just as powerful, here are some nonfiction gems that absolutely deserve more attention.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

This is a quiet, beautiful book that finds a universe of wonder in the smallest of spaces. While struck by a mysterious and debilitating illness, the author is bedridden for months. A friend brings her a small pot of violets from the woods, and she soon discovers a wild snail living in it. Confined to her room, Bailey begins to observe her tiny, unexpected roommate. What follows is a mesmerizing exploration of the snail’s life, which becomes a mirror for her own slow, constrained existence.

The book is part memoir, part natural history. Bailey dives into the science of snails—how they move, how they eat, how they reproduce—and weaves it together with her personal reflections on illness, patience, and the profound connection we can find with nature, even when we are cut off from it. The sound of the snail munching on a mushroom becomes a comforting rhythm in her silent room. This book is a powerful meditation on the beauty of the small, slow, and overlooked things in life. It teaches you to pay attention and find fascination in the world right in front of you, no matter how limited that world may seem. It’s a short read, but its impact is deep and lasting.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at a funeral home? Caitlin Doughty, a mortician with a sharp sense of humor and a deep sense of purpose, pulls back the curtain on the death industry in this fascinating and surprisingly funny memoir. At twenty-three, she took a job at a crematory and was thrown into a world most of us do everything we can to avoid thinking about.

Doughty shares her experiences with a refreshing honesty, demystifying the process of death care. She explains what happens to a body after death, confronts the bizarre realities of her job, and challenges our modern, sanitized fear of mortality. Her goal is to encourage readers to have more open conversations about death and to make more informed choices for themselves and their families. The book is filled with morbidly curious details, historical anecdotes, and heartfelt stories about the families she serves. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is not just about death; it’s about how confronting our mortality can help us live a more meaningful life. It's a bold, eye-opening read that will make you laugh and think in equal measure.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

Does it ever feel like your phone, your apps, and the entire internet are constantly fighting for your attention? This book is an antidote to that feeling. Jenny Odell argues that our attention is our most valuable resource, and corporations are trying to mine it for profit. The pressure to be constantly productive and "online" leaves us feeling anxious and disconnected from our physical surroundings. Odell suggests that "doing nothing"—which doesn't mean being lazy, but rather redirecting our attention away from the digital world and toward the real one—is an act of political resistance.

Odell, an artist and writer, encourages us to engage with our local environment. She talks about the joy of learning the names of the birds in your neighborhood or studying the history of your local bioregion. It's a call to become more rooted in place and time. The book is a deep and thoughtful exploration of what it means to live a meaningful life in an increasingly distracting world. It’s not a simple self-help guide with five easy steps; instead, it’s a beautifully written, philosophical argument for reclaiming your focus and finding wonder in the world offline. It will challenge you to rethink your relationship with technology and rediscover the richness of the world around you.

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask

We use street addresses every day without giving them a second thought. But where did they come from, and what do they really mean? Deirdre Mask’s The Address Book is a surprising and brilliant investigation into the hidden stories behind street names and numbers. She reveals that for most of human history, most streets didn't have names. Having an address is a relatively modern invention, and its history is tied to issues of power, identity, and social control.

Mask travels the world to explore these stories. In London, she uncovers how addresses were used to organize a postal system. In Haiti, she shows how the lack of addresses can prevent people from getting aid after a natural disaster. In a chapter about the United States, she explores the politics of renaming streets that honor controversial historical figures, showing how street names reflect a community's values. She even looks at communities in West Virginia that only received addresses recently, and how that changed their lives. This book takes a seemingly mundane topic and reveals its profound importance, showing how addresses can determine who counts, who is seen, and who is left behind. It’s a perfect hidden gem that will make you see your own street in a completely new light.