From a psychopathic ancient warrior to a ruthless media mogul, a sex-change travel writer and insider accounts of Westminster, Balmoral, prison and Bake Off… These are the 22 best non-fiction books to read this summer

Sarah Vine

HarperElement £10.99, 320pp

If you think political memoirs are just full of boring policy and unwanted excuses, think again. In this rip-roaring account, Sarah Vine, star journalist and ex-wife of Michael Gove, reveals what life is like as a Westminster WAG and what really happened in her fall-out with best friend Samantha Cameron.

Come to glory in political scandal; stay to discover the woman who survived it all. KS

Liza Minnelli

Hodder & Stoughton £25, 448pp

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to the camptastic and heartbreaking world of Cabaret star Liza Minnelli. From the moment she was born, pictures of her in her mother Judy Garland’s arms were plastered across newspapers over the world. Thus began a life lived entirely in the spotlight, which would see her win an Oscar, become addicted to drink and drugs and embark on relationships with some of the biggest stars of the age. As Minnelli takes you through the pitfalls of Hollywood, a literally insane love affair with Peter Sellers, and the feverish highs of Studio 54, you’ll find your jaw on the floor. JCD

Lydia Wood

Sceptre £20, 208pp

With the World Cup firmly under way, London’s pubs are full to bursting with people sinking £8 pints hopeful that this year England might be victorious. But with more than 3,000 pubs in the capital, how do you choose your favourite? Lydia Wood set out on a mission to sketch every pub in London, and this fun little book is a compilation of those drawings as well as thoughts and musings on each ‘local’. Perfect for drinking inspiration. KS

Andrew Lownie

William Collins £10.99, 512pp

Future dictionaries should simply have a picture of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor next to the words debauchery, corruption, sleaze and, most important, entitlement. The story of his cataclysmic fall from grace has dominated headlines for the past year, mostly thanks to Andrew Lownie’s brilliant book. It is the culmination of four years of research into the affairs of the King’s brother and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, showcasing their amorality. Undoubtedly the most important book of the last year, if not the century. JCD

Edmund Richardson

Bloomsbury £25, 480pp

Subtitled ‘God, King, Man’, Edmund Richardson’s magnificent biography of Alexander the Great shows the deification, crowning glory and ultimate humanity of the young man who conquered much of the known world. With a style as readable as any novel, Richardson explores how the tutelage of Aristotle turned Alexander into one of the greatest philosophical and strategic ancient minds. KS

Prue Leith

Short Books £20, 240pp

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to truly age gracefully, look to chef and writer Prue Leith. Part memoir and part reflection, Leith’s latest book is an honest account of the challenges, but ultimate joys, of growing older. With 80 years of wit and frankness, she explores all the key issues: retirement, fashion, travelling, gardening – and sex. KS

Melvyn Bragg

Sceptre £22, 272pp

There are few voices quite so familiar as the gentle northern tones of Melvyn Bragg. In this second memoir of what will be a trilogy, he paints a shimmering portrait of his journey from working-class Wigton to hobnobbing with public schoolboys in the cloisters of Oxford University. There are first loves, heartbreaks and moments of real poignancy. Mesmerising. JCD

Eli Sharabi

Swift Press £10.99, 208pp

This harrowing and shockingly vivid account of what it was like to be an Israeli hostage following the October 7 attacks is essential reading. Eli Sharabi was taken from his family and held captive in cells, tunnels and sewers for 491 days, sustained only by the hope that he would see his wife and daughters again. His is a story of superhuman resilience and dignity in the face of horrifying persecution. KS

Oliver Bullough

W&N £25, 336pp

Few of us bother with coins or notes any more, but in the criminal underworld, cash is very much still king. Oliver Bullough is an investigative journalist par excellence, and here he casts his beady eye over the murky world of money laundering. He skilfully picks apart the finances of cartels, human traffickers and dodgy dealers, showing how it has in fact never been easier to be a criminal. JCD

Boris Becker

HarperCollins £10.99, 352pp

It was the tennis scandal that rocked the world. Boris Becker, the German prodigy who won Wimbledon at 17 and went on to win five more Grand Slam titles, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on bankruptcy charges. Becker provides a confessional account of life in jail and how he has confronted the mistakes of his past to rebuild a new life. With Wimbledon in full swing, now is the perfect time to dive in. KS

Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

William Collins £30, 816pp

Don’t be put off by the tome-like scale: within this book’s 800 pages is a story of such extraordinary courage, drama and triumph that you’ll be left wanting more. Sebag-Montefiore uncovers the treacherous journeys taken by Allied naval and merchant seamen, submariners and soldiers to deliver arms to Russia as they were being hunted across the Arctic by German aircraft and U-boats. It is chilling stuff. KS

Tom Gilbey

Square Peg £20, 304pp

Tom Gilbey rocketed to social media stardom after running the London Marathon tasting a different wine every mile. Now, in his memoir, he’s sharing his tips for how to get the best out of your bottle. Gilbey shares his wisdom on reading a label and talking about wine without sounding like a plonker, as well as listing 100 approved wines. If, like many of us, being presented with a wine list makes you cower in fear, then this is the book for you. Raise a glass to the wine guy! JCD

Robert Hardman

Macmillan £22, 448pp

As the only biographer to have interviewed all the senior members of the Royal Family, Robert Hardman is guaranteed to provide fresh insights into our rulers. His revelations about the Royal Family, their staff and our late monarch go some way to answering the question, ‘What was she really like?’ Filled with drama, intrigue, humour and sadness, this magnificent book will enliven your holiday more than any period drama could. KS

Simon Rogers

Torva £16.99, 288pp

In a world that often feels divided, it is nice to know that there is at least one thing that unites us... our Google searches. Simon Rogers, Google’s data editor, has compiled the universal questions we are all asking. It is heartening to read that in June in the UK there is a spike in searches of ‘how to help a bee’ or that at 2am parents just want to know how to get their baby to sleep. KS

Sara Wheeler

Faber £25, 432pp

If transitioning from a man to a woman in middle age isn’t the most interesting aspect of a life, then you know you’ve lived to the fullest. Jan Morris certainly did that. Intelligence, talent and burning ambition saw Morris become the world’s most famous journalist at the age of 26 when he accompanied Hillary and Tenzing up Everest. A career as one of the world’s greatest travel writers swiftly followed, and after five children with his beloved wife Elizabeth, James became Jan. Suffice to say there were a few complications along the way. This wonderful biography is an even-handed portrait of someone who truly ‘was the 20th century’. JCD

Tom Hodgkinson

Bloomsbury Continuum £16.99, 224pp

Tom Hodgkinson has discovered the key to success: stoicism. Begun in Athens in 303BC, the philosophy preaches that the way forward in the face of adversity is remaining calm and trying to control only that which is in your power. This book is packed with philosophies to ponder, and Hodgkinson melds his own musings with sage quotations from the ancients. All in all, these are words to live by. KS

Amanda Barrie

Mirror £10.99, 288pp

Amanda Barrie, one of the last veterans of the Carry On films, seems to have slapped her way through life. When she came across her estranged father’s girlfriend in a Manchester department store, she ‘did the usual, knocked her down and bashed her head on the floor’. If any pervy co-star pinched her bottom they’d get ‘two direct blows right across the skull’. The most recent victim of her wrath was Gordon Ramsay (the footage is glorious). From Carry On and Corrie to finding happiness with her wife in the countryside, her memoir is a riotous read. JCD

Rachel Trethewey

The History Press £22.99, 272pp

The Mitford sisters have long been crowned the most interesting British family of the 20th century. Two were hardened fascists in Hitler’s inner circle, one was a bestselling humourist and another an impassioned communist. Shelves of books have been written about these outrageous sisters, but what of their mother? It turns out Sydney Redesdale (Muv to her children) was just as resilient, eccentric and tragic as any of these colourful characters, and this biography finally gives her the attention she deserves. JCD

Tracy Borman

Hodder & Stoughton £26, 448pp

The death of Elizabeth I caused something of a crisis in 1603. With no children or close family to succeed her, the queen’s last hours were spent surrounded by advisers urging her to name an heir. Legend has it that with her last breath she named James VI of Scotland. In her latest book, Tracy Borman views this version of events as a fiction created to bolster James’s claim – the reality was far messier. KS

Gabriel Sherman

Simon & Schuster £25, 256pp

Rupert Murdoch has long been the most powerful media mogul on the world stage and his empire stretches across nations, commanding political influence from Tipperary to Timbuktu. The question of who among his children will take over has torn the family apart. Gabriel Sherman, who has interviewed more than 150 sources, chronicles a story of backstabbing, pride and sacrificing the people you love for unrivalled power. A modern-day drama as dark as a Shakespeare tragedy and as riveting as a thriller. JCD

Slutty Chef

Bloomsbury £10.99, 352pp

This summer brings the finale of the hit cooking comedy-drama The Bear, and if you still have an appetite for going behind the scenes in the world’s fieriest kitchens, look no further than Tart. This sexy and visceral book lifts the lid on the misadventures in love and lust that go hand in hand with working 60-hour weeks in windowless kitchens surrounded by sweaty, shouting men. The result is a truly delicious read. KS

Emma Southon

Hodder £25, 448pp

If you could pop into a Tardis and take a trip through time, there’s really not much to recommend a sojourn to Ancient Rome. If you were a soldier, a senator or even an emperor, you’d likely live a life fraught with anxiety, and meet some fantastically grisly end. In this eye-opening history, Southon fixes her gaze on Roman society’s lowest of the low: slaves, revealing horrifying stories of gladiators, sex slaves and houseboys beaten to death. JCD