Amy Stewart is beloved for lively nonfiction that uncovers the hidden stories of the natural world. Books like The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants mix science, history, and surprising trivia in a way that feels both smart and entertaining.
If you enjoy Amy Stewart’s blend of curiosity, humor, and fascinating research, these authors are well worth exploring:
If Amy Stewart’s humor, curiosity, and talent for uncovering strange facts appeal to you, Mary Roach is an easy next pick. She dives into unusual scientific subjects and somehow makes them feel hilarious, approachable, and endlessly interesting.
In her book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Roach uses wit and clarity to explore how cadavers have advanced science and medicine, turning an unlikely topic into a thoroughly engaging read.
Readers who enjoy Amy Stewart’s eccentric characters, historical intrigue, and capable women should take a look at Deanna Raybourn. Her novels pair richly drawn settings with spirited heroines who rarely do what society expects.
Her popular book A Curious Beginning introduces Veronica Speedwell, a strong-minded natural historian whose adventures mix mystery, humor, and romance with plenty of charm.
If you’re drawn to Amy Stewart’s entertaining way of writing about nature, science, and history, Bill Bryson is another author to try. His work is full of curiosity, warmth, and the kind of observations that make learning feel effortless.
Bryson’s inviting narrative voice guides readers through science, travel, and cultural history with humor and insight.
A Walk in the Woods, his account of hiking the Appalachian Trail, blends personal adventure with reflections on the environment and American culture.
Amy Stewart readers who like immersive historical nonfiction should absolutely consider Erik Larson. He has a gift for transforming meticulous research into narrative-driven books that read with the momentum of a novel.
In his notable book, The Devil in the White City, Larson intertwines the wonder of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with the sinister story of a serial killer, creating a book that is both suspenseful and richly detailed.
If you like the way Amy Stewart uncovers surprising stories at the intersection of history and science, Sam Kean is a terrific match. His books are lively, informative, and often delightfully odd.
His book The Disappearing Spoon transforms the elements of the periodic table into memorable stories filled with humor, historical context, and irresistible trivia.
Dava Sobel is especially appealing for readers who enjoy accessible science writing grounded in strong historical research. Her books often spotlight overlooked figures and moments that changed the course of discovery.
In The Glass Universe, Sobel tells the story of the women astronomers of the early 20th century whose important contributions to science were long underrecognized.
If Amy Stewart’s interest in plants and their relationship to human life is what draws you in, Michael Pollan is a natural recommendation. His writing is thoughtful, engaging, and deeply attentive to the ways nature and culture shape one another.
A great example is The Botany of Desire, which examines how plants have influenced human history and how people have, in turn, shaped the plants they grow and use.
Rhys Bowen writes historical mysteries filled with wit, colorful settings, and clever, independent heroines.
Readers who enjoy Amy Stewart’s historical fiction may be especially charmed by Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness, a mystery set in 1930s England featuring a young aristocrat solving crimes amid a lively social world.
Kerry Greenwood’s mysteries combine vivid historical settings with memorable and unconventional female leads. Like Amy Stewart, she brings strong characterization and a clear sense of time and place to her stories.
Her popular series beginning with Cocaine Blues follows the adventurous Phryne Fisher as she solves crimes in jazz-age Melbourne.
Fans of Amy Stewart’s atmospheric storytelling and engaging female protagonists may enjoy Catriona McPherson. Her mysteries feature strong characterization, period detail, and plots full of intrigue.
Try beginning with The Reek of Red Herrings, a 1930s Scottish mystery with charm, wit, and a satisfying sense of suspense.
If you connected with Amy Stewart’s enthusiastic, approachable voice, Hope Jahren is well worth your time. She brings warmth, intelligence, and personality to science writing.
Her memoir, Lab Girl, beautifully combines personal experience with insights into plant biology and the realities of life as a woman in science. The result is heartfelt, thoughtful, and deeply readable.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is an excellent choice for readers who appreciate Stewart’s interest in the connection between plants, people, and culture. Her prose is reflective, graceful, and rooted in deep respect for the natural world.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, she brings together Indigenous wisdom and scientific understanding to explore how our relationship with nature can become more reciprocal and attentive.
If you enjoy Amy Stewart’s combination of history, storytelling, and surprising facts, Mark Kurlansky offers a similar pleasure. He has a knack for taking an ordinary subject and revealing its far-reaching importance.
Salt: A World History is a perfect example, tracing how a single everyday ingredient helped shape trade, politics, and cultures around the world.
If you love Stewart’s sharp historical mysteries, vivid settings, and formidable women, Lyndsay Faye is another strong choice. Her fiction blends real historical texture with compelling mystery plots.
Check out The Gods of Gotham, which takes readers into mid-19th-century New York City as the early police force investigates dark and troubling crimes.
Readers who enjoy Amy Stewart’s charismatic female leads and carefully researched historical mysteries should discover Susan Elia MacNeal.
Her Maggie Hope series brings World War II-era London vividly to life, following a smart and resourceful heroine through espionage, danger, and wartime intrigue.
Start with Mr. Churchill's Secretary, an atmospheric novel where secrets and suspense drive the story from the very beginning.
