We’re excited to share the next big thing(s) from our celebrated library of narrative nonfiction this fall season. This curated list boasts highlights that are guaranteed not to disappoint while the days get shorter and colder on this side of the globe and the holidays quickly approach.

We are especially excited to announce that Song of the Vikings by Nancy Marie Brown is a December 2012 Indie Next List pick! The folks over at the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, VT said of Brown’s book, “This book is full of blood-curdling tales of family rivalries all interwoven with stories of Norse gods and other mythical creatures of the sagas. Those who have read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings will find some names that will sound oddly familiar!” Make sure to watch the Song of the Vikings book trailer to find out how Brown’s enthusiasm for Iceland and Norse mythology manifests in her newest book about a medieval Viking storyteller, Snorri, whose tales influenced some of our favorite modern fantasy writers.

Other fall highlights include Strong in the Rain, which Kirkus Reviews praises for its “harrowing, sensitive stories of heroism during one of the most traumatic natural disasters in Japanese history.” Likewise, Jim McClintock made a splash with Lost Antarctica back in September when he discussed the ecologically diverse world we are losing to global warming on The Diane Rehm Show. And coming in November are Divine Vintage and The Famine Plot, engaging accounts of the biblical history of wine and a controversial take on the true cause of Ireland’s Great Hunger, respectively.

The Race to the New World and The Shakespeare Thefts are both popular retellings of two very prominent players in history: Columbus and Shakespeare. If you missed them the first time around, now’s your chance to pick up a copy of these paperbacks.

Finally, you don’t have to wait until The Big Truck that Went By officially publishes in January 2013—preorder it today! AP reporter and author Jonathan Katz received the 2012 J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for this book, in which he bore firsthand witness to the destruction of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the country’s struggle to rebuild in the aftermath. Here, Jonathan traces the sometimes spotty donation trail commissioned by seemingly charitable organizations and raises serious questions about disaster relief policies, a topic that is ever-relevant today.

To make sure you do not miss out on any of these captivating narratives, we’re offering 20% off your order when you enter code XP356ED at checkout on Macmillan.com!