Carol

My Year in Nonfiction 2019: #NonficNov

October 30, 2019

My Year in Nonfiction 2019: #NonficNov

Nonfiction November
Image Source: Canva

I’m eager to participate in Nonfiction November this year hosted by Doing Dewey, Julz Reads, What’s Nonfiction, Sarah’s Book Shelves, and Shelf-Aware. During the month of November, you will notice one nonfiction focused post each week:

Weekly Topics:

My Year in Nonfiction (today’s post)

Fiction/Nonfiction Book Pairings

Be the Expert

Nonfiction Favorites

Nonfiction TBR

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Year in Nonfiction (2019)

Non Fiction November is an opportunity to reflect on the year, to celebrate and appreciate nonfiction, and to share recommendations.

While my eleven nonfiction reads falls below my year’s goal of twenty, it’s the quality and enjoyment and not the quantity that creates a successful and meaningful reading year! In one other way eleven seems like a low number to me: I read a majority of historical fiction, so I’m frequently immersed in history and spend time googling various events. Does anyone else feel like they’re reading nonfiction when reading histfic? This must count in some way, right?! It certainly feels like it does!

Please join me for Nonfiction November!

Grouped into general categories, here are my year’s nonfiction reads:

In Pieces by Sally Field (memoir)

Inheritance: A Memoir by Dani Shipiro (memoir)

I Miss You When I Blink by Laura Mary Philpott (memoir/essays)

Beyond Peace by President Richard Nixon (memoir)

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (memoir)

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (memoir)

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (MG: free verse/biographical/memoir)

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman (humorous/personal and piognant essays/memoir)

For Everyone

For Every One by Jason Reynolds (YA: free verse/inspirational)

The Little Book of Hygge.jpg

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking (culture)

leadership in turbulent times

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (political/leadership analysis)

This week’s Non Fiction Prompt is hosted by Julz Reads and these are her questions:

  1. What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?
    This is my most dreaded question! There are so many different reasons to love a book. I think one book I was the most curious to read and consequently ended up engaged with her every word was In Pieces by Sally Field. It was a difficult yet compelling read.
  2. What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?
    I don’t think In Pieces is a book that everyone would enjoy, so I think my most recommended NF reads would be Inheritance by Dani Shipiro and Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman. My least recommended is I Miss You When I Blink.
  3. What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet?
    I don’t think I can ever read enough fascinating, thoughtful memoirs!
  4. What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
    I’m eager to read posts from other bloggers and add inspiring nonfiction titles to my 2020 TBR!

QOTD

I would love to hear all about your favorite nonfiction reads in comments! If you could recommend ONE NF title for me, what would you recommend?

Happy Reading Book Friends!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

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62 comments

  2. 11?!? Thats still AMAZINGG, Carol!! ❤️😍😍😍🥳🥳

    And I didnt even KNOW about this one by Backman?! 😱❤️❤️😍😍 I think if I read a non fic, it will DEFINITELY be this one! 😍😍😍

    And I must say ALL OF THE BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE READ are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSS!! ❤️😍😍😍😍 Makes me wanna dive into the genre ASAP! 😍😍

    AMAZING POST, Carol! Cant wait to read moreeee!! ❤️❤️

    Reply

  3. I loved Brown Girl Dreaming. I listened to the audiobook, but I’m hoping my 10yo will want to read it soon. I’ll probably revisit it in print then.

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  6. I’m reminding my wife about the Sally Field book because I think she might be interested and I’m adding Things My Son Needs To Know About for me, just because I haven’t read anything by that author yet and think it might be a good entry to him.

    Reply

    • The Sally Field book is compelling, especially if you’re a fan and have followed her work! Backman is a masterful, creative, and versatile writer! I hope you enjoy exploring his work! He also has 2 imaginative and thoughtful novellas that would be quick reads: Deal of a Lifetime and Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. His most popular is probably A Man Called Ove, and his most dramatic and gritty is Beartown. Happy reading Bryan!

      Reply

      • I see! The last chapter of Things My Son Needs to Know describes his experience as a victim in a store robbery in which he was shot in the leg. He has a new nonfiction coming out (already published in Sweden) about his anxiety that was triggered from that incident. I’m watching for that one!

  7. You’ve summed up Nonfiction November perfectly – a time to reflect, celebrate, appreciate and share. I love that!

    My one nonfiction recommendation would be my favourite of the year so far, Wild Remedy: How Nature Heals Us by Emma Mitchell.

    Happy reading this November!

    Reply

  10. I’ve read most of the books you’ve listed and absolutely loved Inheritance (it’s my favorite nonfiction this year), 84 Charing Cross Road, and the audio version of Brown Girl Dreaming. Don’t think I liked I Miss You When I Blink as much as most readers…

    Reply

      • No, I just started listening to it today. We may both have seen either Sarah’s of Sarah’s Bookshelves or Susie of Novel Visits. I’m pretty sure they both reviewed it.

      • Maybe! One of my goals one of these years is to track where I’ve seen reviews of books I add to my TBR! It would be nice to be able to tag them!

    • I hope you enjoy Inheritance! I found it thought provoking! I’m heading over to check your post! 👍😍 Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

  13. Feels like I’m the only reader who hasn’t read Inheritance this year! I’m feeling left out! I definitely have a copy of The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street in my house and have not read it in years at this point. Maybe an easy one to sneak in, pad those reading stats?

    Reply

    • Inheritance is an interesting read……especially for me as we have adoptees in our family……thought provoking ethical and privacy issues!
      Did you read 84, Charing Cross Road? If you’ve been to London, I think Duchess would be interesting. And yes, it’s a small book and a quick read! It would be a nice quiet read in between heavier ones!

      Reply

  14. Love finding a blog post on nonfiction! It’s been hard finding book bloggers that talk about this genre, so I absolutely loved this post! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  16. I think I’ll be reading Inheritance soon. You’re not the first person to recommend it. Some of my favorite memoirs: Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour, A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins, Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.

    Reply

  19. I also feel like I can learn a lot reading historical fiction! I don’t do a ton of googling on the side, but I do look for historical fiction with good author’s notes so I can at least be certain about what parts of the story are true.

    Reply

    • I’m reading Ribbons of Scarlet now and I’ve enlisted my husband to help me google all things French Revolution! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

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