Nonfiction November discussion
2022
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Let The Reading Begin!
Currently reading They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency .I'm placing this one under Record because the January 6th, 2021 insurection is on record as we all know so that was pretty easy in terms of the topic.
Carissa wrote: For border I am reading When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill ManningNice. I'd like to know your thoughts on it. I've had it for a few years now but haven't gotten around to it yet.
So I'm an annotator. As a result, I may not finish the books I read because it takes a lot longer because of all my notes, highlighting and things, but if I can get halfway through the book I read or more then I count it. Plus a lot of the books I read are over 300 pgs and my average pg reading is 350 so anything above that is pretty long for me.Maybe that's cheating but the way I figure at least I'm reading.
Plus I have school so I have to put aside time for those assignments and those readings since I'm taking literature classes.
I've finished my first book for NFN Record -
Remainders of the Day Shaun Bythell
Diary of a curmudgeonly Scottish second hand bookseller. I've read all his previous books and loved them, this was no different great way to start the month.
Currently reading for
Border-
Around the world in 80 trains Monisha Rajesh
Element -
The Jane Austen element Ruth Wilson
I finished Paradise Falls: The True Story jog an Environmental Catastrophe by Keith O’Brien ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars, for ELEMENT. I’m now reading The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl: How Two Brave Scientists Battled Typhus and Sabotaged the Nazis by Arthur Allen, my first book for the SECRET prompt.
I’m still reading Auntie’s War: The BBC During the Second World War by Edward Stourton, my second book for the RECORD prompt.
One ebook and one print book going at a time for this Nonfiction November. So far, it’s going well but I want to read more quickly because I have an ambitious TBR and I’m eager to read each of the books I’ve selected.
I started I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy after I finished Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton. The third, an ARC, is almost finished. It's called 'I Didn't Sign Up for This Shit' by Michael Lewis MD, a family physician's musings on the American healthcare system
I’m currently reading two non-fiction books: Monster, she wrote (Lisa Kröger and Melanie Anderson) and La auténtica Odessa (Uki Goñi)
I read Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff via audiobook for Record. It was interesting.I am now reading The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Stephen Brusatte for Element and really enjoying it!
I’ve finished The End of Nature, for Element, by Bill McKibben. Still thinking about it - review to follow. I’ve embarked upon The God Equation, by Michio Kaku. It’s for Secret, since it’s about the elusive hunt for that one ultimate theory about the universe. Already I am finding that two books with scientific themes could not be more different, and I am having trouble adjusting!
Tyler wrote: I am now reading The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Stephen Brusatte for Element and really enjoying it!That is so cool! I loved this book. There was so much information that I had to annotate it to keep everything straight.
I still want to read the follow-up book: The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us
Ron wrote: "Tyler wrote: I am now reading The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Stephen Brusatte for Element and really enjoying it!That is so cool! I loved this book. There wa..."
Ooh, I'll most likely have to check that out to!
I just finished William Shatner's latest memoir. highly recommend!! next up is "The Honey Bus" by Meredith May :)
Melissa wrote: "I just finished William Shatner's latest memoir. highly recommend!! next up is "The Honey Bus" by Meredith May :)"I have been trying to read The Honey Bus for two years now. I hope you like it.
I finished The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 last week for Record. As expected, it was an intensely heavy piece. I'm glad for a break today but also looking forward to my other holds, which should be coming any time now.
I'm done with Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters which I used for Element. Unfortunately, I didn't rate this one that high. Only a 3-star. A lot of the mental illnesses I was familiar with. I was expecting more from the book. Instead, it was just a series of summaries on various YA books that weren't all that impressive. Information that could easily have been found online. It was a good book and a good one to have don't get me wrong, I was just left a bit disappointed.
I have completed Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario for the Border category, because the subject of the book is a Honduran teen who is attempting to cross borders to get to the US to reunite with his mother. I have also completed How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey fro the Element category, since it discusses the elements of learning.
Next up: Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy by William Phelps for the Secret category. After all, you can't get much more secretive than a spy!
Yikes, so many of my books are tomes so I might not finish them, especially since I annotate. I can never really read a book just by itself because then I get lost and lose focus as to what I read.I'll try to finish some but I'm not getting my hopes up. Even if I just get through half I'll count it. We'll see.
I started 'Dementia Guide: Practical Ways for Caregivers to Overcome Stress During Three Stages of Dementia' by Atwater McDaniel (the book is not on GR). It's a guide, so it's only 130 pages. I found a temporary job as a driver to doctor's appointments for a woman with dementia. The book is written dryly yet down-to-the-point
One of the books I'm currently reading is They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency . I think it fits well for Border since extremists and domestic terrorists are crossing borders to change democracy and crossing lines to overthrow the government.
I plan to read Bibi:my story or ikigai this month.
I've started: The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History .This one could easily fit into Record or Border because there are so many border lines that are formed and crossed during this part of history.
First book fiction for NFN: Mythology by Edith Hamilton which was published in 1942 and mainly deals with Greek mythology. I listened to this and giving it 3.5 stars. Great introduction but can be a bit of info dump with all the gods and after a while all the stories started to blend together. But once the myths get started it was very compelling. This fits the prompt of BORDER
Currently reading : The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War for the SECRET prompt
Pairing this with a fictional book: Winter in Madrid
Next book: A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance for the RECORD prompt
I started Živko Topalovič's 'For Our Prisoners,' a lecture given on 18th May 1918 about his experience as a POW in camps throughout the Habsburg Empire. This is the first ever translation of the lecture into English, published this fall (not on GR). I received an ARC through ReedsyDiscovery
For secret I read the Hirachhima twins about a family of 10 who survived the bombing of little boy it was it was so good and so inspirational and I never really say that about a book but the Hiroshima twins is definitely feel good story. For record I’m going to read the Knight riders about the 20 year mishandling of the Compton Police Department in an almost done with the Jeffersonians which is a really good book love that era. They have so many great nonfiction books but not enough time LOL!
I finished All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake for record.5 stars. I thought it was perfect for the prompt.The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit for border. 5 stars. This was also perfect for the prompt.
When Breath Becomes Air for element. 5 stars. When I looked for the definition of element I found consciousness & spirit are two additional ancient eastern concepts of self which equals seven elements we are all comprised of. The book works perfectly for the prompt. When I was very close to the end I had to look away to compose myself. I warned my husband if I break out in ugly hard sobs it is the book.
My book for secret is still on hold at the library so I'm reading The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz not for a prompt but because I have time for extra NF reads.
I’ve read From the Ashes, The Feather Thief, and These Precious Days so far. Currently reading Friends, Lovers, and the Big, Terrible Thing.
Nonfiction November Update - edited 11/11/2022Read:
Infused: Adventures In Tea (element - heating element)
How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (secret)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
The Coorie Home: Beautiful Scottish Living (border, element)
Currently reading:
A Natural Woman by Carole King (record)
TBR:
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge (record)
I finished A Fire Story by Brian Fies (Wonderful) and am still reading All Things Bright and Beautiful and Things to Look Forward To.
I finished The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America. It is heart-warming, sometimes wrenching, and often filled with historic tidbits as Annie rides horses across the USA in the 1950s. My favorite takeaway was the strong, subtle relationships that developed between Annie and her fellow traveling team: a dog and horses.
I attempted Alan Rickman's diaries this morning before quickly realizing the audiobook format was not going to work for me in this case.Starting Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism instead!
I have just finished reading Dear Memory by Victoria Chang, an author I 've just discovered. I 've posted a review on my good reads, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It pretty much encapsulates all of the prompts as borders are crossed between China and America, there are so many hidden secrets , it contains family records of marriage, work etc and there are so many elements of emotion. This book was a good start to Non-fiction November and one I can definitely rate to on a personal level. Has anyone read this one, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
I'm about to start The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn: A Lakota History so it's perfect both for NFN as well as Indigenous Heritage Month.I've also got a book coming in called The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture which was referred to me. I'll most likely fit this into Border because it's crossing borders of what people consider normal and what they consider abnormal. It's 500 pgs so even if I don't finish it I'm counting it because my normal page limit is between 200 and 300.
Hi all! I launched NFN with The Lion in the Living Room! I’m currently reading A Princess Found: An American Family, An African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All. It’s captivating!
I finished up Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth by Ben Westhoff and it is going on my tops of the year. Phenomenal mix of memoir, investigative journalism and true crime that digs deep into the race & class divide in St. Louis. Next up I'm focused on reading The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells.
Just finished my first Nonfiction November read: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. A gripping, engaging, infuriating, and heartbreaking story about how the cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks revolutionized medical research and the impact that had on her family. The author, Rebecca Skloot, did an amazing job telling the story of the Lacks family, HeLa cells, and in particular, Deborah Lacks (Henrietta's daughter).
Four record I’m about to start the quiet zone about the only place in America that don’t allow technology inside the city limits and I just finished London boys about David Bowie and Mark Bollinger to rock stores that were born in the same year in the same town it was so good! I am also about to start to know him is to love him about Abraham Lincoln and the quiet watchers about an abused child who got out. Love nonfiction November!
Starting Immune by Phillipp Dettmer. The book is a journey through your immune system.Very good so far. Written for the general reader in a way that's educational, engaging and enthusiastic.
Ron wrote: "Carissa wrote: For border I am reading When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill ManningNice. I'd like to know your thoughts on it. I've had it for a fe..."
When Books Went to War was very good. A lot of information about how books were reformatted to be easily carried by soldiers. There was a lot that needed to happen to get the books to the soldiers.
ReadBecca wrote: Next up I'm focused on reading The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace WellsThat's cool. I've read parts of it and liked it but I get distracted by other books so I don't get back around to finishing it.
5 stars to Harsha Walia's Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism. An intensely grim piece that highlights the intersectionality of our major societal issues. Read nicely by Cindy Kay.Nonfic November book 2! Border ✔️
This was straight-up bananas. Hearing what happened to these women was horrendous. What bothered me about this book was the fact everyone's physical appearance was described. Maybe because we don't have a lot of pictures from the time, and maybe it is notated from documents in the book (I listened on audio) it just bothered me, the women especially, had descriptions that made them sound silly and air-headed. These women were lied to for years and their freaking faces fell off, they were not silly. They were strong. They made monumental changes to workplace safety.The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
Lindsey wrote: "This was straight-up bananas. Hearing what happened to these women was horrendous. What bothered me about this book was the fact everyone's physical appearance was described. Maybe because we don't..."Having seen the film and stage play versions of this, I feel like reading the book would be overkill at this point. Kudos for getting through it, Lindsey!
I just got The Radium girls from the library!! I will read that next after the Lauren Graham(Lorelai Gilmore) memoir :)
I've now finished The End of Nature by Bill McKibben (for the Element prompt) and The God Equation by Michio Kaku: The Quest for a Theory of Everything (Secret). My reviews are on my Goodreads page. On to "Border": Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano.
Started reading 'The Myth of Normal'. It's 500 pgs. so I won't finish it this month, especially since I take my time and annotate, but I am counting it.
I've only gotten through the introduction and ch.1 but already it's such a good book. I look forward to what's ahead. There are a couple mentions of bipolar disorder in the book so I'm curious about that (given that I have BP).
This might go under my 'Border' list since there's a border/line between what people consider to be "normal" and what they consider to not be.
*****
On the side, I'm trying to figure out which I'll read as well.
Andrea wrote: "On to "Border": Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano."I've only read part of this, but what a great piece. Galeano is an excellent writer, and I look forward to getting back to this book soon.
Ashley Marie wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "This was straight-up bananas. Hearing what happened to these women was horrendous. What bothered me about this book was the fact everyone's physical appearance was described. Maybe ..."I'm waiting (not so patiently) for her new book to be delivered! Love Lauren Graham
Gina wrote: "Nonfiction November Update - edited 11/11/2022Read:
Infused: Adventures In Tea (element - heating element)
How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (secret)
Weird Things Customers Say i..."
Have you read Dave Grohl's memoir? The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music one of my favorite books this year!
Reading update:Read the Life of Guy by Metcalf for Secret as not everyone is aware of where the word guy comes from and how it became a second person pronoun in American English.
Reading Catching the Light by Joy Harjo.
Nonfiction November
Books mentioned in this topic
Know My Name (other topics)Before the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game on the Brink (other topics)
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (other topics)
The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (other topics)
How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen Richard Witt (other topics)Sean Fitz-Gerald (other topics)
Elizabeth Kolbert (other topics)
Kate Lebo (other topics)
Edith Hamilton (other topics)
More...
For border I am reading When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning
For Record I am reading Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen