We're halfway through - how's your reading going?

[Mabearbooks]

I have just finished a wistful and spiritual book sourced from a little free library " The Unknown Passenger (some of the secrets)." by Katrina Virgona with illustrations by David Jay Reed. It fit in perfectly with the prompt for secrets obviously and was quite thought provoking. I 've read 5 books so far and nearly done with the 6th, hopefully I can slip one more in at least.

[Ashley Marie]

I started The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain (perhaps record?) and Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India (border) this week - no telling if I'll have them finished in time for the end of the month, but they're both very interesting so far.

[Audrey]

I finished 6 and plan to start a short one: On Medicine as Colonialism (ARC). I doubt I will get it finished in time.

[Ron]

Looks like I'll meet my 8-goal after all so that's something to be proud of.

My final books are shaping up to be Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament and Fire and Flood: A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present

[Tawallah]

November has been a strange month but in good news I have read quite a bit of non-fiction

Secret - The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War - finished today

Border: Mythology - fnished earlier in the month

Element: The Complete Maus - a re-read but got a different perspective this time around

Trying to finish up with this one for record: A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance

[Sherri]

I finished Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty for my last prompt secret. I will finish Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe before the end of the month. I exceeded my goals. I finished all the prompts & read 8 books. I can't wait for next November. It was fun as always.

[Stephanie]

I did not read as much as I was expecting to for November. I told myself this year that I would read at least one book/month and that is what I did this month too. Morgue: A life in death by Dr Vincent DiMaio was my pick.

[Rebecca]

Finished reading My First Popsicle: an anthology of food and feelings. I liked some essays but overall did not enjoy the collection. And even for the essays I did enjoy have already forgotten the authors' names. I doubt I'll finish the other nonfiction books I'm currently working on by the end of the month.

[Eiji]

My NFN is going well and I'm really enjoying it! Here are the first 5 non-fiction books that I read in November.

#1. Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber (Record/Border).

#2. The Years by Annie Ernaux (Record).

#3. Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them by Antonio Padilla (Secret).

#4. All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell (Record/Secret).

#5. Fear of a Black Universe by Stephon Alexander (Record).

I enjoyed all these books, but especially liked Fantastic Numbers. If you enjoy physics books by Carlo Rovelli, I think you will like this one also!

[Eiji]

Here are the next 5 books that I read for NFN.

#6. Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen (Border).

#7. The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde (Record).

#8. The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe (Secret)

#9. A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib (Record)

#10. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (Record/Secret).

I really enjoyed all these books, but Say Nothing really stood out. I was familiar with some of the characters in this book, e.g. Bobby Sands and Jerry Adams, but learning about all the other characters and also the situation that the people endured during the time of 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland was really fascinating and informative.

[Eiji]

More books that I read for NFN....

#11. Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford (Record/Secret).

#12. The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (Record/Secret).

#13. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (Record).

#14. All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience by Jay Wellons (Record).

#15. And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham (Record/Border).

These were all great books! I planned on reading at least 15 books for NFN so I reached that goal :)

[Ashley Marie]

Eiji wrote: "More books that I read for NFN....

#11. Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford (Record/Secret).

#12. The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (Record/Secret).

#13. Hood Feminism: Notes from the W..."

Nice work!

[Eiji]

Thank you Ashley Marie! I hope your reading is going well!
Some more books I read for NFN....

#16. Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx (Border/Element).

#17. How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith (Record/Border/Secret).

#18. Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir by Natasha Trethewey (Record/Secret).

#19. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (Record).

#20. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (Record/Secret).

Sapiens is my least favorite book for NFN (so far). I should have stopped after a few chapters, but just kept going. Other books above were really good!

[Eiji]

I really had fun reading all the non-fiction books!

#21. We Speak Your Names: A Celebration by Pearl Cleage (Record).

#22. Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal (Border).

#23. Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro (Secret).

#24. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell (Record).

#25. The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff (Record).

Allow Me to Retort on audiobook was really fun, and made me think about the constitution from a different perspective. I enjoyed all the other books as well.

[Eiji]

More books I enjoyed during NFN.

#26 The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane (Element).

#27 The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays by C.J. Hauser (Record).

#28 A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad's an Alcoholic by Mariko Kikuchi [manga] (Secret).

#29 Dog Flowers: A Memoir by Danielle Geller (Record/Border).

#30 Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox [graphic novel] (Record/Border).

I love to read manga, and I was able to find a non-fiction manga that I hadn't read already (#28). I also enjoy reading graphic novels and read 3 of them during NFN, including #30 above.

[Hope]

I did manage to finish the 4 books I planned for the prompts. Still working on one that I didn't tap for the challenge but I'm reading it for 'work'.

[Rebecca]

I managed to finish 5, and am still reading several others.

[Mabearbooks]

I finished 5 books for NFN, I wanted to read at least one or two more but sadly life got in the way.

[Theresa]

Turn The Page wrote: "I finished 5 books for NFN, I wanted to read at least one or two more but sadly life got in the way."
That is the story of my life! I always want to read at least one or two more.
😁

[Eiji]

I'm happy that I read all these books for NFN.

#31 There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World by Carlo Rovelli (Element).

#32 You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie (Record/Border/Secret).

#33 The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy by Jonathan Reisman (Element/Secret).

#34 Dying of Politeness: A Memoir by Geena Davis (Record).

#35 Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century by Dana Stevens (Record).

Sherman Alexie's memoir was one of my favorites for NFN - I highly recommend it! I also really enjoyed two movie-related books by Geena Davis and Dana Stevens.

[Ashley Marie]

5 stars to Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass - I can easily see myself rereading this multiple times for the rest of my life.

Hoping to knock out more of The Immortal Game: A History of Chess tonight, if not all of it. And then I'll wrap up Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India in December.

[Eiji]

NFN really motivated me to read so many books that were on my TBR list!

#36 Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer by Maya Angelou (Border).

#37 Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton [graphic novel] (Record/Secret/Border).

#38 Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhl (Record).

#39 Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome (Record).

#40 On Being Ill by Virginia Woolf (Record/Element).

I didn't get a chance to read some books that I wanted to read, but I'm close to finishing a couple more books tonight!