Nonfiction November discussion
2022
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We're halfway through - how's your reading going?
Hi, Olive.I finished The Vanishing Velázquez by Laura Cumming and am almost finished with Human in Death by Kecia Ali. I think that I will soon start Quiet by Susan Cain.
Happy reading,
Kay Webb Harrison
I have read "Boldly Go" by William Shatner, Lauren Graham's original memoir, awaiting her new one.."The honey bus" by Meredith Schorr, currently listening to "The Shining Girls", and still want to read the music book you had on a recent video, the new one with all the colors on it, and possibly the new Michelle Obama book coming out. who knew nonfiction could be so rewarding to read?! so glad I joined this challenge ☺️
My plans fell overboard as I started to buddyread Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures with a some people on discord haha. So ehm yeah reading that still and hope to pick up a book from my original tbr after that
I am currently reading
because I am going to see the movie this weekend. I wasn't sure how much nonfiction I would be getting to and I don't set a tbr because I am a mood reader and I don't stick to a tbr. I was hoping to at least read one nonfiction book this month and this is it. I just started it, so I am not very far into it but I think it's going to be a good book.
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. Only half way through. Love Mary Beard and I realise it's the third I have read of hers this year.Also reading It All Tastes of Farewell: Diaries, 1964–1970 by Brigitte Reimann. She is a very sad person so heavy going although very good.
I didn’t really enjoy my first couple reads of the month, but I just started reading How Dare the Sun Rise today (I’m about 10% in), and it is so powerful so far!
I read Long Road: Pearl Jam and the soundtrack of a generation by Steven Hayden. I found it interesting and nostalgic. I have a few others on the go but things are getting busy at work. I’m hoping to finish The Great Halifax Explosion by John U Bacon, and The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher.
I've put together a shelf for the group challenge because I'm doing fairly well across the prompts, so I may try for eight total - two of each.Record - The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 ✅
Element - An American Sunrise ✅
Border - Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism ✅
Secret - She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement ✅
Currently reading Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators as a companion to She Said, to get the fuller picture - there was so much going on during this investigation!
So far I'm moving along. I finished 2 booksWhy Not Me? and Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman's Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim almost done with my 3rd Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of IslamI'm planning to start my 4th on my tbr If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran while I am waiting with a friend today at a Dr appt.
I'm meeting all my goals. My last prompt is secret & I'm reading Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty now. I wanted to read 6 books for November but it looks like I'll complete 7 books. Thank You Olive for hosting this yearly.
I finished books for three of the four prompts- Rogues: True stories of grifters, killers, and crooks by Patrick Darren Keefe for RECORD;
- Paradise Falls: The true story of an environmental catastrophe by Keith O'Brien for ELEMENT; and
- The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl: How two brave scientists battled typhus and sabotaged the Nazis by Arthur Allen.
I'm still reading
- Auntie's War: The BBC during the second world war by Edward Stourton for the RECORD prompt (I'm not doing nearly as well reading print books as I am ebooks); and
- Italian Neighbors by Tim Parks for BORDER.
And I've decided to begin Dispatches from Dystopia: Histories of places not yet forgotten by Kate Brown, also for BORDER.
I've been reading more slowly than I'd planned, but I'm still hoping to finish these and at least a few others before the end of the month. There's nothing on my TBR that I don't want very much to read, so I'll be continuing on until I'm done, although after November I'll also again be reading some fiction as well. I'm loving having a totally nonfiction NonFiction November and look forward to doing it again.
I've finished 2 nonfiction books so far:The Life of Guy by Metcalf for Secret
Catching the Light by Joy Harjo for elements.
starting My First Popsicle An Anthology of Food and Feelings
Continuing to read The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Trueman.
Kay Webb wrote: I think that I will soon start Quiet by Susan CainI hope you enjoy this one. I have several copies of it. Certainly one of my favorite books. As an introvert myself, it helped me make a lot of sense of the world around me. It might just be time for a re-read.
Melissa wrote: who knew nonfiction could be so rewarding to read?! so glad I joined this challengeGlad you're enjoying it. I've been a nonfiction reader since I was 12 and while I read fiction, I find that a lot more challenging. There are so many great nonfiction books out there, it's all a matter of finding the ones that fit for you.
Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading because I am going to see the movie this weekend. I wasn't sure how much non..."That's awesome! I'm anxious to see the movie too. Don't know when I'll get the chance though. I really enjoyed the book, which I read about a year ago. It's certainly one I want to re-read at some point though.
Ashley Marie wrote: "I've put together a shelf for the group challenge because I'm doing fairly well across the prompts, so I may try for eight total - two of each.I've done the same. I have a shelf on my TBR cart specifically for the ones I've read. 8 is my goal too.
So far my reading is going fairly well. I'm currently at 6 books and wish I could have done more but the books I read are over 300 pages and I'm an annotator so that takes a while. I might just use some of those books though to add to my count because I know I won't finish them. I don't know if that's cheating or not. LOL. My goal though is 8 so I think I'll manage.*****
In terms of what I've read so far, here's my list:
NF Graphic Novels:
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
Everything Is OK
Record:
Roswell: The Ultimate Cold Case: Eyewitness Testimony and Evidence of Contact and the Cover-Up
This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You
Element:
An American Sunrise
Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters
Border:
N/A or TBD
Secret:
Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse
General:
Catching the Light
*****
My current read is The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture . This one is over 500 pgs so I'll be adding it to my count, again because I'm annotating.
So far I have read Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing for border and Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love for secret. I am currently reading The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II for element. I may not get to 4. But 3 non-fiction books is much better than I usually do in a month.
I just finished Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II, probably my one and only. I got sick with the god awful flu going around and even reading hurt. It was a 4-5 str read, well worth it, if you have time for one more book.I enjoyed my 1st time at Non-Fiction November and will return again!
Currently working hard on the prompts but enjoying it so much!Border - Solito by Javier Zamora = DONE
Secret - Lab Girl by Hope Jahren = DONE
But working on the other two:
Record - The Marriage Bureau: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London by Penrose Halson
Element - In Waves by AJ Dungo
P.S.
Also kinda double dipping and trying to read a Native Writer so I am listening to Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot as an audiobook.
So far my reading has been a mixed bag of enjoyment. I've read 4 books out of my goal of 10, and I have 2 books underway. I might end up needing to change my goal depending on how the rest of the month goes.My favorite two reads have been Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands and This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You. I didn't enjoy The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy as much as I was hoping to.
Hope everyone enjoys the second half of nonfiction November!
I'm doing OK plodding along nicely I guess. I just finished a fun little book that I was asked by the author to review. it's called Dinner's In The Dog And Other Sod's Law Stories by M.S Saxon. it's filled with wise cracking jokes and stories and fun illustrations. I'm hoping to fit in a few more books if I can by the end of the month. Wish me luck!
So far I've read : (I'm not taking into account the prompts)* The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
* The Choice by Edith Eger
* If Only They Could Talk: The Classic Memoirs Of A 1930s Vet by James Herriot
Right now I'm reading Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, that will probably be my last NF book for this month.
I'm on my third book and my goal is at least four - one for every prompt! Secret - The Ring of Truth: And Other Myths of Sex and Jewelry
Border - The Modern Bestiary: A Curated Collection of Wondrous Creatures
Record - The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves
I have finished The God Equation by Michio Kaku for Secret and The End of Nature by Bill McKibben of 350.org, his first book focusing on global heating, for Element. Now I am reading Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano for Border. His writing is so beautiful and the story he is telling is so angry-making!
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* The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
* The Choice by Edith Eger
* If Only They Could Talk: The Clas..."
How was If Only They Could Talk? That sounds so fascinating!
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Luck!!! You've got this 😊
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Oh no, that flu sounds awful. Hope you're feeling better & well done on a successful NFN!
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3 is a fabulous number of books for NFN! How was Inheritance? I've been thinking about reading that for a long time.
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because I am going to see the movie this weekend. I wasn't ..."I feel like I need to give She Said a reread before going to see the movie so I can have the events fresh on the brain. I'm really excited to see it, though - all the trailers for it have been great!
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I'm overjoyed that it's been a good experience for you!
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My pleasure - and well done with all your reading!
Olive wrote: "Christine wrote: "So far I've read : (I'm not taking into account the prompts)* The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
* The Choice by Edith Eger
* If Only They Co..."
It was quite a disappointment to be honest. He wrote more about his boss (and his brother), their secretary, the weather, the owners of the animals than about the animals themselves and the treatment he gave them. I don't DNF very quickly (almost never) but I was struggling with this one.
How's your NF November going Olive ?
Olive wrote: "Milena wrote: "So far I have read Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing for border and Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love for secret. I am..."It was really good. Brings up so many interesting ethical dilemmas.
Mod
* The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
* The Choice by Edith Eger
* I..."
Aw, man. That stinks! You would think he'd talk about his work as a vet, especially since the book has a title like that.
My NFN is going well, surprisingly! Most years I feel like I get too busy with running the event and making content (on top of all of life's other demands) and I don't get to focus on my reading, but I've found a much better balance this year. I just recently finished a five star nonfiction book, my first of the month - I've Had to Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton. I'm always in a perkier mood after reading a great book 😂
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That sounds great! I'll have to prioritize that one in 2023.
Olive wrote: "Ron wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading because I am going to see the movie this weeken..."Ron wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading
because I am going to see the movie this weekend. I wasn't ..."I saw She Said yesterday. I thought it was very good. I thought the cast did a great job.
I finished
. I gave it five stars and it is such an important read. If anyone needs to, I recommend looking up trigger warnings for this book. I think this one fits the Record prompt. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, reporters for the New York Times, recorded these womens experiences to help expose Harvey Weinstein and lead to his trial and prison sentence.
I have read two books. It was my goal. I read Matthew Perry's new book. I really liked it. I read Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker. I really liked this book because I felt it was not a book about lose weight, but to have body positive. I am now reading her book called Landwhale. I won't finish Catch and Kill before November. I have a few military books to read.
I'm on my 4th book, excluding a DNF (oups!)I've read "The Woman Who Smashed Codes", "How to Keep House While Drowning", "Idiots". I'm currently taking my sweet sweet time with "Policing Black Lives" since it's dense and I have to takes some breaks. I think I will end the month with it, or I'm planning to read a Parent book next (a french canadian one)
Olive wrote: "Christine wrote: "Olive wrote: "Christine wrote: "So far I've read : (I'm not taking into account the prompts)* The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
* The Choice b..."
I'm glad you found a better balance this year between organizing the event and your own reading :) I want to thank you Olive for organizing such an event each year :))
This has been quite a good three weeks (posting this on 21 Nov). Read five books & completed the four prompts. Almost finished with book # 6 and then for the last week only one book left on my TBR of 8 books (one book turned out to be a collection of fictional stories rather than essays. Oops.) And even managed to post an Instragram pic (almost) every day.
So far I've hit a reading slump. Only at 6 books and I had hoped to have read more. Guess six will have to do. If I can read more than great but if not I'm okay with it at this point.Right now though, I need some distractions so reading seems like a good outlet. A close friend passed away a couple of days ago so things have been rough.
Ron wrote: "So far I've hit a reading slump. Only at 6 books and I had hoped to have read more. Guess six will have to do. If I can read more than great but if not I'm okay with it at this point.Right now th..."
Sorry to hear that. Sometimes life gets in the way of reading and that's okay.
I ended up starting a second book Longshot: The Inside Story of the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine, which I will finish, really good
Theresa wrote: Sorry to hear that. Sometimes life gets in the way of reading and that's okay"Yeah. It hasn't been that long since they died. I just wish I could have a distraction of some sort now.
I think I'll end up starting Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament . This one I'm putting under record because there's evidence of this.
5 nonfiction books down, and want to read 2 more this month! wow, never read so much nonfiction!❤️thx for this challenge Olive!!
I've not made a massive dent in my non-fiction TBR yet. For Record, I've read a couple of biographies - Dying of politeness by Geena Davis and Apparently There Were Complaints by Sharon Gless.
For Border, so far I've read Francesca Martinez's What the **** is normal? and I've still got Africa is Not a Country and The Terminal Man to read. I'm being very slow this month!
For Secret, another biography, Maria Toorpakai's A Different Kind of Daughter, which is about living as a boy while playing sports in Pakistan, hiding from the Taliban. I still have The Secret Life of the English Language to go.
I haven't even started my Element books yet. Those are Roger Deakin's Waterlog and Sean Carroll's The Particle at the End of the Universe.
So little time... so many books. And that's definitely not a complaint! I'm loving this challenge...thanks Olive.
Well, I might not hit my goal of 8 but oh well. Time just flew by. At least I got to 7.Didn't complete the 'border' challenge. That one was a bit harder than I thought since I didn't want to do the traditional border stuff (like border between states or countries thing).
So it seems my final book will have been 'Touched With Fire'.
Nonfiction November
Books mentioned in this topic
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 (other topics)Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India (other topics)
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (other topics)
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (other topics)
Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Beard (other topics)Brigitte Reimann (other topics)
It's hard to believe, but November is halfway over, meaning we're starting the second half of Nonfiction November. I'm curious - how's your reading going? How many books have you read so far? Have you enjoyed what you've read? Are you on track to meet your goals?
Don't forget that participation only requires reading one nonfiction book during November and you can start whenever you want, so if the first half of the month didn't go your way, you have plenty of time for some great nonfiction reading!
Myself, I'm finishing up two of my TBR books, Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life and Like, Comment, Subscribe: How YouTube Drives Google's Dominance and Controls Our Culture, both of which are very compelling! I'm also still reading a handful of books for a video I'm working on that should be out toward the end of the month.
Hope you all are doing well! ♥