That's a wrap for 2022!

[Olive]

Hi friends!

As I post this, it's the final day of Nonfiction November 2022, and I'm dying to know how your reading month went! Once you've finished up your books, I'd love it if you could post an update about how the month went for you - what books were your favorites? Any surprises/disappointments? Did you take on the challenges and, if so, were you successful?

Thanks so much for joining me for another year of celebrating nonfiction! It's always so much fun seeing everyone get excited and expanding their reading horizons.

I'll be back to host again next year - if you think you want to participate again in 2023, simply remain a member of this Goodreads group since it's the same every year, I just update it to keep it current.

In the meantime, I'll be talking nonfiction books on a regular basis over on my booktube channel and here on Goodreads, if you'd like to stay in contact. Thanks again everyone! ♥

[Penelope]

Unfortately I had a personal setback this month which rather threw me. I did not stop reading but just didn’t have time to finish anything nonfiction. I will continue with the three books I have on the go and will certainly keep in touch with your updates. Thanks for the interesting entries both here and on Utube.

[nx74defiant]

Penelope wrote: "Unfortately I had a personal setback this month which rather threw me. I did not stop reading but just didn’t have time to finish anything nonfiction. I will continue with the three books I have on..."

November was a rough month for me too. Hopefully December will bring better things.

I was able to finish 5 non-fiction books: Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game; Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion; A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea; Clean: The New Science of Skin and We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World

[Misa]

That was fun and really helpful for I had a number of Nonfiction books that I wanted to read and thanks to this group, I was able to finish some. I liked it and I think that I will be reading more Nonfictions each month. I was able to finish 7 books and I'm still reading one.

[Nancy]

I started out really well and read one book for each prompt. I began a few more, planning to read at least two for each prompt, got well into most of them, and then got really ill and slowed down radically.

I was not at all disappointed by any of the books I’ve read—in whole or in part—so far and plan to read all of the books on my original TBR and those I added during the course of the month.

I think this year’s were the best prompts so far, but I may have thought that before. Nonfiction November always does have the best prompts. As this is not the first year I’ve gotten too ill to follow through on my NFN plans, I think I may just use the prompts for inspiration until next November, when there will be a new set of prompts to inspire me for months.

[Rebecca]

I read 5 short nonfiction books this month. Most of them were only ok, but I had fun seeing what everyone else was reading. I'm still working on reading the longer nonfiction books as well.
1. The Life of Guy: secret
2. Catching the Light by Joy Harjo: elements
3. My First Popsicle An Anthology of Food and Feelings: borders
4. Dickens and Prince A Unique kind of Genius: record
5. Let's Get Blitzen 60+ holiday favorite cocktails: elements
Catching the Light by Joy Harjo was my favorite of the five, 5 star book, and quite a lovely reading experience. Dickens and Prince was interesting but scattered in style. Still not sure that he really made a point with that book. Let's Get Blitzen has fun cocktail recipes but is the least user friendly cocktail book I've read. My First Popsicle was a disappointing essay anthology. I enjoyed some of the essays but have already forgotten all of the authors' names, which is never a good sign given how I usually remember the majority of the information I read. Apologizing for factual inaccuracies and errors at the beginning of your book is never a good sign, and that's exactly what Metcalf did at the beginning of The Life of Guy.
I hope to join you all again next November! I always look forward to this reading challenge!

[Robynne]

I started several NF books but was finally only able to finish ONE NF books - but at least I finished.

That book was The Radium Girls. I gave it 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but did not love it. It was actually quite sad.

[Andrea]

This was my first nonfiction November and I’m glad I participated. I knew going in I might not get through all four because I would be busy reading and editing political positions papers this particular month. I read The God Equation by Michio Kaku for Secret and The End of Nature by Bill McKibben for Element. They turned out not to be my favorite books of all time, but that’s OK! I started Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano for Border and I am loving it, though the history he is telling is horrific. October by China Mieville, meant for Record, stays on my TBR.

[Ron]

Rebecca wrote: Catching the Light by Joy Harjo was my favorite of the five, 5 star book, and quite a lovely reading experience.

Oh nice. I read this one for NFN too. It was very serene, at least that's how I felt when reading it. Definitely enjoyed it though for sure.

[Ron]

Participating in Nonfiction November was great. This was my second year and I had a blast. I managed to get in 6 books including two DNF's because I ran out of time on those so overall I was satisfied with my goals.

*****

These are the ones I read:

Catching the Light

An American Sunrise

Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature: Exploring Real Struggles through Fictional Characters

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

Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse

DNF:

Fire and Flood: A People's History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present

Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament
******

Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse was my favorite. I had such a fun time with it because it was about a fan discussing fandoms which I totally loved and could relate to.

*****

I managed 3 of the 4 prompts. The only one I missed was 'Border'. Certainly had a difficult time with this one. I didn't want to do the traditional border like border towns, cities, state lines, etc. I'm the type of reader that just knows it when I see it and I didn't find a vibe with this one.

Loved the other prompts though.

[Ashley Marie]

Thanks for hosting this, Olive! I'll definitely stick around for next year's challenge too.

Finished:
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 - Record - 4 stars

Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism - Border - 5 stars

An American Sunrise - Element - 5 stars

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement - Secret - 4 stars

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators - Secret - 4 stars

Braiding Sweetgrass - Element - 5 stars

[Linda]

I 9nly read 2. Bo4n a Crime bt Treva Noah This is what is sounds like. I have 3 others that I will read next month. My library holds didnt come in, in time fo4 NFN

[Joanne]

I had hoped to read more, but once again life got in the way. Lordie, I will be glad to start a new year, this one has been a beast for me.

I did complete:

Longshot: The Inside Story of the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II

[Melissa]

I started with Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox, which is a graphic memoir of Hancox journey to his truest self. (Record)

Followed by which is a profile of 10 gun deaths in one day and talks about the circumstances and policies around each death. (Record)

Followed by , which is a sociological look at why white people in middle and south US vote for policies and politicians that are against their best interests and the fallout that comes from those votes. (Border, as the three states featured in the book share borders)

Followed by which looks at the concussion epidemic in American football as seen through a family dealing with the suicide of their son/brother/boyfriend who had CTE from playing tackle football from the age of 8 to 18. (Secret, as Zac kept his CTE symptoms from his family)

Followed by which is a historical treatment of the Blizzard of 1888 that killed hundreds of people and animals. (Element)

Finally, ended with which is the memoir of Mark Stuart, one of the founding members and former lead singer of the Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline. Stuart left the band in the mid-2000s due to suffering from an incurable vocal disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. He is now the leader of the Hands & Feet charity. (Record in honor of AA's original front man)

[nx74defiant]

Robynne wrote: "I started several NF books but was finally only able to finish ONE NF books - but at least I finished.

That book was The Radium Girls. I gave it 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but did not love it. It was..."

I am interested in reading The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women too, but I know that it is a tragic story.

[Angela]

I did the challenges and succeeded. Usually I veer off. I read almost nothing but nonfiction during the month, which I loved. This is solidly my favorite reading event every year. I have even decided to pus it into December and have started a history nonfiction called On Christmas in Washington, which is about the forging of the great alliance in WW2. I am almost halfway and am really enjoying it.

Thanks, Olive, for all the hard work you put into this every year!

[Diana S]

I was only able to read one NF this month.
The Taking of Jemima Boone: The True Story of the Kidnap and Rescue That Shaped Americaby Matthew Pearl ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks Olive for the invite

[Kallie]

I focused on reading only nonfiction, though a couple fiction library holds came due so those slipped in. I had a lot of fun going through my TBR for nonfiction titles, though I didn't curate them to the prompts.

Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood
The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life

Thanks for hosting Olive, I think a lot of my backlist is from your recommendations.