What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?
I've read nine nonfiction books this year, and by far I've enjoyed Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates the most. It was such an important, well-written, thoughtful book, it continues to resonate with me. Several of the nonfiction books I've picked up this year have been hard for me to review in full, so you can read some minis here.
Besides Between the World and Me, I find myself recommending Lucy Knisley's latest graphic memoirs quite often. Overall, I enjoyed An Age of License, but I favored Displacement. I'm not sure I ever reviewed it (a theme this year), so here are some short thoughts:
I was completely won over. This one is about a cruise she takes with her grandparents because their health and mental states are in decline, and they need someone to help them on the trip. Lucy volunteers, and the experience is both enlightening for her and nearly heartbreaking. This one struck home so acutely for me having watched my own grandparents' decline and helping take care of them in their later years. A beautiful, beautiful book about the happiness, love, frustration, guilt and other emotions wrapped up in facing our own mortality and the mortality of those we love.
What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet?
What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
There are a few specific books on my stacks I'd like to read, and apparently, given how long they've been there, I need a little push. Namely, I want to tackle March: Book One by John Robert Lewis, et al.
I need to get to Between the World and Me. I'm trying to wait for a time when I won't be distracted when I read it but I'm beginning to think that's never going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI understand that feeling. I went into it thinking I might get distracted, but I was so sucked in...no problem.
DeleteI, too, jumped onto the Nonfiction November a bit late but have found it pushing me to read outside my usual genres. My Sunday Salon
ReplyDeleteAnd that's always a great thing! I hope you enjoy the books you pick up this month!
DeleteI am like number one million at the library for Between the world and me. I am hoping I get a huge amazon gift card for Christmas. HA I want to read more religious memoirs also. I will be checking those you mentioned out.
ReplyDeleteI'm crossing my fingers that you get that gift card because it is so stinking good.
DeleteI just read Relish, thanks library, and I'm hoping to get to a couple of Knisley's other books this month. I have Age Of License and just ordered Displacement. She's just an engaging writer/illustrator.
ReplyDeleteOh good! I just love all of her stuff, especially Relish, and I hope you like the others as well!
DeleteI am super late on NonFicNov but I figure that everyone needs some nonfiction somewhere in their TBR. Interesting you're choosing religion as a nonfic area to get into -- a lot of people would simply run the other way! :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, it tends to be endlessly interesting to me.
DeleteThanks for reminding me that I need to pick up the rest of Knisley's books. I tend to save comics/graphic novels for readathoning or bad reading slumps, though!
ReplyDeleteI do, too, but especially with Knisley, I get a hankering and MUST READ her stuff. I'm just about through all her books (maybe one left), and that makes me itchy.
DeleteI want to read Between the World and Me, and maybe I'll get to it before the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I hope you love it when you get to it.
DeleteI'm crazy for spiritual memoirs. My favorite has to be Anne Lamott.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a ton of her stuff, but I would like to read more. Bird by Bird was the first of hers I ever picked up.
DeleteI just finished Between the World and Me today on audio... totally blown away!! The author reads it himself and it is totally mesmerizing. A must read for everyone!!
ReplyDeleteRight??? I bet it is amazing on audio. I love reading his stuff in The Atlantic and watching YouTube interviews and whatnot.
DeleteYep, Between the World and Me and March are both at the top of my nonfiction TBR list. Still working on my first post for Nonfiction November. So late!
ReplyDeleteBetter late than never! Looking forward to your thoughts on Between the World and Me and March!
DeleteI guess I am unofficially participating in Nonfiction November as I finished one audiobook and one print book that are both nonfiction. I didn't even consider this event when I started them, so yay me! I definitely want to continue this trend, especially via audio. I love a good nonfiction audiobook. They make me feel so intelligent as I learn while doing something else.
ReplyDeleteGo you! I rarely listen to nonfiction audio, but I think it would work nicely for me!
DeleteThere are no deadlines in Nonfiction November - post anytime you want! Between the World and Me and anything Lucy Knisely writes are on my TBR!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lu! So glad to be participating, and yayyyy Lucy Knisley!
DeleteIf you want to read more memoirs on religion, especially conversion I would suggest Girl Meets God. Granted I read it about 10 years ago but I was a 14 year old who didn't read memoirs and I enjoyed it, if that helps anything. It's about a young woman's religious journey through Judaism and Christianity. Her mother is Christian and her father is Jewish.
ReplyDeleteBetween the World and Me was actually one of the books on my stack that Nonfiction November pushed me to finally read. I also thought it was really fantastic. It's made me think a lot and it's one of the few books I really want to re-read.
ReplyDeleteI think reading more books about people's experiences with different religions is a great idea. It seems to be such a divisive thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding a couple of books to my TBR thanks to this post, Andi. Thank you.
ReplyDeletehttp://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2015/11/nonfiction-november.html
Sprinter - ChokeLine (170BPM)
ReplyDelete