Welcome to Nonfiction November 2019! I’m thrilled to be co-hosting this year’s Nonfiction November with Katie at Doing Dewey, Rennie at What’s Nonfiction?, Julie at Julz Reads, and Leann at Shelf Aware!!
Nonfiction November is a month dedicated to celebrating nonfiction…we’ll talk about our favorites, trade recommendations, discuss our nonfiction reading habits, and hopefully discover some new book blogs! There will be a link-up for your posts every Monday…go here for the schedule of events and where to find the link-ups. Here’s my year of nonfiction so far…
Hop over to Julz Reads to link up your introductory post!
My Year of Nonfiction
So far this year, I’ve read 22 Nonfiction books (31% of my total books read), 15 of which were audiobooks. This is down 19% from last year’s 27 Nonfiction books at the same point in the year.
Here’s what makes me sad…my nonfiction reading has dropped over the past 2 years. I listen to a lot more podcasts than I used to and I do much of my nonfiction “reading” on audio, so I know that’s a contributing factor. But, I want to make a concerted effort to choose to read more nonfiction in print next year because I truly do love the genre.
Favorite Nonfiction of 2019 So Far
Overall Favorite Nonfiction of 2019
- The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
by Garrett M. Graff (my review)
- Wild Game
by Adrienne Brodeur (my review)
Favorite Nonfiction Audiobook of 2019
I Miss You When I Blink
Most Recommended Nonfiction of 2019
- The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
- I Miss You When I Blink
- Inheritance
- Wild Game
This year, I’ve read a lot of…
Memoirs and essay collections…and the types have been all over the map. I’ve hit:
- Books about Pat Conroy (The Lost Prince and Our Prince of Scribes)
- Food (Save Me the Plums and Delancey)
- Motherhood / Grandmotherhood (Operating Instructions, Nanaville, and I Miss You When I Blink)
- Sexuality (Out East)
- Political (Becoming)
- Celebrity Memoir (This Will Only Hurt a Little)
My Tentative Nonfiction November TBR List
Who knows how many of these I’ll actually get to and things will also depend on library holds coming in…
- The Year of Magical Thinking
- Evicted
- The Other Wes Moore
- She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
And, I need something light and fun to balance out all these serious books, so let me know if you have any recommendations! I just realized my original pick (Inside Edge by Christine Brennan) is not available in e-book or audio format…and the paperback is $23 on Amazon!
What are your favorite Nonfiction books so far this year?
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I also enjoyed Wild Game! It was really disturbing, tho.
I’ve got to get to Wild Game!
I think I need to read Inheritance this month. Did you read or listen to it and do you recommend one format over the other?
I loved Inheritance on audio!!!
For a fun (and funny) lighter non-fiction, I really enjoyed this one on audio:
Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life by Annie Spence
Inheritance is my favorite NF so far this year. I have the 9/11 book and will start it post-World Series.
I have gotten so many recommendations from you this year from your podcast! And I think about reading I Miss You When I Blink basically every day and I still haven’t done it!
I so get what you’re saying about needing something light to read – I had to watch Bake Off after John Oliver last night! I think the only ‘light’ nonfiction I’ve read this year is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic which is old and you’ve probably already read it! What about a good ol’ movie star bio? Ingrid Bergman? Ava Gardner? Zsa Zsa! Ohhh The Hiltons by J. Randy Taraborrelli? Honestly, anything by him is great.
The Only Plane in the Sky is patiently waiting in my book stack. I thumbed through the photos in the book and it makes me want to read it even more. I Miss You When I Blink is going to be coming up soon in my library holds. Inheritance along with all her books are on my radar. I just need to choose one and read it.
Currently reading The Only Plane in the Sky. I’m only about 15% in but I really like it so far. I Miss You When I Blink is on my TBR list.
I love Pat Conroy so much, his fictional works. I was so sad when he passed away. I know that his wife is writing or has written about her life with him, and I am planning on reading that one. It looks like you had a pretty good nonfiction reading year so far. 🙂
Adding The Only Plane in the Sky and I Miss You When I Blink right now…getting a long list from all the participants from this event so far. Don’t know when I’ll read them, though. Maybe they’ll be like those Inspector Ganache 😉 novels that I’ll never get to.
Ooh, I’m so excited for you to read Joan Didion’s book!
I just finished Reichl’s Save Me the Plums. It’s my new second favorite of her books, right behind Garlic and Sapphires.
The Only Plane in the Sky is on my TBR for this month – I ended up buying a copy because I didn’t want to wait for the library hold to come in!
Underland A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane
I want to read The Only Plane in the Sky but have been holding off because I’m sure it’s going to be emotionally brutal. Glad to hear it comes so highly recommended from you!
Really lovely graphics… I think I have seen The Only Plane In The Sky on at least ten other lists, I must make an effort to read this one. Cheers to a great month of NF reads. Here is My Year in NonFiction
Some great NF recommendations!
My light NF rec for you is My Friend Anna! Great on audio, too.
Thanks for co-hosting this, Sarah! I’m thrilled to have discovered it since I’m such an avid reader of nonfiction. (Podcasts have cut into my nonfiction reading too, alas.) I’ve heard good things about The Only Plane in the Sky, but I’ve wondered if it would be too sad for me. After reading your review, I think maybe it would. 🙁 Becoming is one of my favorite reads of the year.
I’ve heard good things about both I Miss You When I Blink & Inheritance, so I can see why you’ve recommended them the most (alongside others).
Happy reading this month!
The Only Plane in the Sky is calling to me though I know it’s going to be tough to read.
I’m currently reading Becoming – a tremendous book which has only served to increase the level of admiration I had already for Michelle
I’m hoping to read Inheritance this month. Thanks for sharing your recommendations
Please stop by to see my Introduction to NonFicNov
I listened to “Maybe you should talk to someone” and loved it. It was deep but I felt happy and better after listening. Also, listened to Becoming since Michelle is the reader. Other nonfiction, Sound of Gravel and The Polygamist’s Daughter were very well done on the extremist Mormon culture. Educated by Tara Westover was one I could not stop listening to. I find myself listening to more nonfiction than reading it these days as well.
Some great diverse reading here. I do print and ebooks not audio books but my husband, who is a big audio book reader, says he can’t read non-fiction in that way as he can’t follow it so well. Do you find fiction and non-fiction audios to read differently?
I’m keen to read some more non-fiction next year and this seems like the perfect list to start with – thanks for sharing!
I’ve seen I Miss You When I Blink a lot so far. Must be good. Hadn’t heard of it.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts on Evicted; I thought it was very impressive! And I’ve not read She Said, but that sounds interesting and timely as well. I hope it’s good 🙂