Nonfiction November 2017 is coming soon!

Nonfiction November 2017

 

I’m thrilled to be co-hosting 2017’s Nonfiction November with Katie at Doing Dewey, Lory at Emerald City Book Review, Julie at Julz Reads, and Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness! 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!

Personally, I tend to push nonfiction to the back burner in favor of the shiny, new fiction releases, so I always appreciate this month of re-focus on a genre I love, but tend to ignore sometimes. And, after this year of Fall fiction, I’ve been especially itching for a change of pace!

Hope to see you in November!

Nonfiction November Schedule of Events

Week 1 (Oct. 30 to Nov. 3)

Introductions and Your Nonfiction Year So Far (Hosted by Julie at Julz Reads)
Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? 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?

Week 2 (Nov. 6 to Nov. 10)

Nonfiction / Fiction Book Pairing (Hosted by Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves)
Pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

Week 3 (Nov. 13 to Nov. 17)

Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert (Hosted by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness)
Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert), you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you have been dying to read (ask the expert), or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert).

Week 4 (Nov. 20 to Nov. 24)

Nonfiction Favorites (Hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey)
We’ve talked about how you pick nonfiction books in previous years, but this week I’m excited to talk about what makes a book you’ve read one of your favorites. Is the topic pretty much all that matters? Are there particular ways a story can be told or particular writing styles that you love? Do you look for a light, humorous approach or do you prefer a more serious tone? Let us know what qualities make you add a nonfiction book to your list of favorites.

Week 5 (Nov. 27 to Dec. 1)

New to my TBR Hosted by (Lory at Emerald City Book Review)
It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book!

Nonfiction Book Swap Sign-Ups  

This year, we’ll be bringing back the nonfiction book swap!  If you sign up for this swap, you’re committing to sending your swap partner at least one nonfiction book (or more if you want), mailed/ordered in time to arrive by the end of November. You can send books yourself or order them and have them sent directly to your partner. Katie suggests The Book Depository as a great way to send books internationally if you and your partner are in different countries. Sign-ups will be open until Nov 3rd and Katie will do her best to have partner info to everyone by Nov 5th. Sign-up here:

Possibilities for my Nonfiction November Reading List

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (January 1, 1994)
A writing guide by a legendary writer who I’ve yet to read

Forty Autumns by Nina Willner (October 4, 2016)
The story of a family caught on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen (August 1, 1998)
A tiny “reading life” memoir by an author I’m trying to read as much of as possible

My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul (June 13, 2017)
Another “reading life” memoir…

Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild (August 16, 2016)
The book frequently mentioned as the logical next read if you liked Hillbilly Elegy

Ranger Games by Ben Blum (September 12, 2017)
An Army Ranger holds up a bank…the question is “why?”

Red Notice by Bill Browder (February 3, 2015)
A real-life “political thriller” about an American financier in Russia tangling with the Kremlin

The Futilitarians by Anne Gisleson (August 22, 2017)
A grief memoir

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (May 2, 2017)
The story of the girls who worked in the radium factories during WWI…with detrimental consequences

What are you thinking about reading for Nonfiction November? Does anyone have any thoughts on the books on my list? Which books should I kick to the top?

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

18 Comments

  1. I’m definitely going to try to participate more this year. Will there be link ups? I have one you might want too add to your list: Daring to Drive by Manal Al-sharif. It was great on audio, too!

    Posted 10.3.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yes – there will be weekly link-ups for each topic! AND – I’m listening to Daring to Drive on audio as we speak! Really enjoying (although maybe not the right word) it…kind of enraging.

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  2. Angela wrote:

    This sounds so great! Non-fiction is a genre I enjoy but definitely don’t read enough of. I hope to join you all this year!

    Posted 10.3.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Me too – I love nonfiction, but always seem to push it aside for the latest and greatest novels! Except on audio…I’m a strictly nonfiction audiobook listener.

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  3. My NF reading is still not where I would like it to be, but I’m sure that November will bring lots of potential reads to my attention. I’m looking forward to the Non-fiction/Fiction pairing. Forty Autumns and Radium Girls are on my radar already.

    Posted 10.3.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I love the pairing…it’s my favorite theme of the event 🙂 Hope you find some great books for your TBR!

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  4. “Strangers” is definitely worth a read. I should really read something by Anna Quindlen, and I love reading memoirs, so that sounds good.

    Posted 10.3.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I adored her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake…her outlook on life is just so rational and down to earth.

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  5. I enjoyed this so much last year. And I’ve been looking forward to this year ever since! Forty Autumns is amazing! I was really affected by it. Great look at what happens to families when you build a WALL to separate them.

    I want to get in on this book swap business – what’s the best/easiest way to create a list?

    I’ve never liked November but now it’s one of my favourite months.

    Posted 10.3.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      You’re the reason I’m going to read Forty Autumns!!

      And you can sign up for the book swap using the Google form embedded in the post.

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  6. Catherine wrote:

    Oh boy…I’m going to try this and hope I do better than I did last year!

    I love the Anne Lamott book. I’m curious about the Quindlen- I didn’t she’d written non-fiction!

    Posted 10.4.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      OMG – get Anna Quindlen’s memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake immediately! Her outlook on life is just so down to earth.

      Posted 10.4.17 Reply
  7. Cori R. wrote:

    I just signed up! This will be my first year joining this Book Swap. I loved looking for Nonfictions I want to read. It challenged me since I don’t normally read a ton of Nonfiction.

    Posted 10.14.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Great to hear! And I need the push of this event to read nonfiction too!

      Posted 10.17.17 Reply

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Join our mailing list to receive all new blog posts in one weekly email. Plus, news of special updates and offers!

You have Successfully Subscribed!