NONFICTION NOVEMBER 2019: Week 1
Although I’m a little late out of the gate for this event (if you need an introduction to Nonfiction November, please visit the original post on Julie Merilatt’s blog JulzReads; Julz is also hosting this first week) I hope to keep up as the month progresses.
Here’s the list of nonfiction books I’ve read since last November, from my highest rating to my lowest. I’ve included an asterisk next to those that I read at the urging of my fellow event participants.
1. *Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
2. My Wedding Dress: True-Life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears and Tulle edited by Susan Whelan and Anne Laurel Carter
3. *Micro Living: 40 Innovative Tiny Houses Equipped for Full-Time Living by Derek “Deek” Diedriksen
4. The Golden Age of Murder: the Mystery Writers Who Invented the Modern Detective Story by Martin Edwards
5. The Clever Gut Diet: How to Revolutionize Your Body from the Inside Out by Dr. Michael Mosley
6. *The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
7. *Year of Clutter by Eve Schaub
8. *Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World by Benny Lewis
9. Marty Mann Answers Your Questions about Drinking and Alcoholism by Marty Mann
10. *Tree Houses: Fairy Tale Castles in the Air by Philip Jodidio
11. *A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives by Lisa Congdon
12. The Blue Satin Nightgown: My French Makeover at Age 78 by Karin Crilly
13. *Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
And two I did not finish:
* The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delaney Begins Her Life’s Work at 72 by Molly Peacock
All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay
Favourite and Most Recommended
The title of ‘favourite’ is a close race between My Wedding Dress and Micro Living, but, honestly, the book I recommended most was Dr. Suess’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. It probably seems flighty of me but I found some profound life advice in this book. You know: life is wonderful. Until it’s not. But pick yourself up, work hard, have patience, and life will be wonderful again, although perhaps in a different way. This book is so much fun to read that I think everyone should!
While many participants seem to have been reading memoirs, my nonfiction treats this past year have been, in large part, books recommended to me during last year’s event. I asked for advice on downsizing, simplifying, and major life changes after age 60. I received many suggestions, and have had some fine reading experiences this year because of them.
This year, I hope to broaden my nonfiction reading and beef up my TBR list with titles about a wider variety of topics. I feel a good month coming on!
P.S. The links are affiliate links so I will receive a small percentage of any purchase you make after clicking through from this blog.
You can never go wrong with Dr. Seuss!
Are you going to downsize to a tiny house? We recently sold our big house in NY and bought one less than half the size in SWFL. We won’t move in until renovations are complete, but I was surprised by the feeling of freedom that came with paring down 30 years worth of accumulated stuff. Good luck with your transition
We’re looking at less than 1,000 sq ft, from having about 2,300, JoAnn. Yes, there is a surprising liberation that comes from putting long-owned items in a ‘donate’ box. And – I find – especially from walking by ‘pretty things’ for sale – because nothing new is coming into the house. Good luck with your move, too. 🙂
I had no idea that the Dr Seuss book was that good, though I should have known since it always sold well at the bookstore where I used to work. Enjoy your upcoming non-fiction reading!
I’m glad you enjoyed the Congdon and Schaub books. Did Hay’s memoir hit too close to home?
Actually, Rebecca, even though Hay is one of my MRE authors, I found the tone of memoir too whiny. I think that, as I get older, my mood is affecting how I feel about what I’m reading – so, it could have been me.
I’m intrigued by that Fluent in 3 months book having struggled for years to gain enough confidence to actually say anything in French (I can write it ok…).
Year of Less is now sitting in my Kindle library thanks to your recommendation.
I do hope you like Year of Less, Karen. The author also had a website on the subject at caitflanders.com. She is currently in the process of archiving all of her posts into PDF documents, and deleting the contents of the blog. I’m not sure if she will offer the PDFs for sale.