Whew! I can’t believe that another Nonfiction November is coming to a close. It’s been such a fun month. Thank you to everyone who wrote posts, left comments, and helped celebrate great nonfiction books. And a special thank you to this year’s co-hosts — Julie (JulzReads), Sarah (Sarah’s Book Shelves), Katie (Doing Dewey), and Rennie (What’s Nonfiction). They’re so great!
The final prompt of the month is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey, and is a chance to look back on the both and start organizing the books that have made it to your TBR list:
Week 5: (Nov. 26 to 30) – New to My TBR (Katie @ Doing Dewey): 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!
This year I specifically sought out some recommendations for great historical nonfiction during week three’s prompt, and I got some excellent suggestions. This is truly one of my biggest blind spots, so I’m grateful to have some trusted books to start with. The ones at the top of my list are:
- Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild by Lee Sandin
- Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester
- The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy by Stewart O’Nan
- King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
- The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
- Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
- An American Eclipse by David Baron
- In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
I’ve even gone so far as to add them to my “Want to Read” shelf on Goodreads, so the next time I’m perusing a bookstore or the library they’ll be top of mind. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment!
An then, of course, there were a ton of great books that caught my eye while I was out visiting participating posts. I got a lot during the first week, since I was hosting and made a point to try and comment on every post, but a few came from later weeks too. Here are a few I jotted down:
Silence: In the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge — This slim little book is all about silence, written by a man who as trekked to the North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest on foot. I’m very curious! (Reading with Jade)
Invisible by Michele Lent Hirsch — This book about navigating the world while dealing with a serious, chronic health issue seems like an important read, and just sort of fell of my radar after it came out. (Always Doing)
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey — I’ve had a bunch of people tell me this one is great, and I’ve just been resisting. I saw it on a few Nonfiction November posts, which might be the push I need to get started. (Brona’s Books)
The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb — I’m not quite sure what it is about this book that caught my attention, maybe the title? The idea of finding value in life without being extravagant is appealing to me. (A Strong Belief in Wicker)
In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson — I’m obsessed with Frankenstein and Mary Shelley, so of course another biography of the author would get on my radar this month. (Book Jotter)
A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande — I’m always looking for more memoir recommendations, this is just one of many that stuck out to me this month.(Stacked)
Sweet Spot by Amy Ettinger — How did I forget there was a book out this year about ice cream? I am going to put a reminder to read this next summer when it’s incredibly hot at awful… I’m too chilly for it now! (Musings of a Literary Wanderer)
And that’s a wrap for this week and for the month of November! Be sure to stop over at Doing Dewey to check out the other great books that were shared this month.
Next week, I’m hoping to get caught up on the rest of my blogging life, with a recap of the books I read in October and November, and some plans for the rest of the year. I’m on pace to meet my goal of blogging once a week for all of 2018, which I’m excited about. More on all of that to come!
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Thanks for hosting and here’s to another great NFN!
Nonfiction November is always good (or bad?) for my tbr list! I loved a lot of Stewart O’Nan’s novels, so I will have to check out The Circus Fire.
I haven’t read his novels, but something about that title really caught my eye. And I think a novelist taking on nonfiction like that should be really excellent!
Hope you enjoy Sweet Spot! Definitely a good summer read.
Right? Who doesn’t want to read about ice cream during the summer!
lots of tempting titles! My post will be live on Wed
My post is here: https://wordsandpeace.com/2018/11/28/nonfiction-november-2018-new-on-my-tbr/
I hope you enjoy Silence: In the Age of Noise as and when you’re able to get to it – a very thoughtful read, that’s for sure. Also, great to see you were given some interesting & varied recs when you put your call out in week 3.
I got so many good suggestions, it was great. When you’re dabbling in a genre you’re not sure about, it’s nice to hear from people who read that more what’s worth picking up and what you can skip. Candace Millard is top of the list, since I already have some of her books on my shelves.
I don’t know much about “dad nonfiction” (I love that term) but Wicked River has been on my TBR for a while and now I’m even more curious. There’s a Modest Mouse inspired by the book, which is how it got on my radar many years ago. Plus, I’m obsessed with the Mississippi.
There’s been a bunch of books this year about waterways and other geography, and how the story of those places affects them now. I haven’t read many, but I’m curious about them after seeing so many pop up.
I am inspired (and so just back from B&N) to read the Radium Girls. I will come back here and read all these posts since I seemed to let November fly right by me. Glad this project endures
Me too! It’s always a fun month 🙂
Thank you again for hosting this event. My participation was a bit of a bust but I still enjoyed focusing on nonfiction and definitely added lots of new titles to my list.
Any participation is good, thanks for joining us!