The first archaeologist that comes to mind for me is Indiana Jones. The second is Amelia Peabody, the quirky Egyptologist made famous by author Elizabeth Peters. While there are some nuggets of truth about what it means to be an archaeologist in both of those pop culture portrayals, the real lives of the people who find and preserve history are much less romantic.

In Lives in Ruins, author Marilyn Johnson digs deep to tell the stories of the archaeologists who are behind many of the historical finds being written about today. She explores the work that they do, the challenges that come with the job, and why, ultimately, the work matters to the rest of us. To do so, Johnson follows archaeologists around the world and finds the stories that we otherwise wouldn’t get to hear.

Johnson is a delightful person to follow through this story. Her persona in the book, and I assume her attitude in real life, is one of optimism and excitement. She’s game, both to try new things and to ask the kinds of questions that get real, honest answers. Having a narrator who constantly says “Yes!” really makes the book fun to read.

At the same time, Johnson doesn’t shy away from some of the difficult parts of a career as an archaeologist. The pay is bad, job security is practically nonexistent, and many people don’t see the value in preserving pieces of history if it means putting off a development or major project. Much of the work isn’t romantic, yet Johnson also preserves some of the romance of this field. Lives in Ruins is exactly the kind of entertaining and informative nonfiction that I love to read and share with others. It’s just a lot of fun.

After I finished, I was so happy to discover that Johnson is the author of two previous books that take the same approach to telling the stories behind the jobs we think we understand. In This Book is Overdue! she dives deep into the lives of librarians, while in The Death Beat, she tells the true story of the people who help write our obituary pages. While these things seem like they might be far apart, Johnson sees a wonderful connection between them:

Who cares what we leave behind? Obituary writers care, though they capture the lives of only a tiny fraction of the people who die. Librarians and archivists care as well; they try to keep the records of our civilization available and organized, though their resources shrink even as their tasks multiply. And then there are archaeologists, on their knees behind a construction fence, studying the way a foundation collapsed or an ancient skeleton crumbled. They explore uncharted territory to piece together the fragments of an unknown or disputed past. They are the ants of history, combing the earth for crumbs of cultural significance that everyone else missed. The jobs are scarce. The pay is bad. It can be nasty, difficult work, and yet the archaeologist’s life is the dream of everyone in Lives in Ruins — and for a time, it was my dream, too.

Isn’t that lovely? I can’t wait to read more of her stories.

Hooray, it’s the second week of Nonfiction November! Your official host this week is Leslie (Regular Rumination), so make sure to link up your posts on her blog.

Our topic this week is a repeat from last year and was probably my personal favorite week:

Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert: Three ways to join in this week! You can either share three 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).

Anyone who has read this blog for a length of time knows that I really love to watch football. I wasn’t always a fan, but as I watched more and started to better understand how the game works, it grew on me to the point where I regularly watch games and participate in two fantasy football leagues. I think, when played well, the game is elegant and complicated and really interesting to watch.

This year, though, it’s been really hard to be a football fan – especially a female football fan. The fact that the National Football League can go nuts in support of breast cancer awareness, but refuses to deal rationally with the epidemic of domestic violence among players is just the worst. I’ve been so down much of this season because it’s just been sad to think about the incompetence of the organization that oversees the game. To try and understand the League, as well as broader football culture in the United States, I’ve put together this reading list:

Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto by Steve Almond

In this book, out just this fall from Melville House, football fan Steve Almond explains why he has given upon the sport after 40 years as a fan. In the book he looks at many of the negative aspects of football – tolerance for violence, greed and homophobia; the effect of money on teams and players; and the increasing scientific evidence that playing football can lead to long-term physical and mental problems for players. Fellow book blogger Florinda (The 3Rs Blog) read the book and recommended it to me, so it’s high on my list.

Why Football Matters: My Education in the Game by Mark Edmundson

Also out this fall, I think Why Football Matters will be a good counterpoint to Against Football. In this book, essayist Mark Edmonson looks specifically at the lessons of youth football, using his own experience as a high school athlete as well as the experiences of his football-playing son. I’m interested in this book specifically because I think the questions about football extend beyond the professional level – I want to read more about the potential value of football to young people, especially those who never go on to play in college or at a professional level.

America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation by Michael MacCambridge

Despite the popularity of football today, it hasn’t always been the dominant sport in the United States. As I was digging around for books on the history of the game, Michael MacCambridge’s comprehensive history of football from post-World War II to the present, seemed widely recommended. The book looks at the game’s reception after World War II, how labor disputes and controversies in the 1980sna d1990s threatened the game, and how the sport came to dominate contemporary culture. I think this one will provide good context for the arguments made in other books on this list.

Fantasy Life: The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who’s Lived It by Matthew Barry

The idea of fantasy football – picking players from various teams for your personal team, to play against other fictitious teams – is pretty ridiculous. But I’m also a little addicted to it, even when my teams are terrible. According to the jacket copy for Fantasy Life, more than 35 million people in the United States and Canada participate in fantasy sports leagues. That’s a little nuts. In this book, Matthew Berry, senior fantasy sports analyst for ESPN (I can’t believe that’s a real job), looks at the range of the fantasy sports world and tries to explain why it’s a national pastime.

So there you have it – my reading list for becoming an expert on American football culture. I’ve got a lot of reading to do.

Programming Notes

• Bex (An Armchair By the Sea) is organizing a nonfiction book swap in conjunction with Nonfiction November. Check out that post for more information.
• Our readalong posts for The Restless Sleep and Cleopatra: A Life will go up on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Follow this link to find out more about the readalongs.
• Our Nonfiction November Twitter hashtag is #nonficnov. The conversation there is awesome.
• A big shout out to my co-hosts: Leslie (Regular Rumination), Katie (Doing Dewey) and Rebecca (I’m Lost In Books). Again, Leslie is your host this week so make sure to link up your discussion posts and reviews there.

Time and Place | 9 a.m. at my desk

Eating and Drinking |  Black tea and a donut (ok… two donuts)

Reading | This week was really hectic, mostly because of work and election coverage. After I finished The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg, I had a hard time settling into my next read — especially when I only had small bits of time to actually read. Yesterday I finally made some time for books and made good progress in The Restless Sleep by Stacy Horn and started and finished Rooms by Lauren Oliver (a break from nonfiction since it needs to go back to the library soon).

Watching | The boyfriend and I are trying to decide on our next television show. He’s advocating for The Sopranos, I’m still exploring options. Suggestions welcome!

Listening | I am really close to finishing Yes Please by Amy Poehler, but I’m avoiding finishing it because I’ll be sad when it’s over. Maybe I’ll get to that today.

Cooking | I have big plans in the kitchen today, starting with a slow cooker pot roast and finishing with a batch of my favorite minestrone soup.

Blogging | This week was the first week of Nonfiction November, so it was busy on the blog with the original post and my wrap up. I’m still behind on commenting on the 62 posts that were linked up this week (so great!), but I’m hoping to catch up while watching football today. I also posted a review of Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? by Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek.

Promoting | Leslie (Regular Rumination) will be the host for the second week of Nonfiction November, so make sure to check out the posts linked there. This week’s topic — Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert — was probably my favorite topic last year.

Hating | I haven’t gotten into a mental space where I can accept that we are going to get from six to 12 (maybe more) inches of snow tomorrow. Winter is here.

Loving | The boyfriend and I celebrated our sixth anniversary of dating this week — our first date was watching the 2008 election returns and going out for a drink to celebrate.

Avoiding | We’ve got a long-ish list of winter storm prep chores to get done today. I can only avoid thinking about them until the boyfriend wakes up…

Anticipating | Despite not being ready for winter, I am getting excited about the holiday season. I think it’s going to be a good one.

Guys. Guys! We had 54 posts linked up for our first week of Nonfiction November. That is just so cool. I love that there are so many people jazzed about talking about nonfiction. Thank you!

One of the common themes I saw among the posts is that people didn’t feel like they were reading enough nonfiction. While I obviously I think it’s great that people want to incorporate more nonfiction into their reading lives, I also think it’s important not to feel bad about what we do or don’t read. Pay attention to what you’re consuming, but don’t let it make you feel inadequate, ok? </rant>

Your Year in Nonfiction

Trying to recap all of those posts got out of control fast, so I decided to pull one book from each post to share, either a favorite read or a book that was frequently recommended (while trying to avoid repeats). Yes, reading this will make your TBR explode. For more information, click the link for each name that goes back to the full post. I apologize in advance if I missed anyone (and for not commenting on every post – I’m coming back this weekend)!

• The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison – Amy (Amy Reads)
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand – Amanda (Gun in Act One)
• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – Amelia (Little Thoughts About Books)
• Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty – Andi (Estella’s Revenge)
• Sweet Tooth: A Memoir by Tim Anderson – Becca (I’m Lost in Books)
• The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson — Becky (Becky’s Book Reviews)
• Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand – Beth (Too Fond)
• Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck – Bex (An Armchair By the Sea)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – Caro (A Girl That Likes Books)
• Open by Andre Agassi – Carrie (Other Womens Stories)
• Thirteen Days in September by Lawrence Wright – Christina (The Ardent Reader)
• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield– CJ (ebookclassics)
• And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts – Debi (Talking to Myself)
• Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel – Elizabeth (the dirigible plum)
• Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs by Jeremy Mercer – Ellie (Book Addicted Blonde)
• The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough – Heather (Based on a True Story)
• Quiet by Susan Cain – Heather (Capricious Reader)
• Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals About the Human Mind by Margalit Fox – hillarypat (ahorseandacarrot)
• Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine – Iris (Iris on Books)
• The Game Plan by Bill Polian – Jay (Bibliophilopolis)
• An Age of License by Lucy Knisley – Jancee (Jancee Reads)
• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman – JaneGS (Reading, Writing, Working, Playing)
• Five Days of Memorial by Sheri Fink – Jennifer (The Leaning Stack of Books) and Florinda (The 3Rs Blog)
• Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikötter – Jennifer (The Relentless Reader)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby – Julz (Julz Reads)
• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – JoAnn (Lakeside Musing)
• Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age by W. Bernard Carlson – Katherine (Writerly Reader)
• Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff – Kelly (The Well-Read Redhead)
• Packing for Mars by Mary Roach – Leah (Books Speak Volumes)
• Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim – Leila (Readers’ Oasis)
• Things I’ve Learned from Dying by David R. Dow – Lu (Regular Rumination)
• Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me by Ellen Forney – Melissa (Feminist Texan Reads)
• Handling the Truth by Beth Kephart — Melissa (Melissa Firman)
• Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch — Melissa (Avid Reader’s Musings)
• Violins of Hope by James A. Grymes – Monika (A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall)
• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – Musings from a Bookmammal
• Relish by Lucy Knisley – Napur (One Hot Stove) and Trish (Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity)
• Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott – Sarah (Sarah’s Book Shelves)
• Undress Me in the Temple of Heavenby Susan Jane Gilman – Savvy Working Girl
• The Last Lion 2: Winston Spencer Churchill Alone, 1932-40 by William R. Manchester — Semicolon
• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed – Shannon (River City Reading) and Holly (Gun in Act One)
• Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky – Sharlene (Olduvai Reads)
• The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue by David Sax – Sophie (Paper Breathers)
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson – Stefani (Keep it Wordy)
• The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr – Travis (Head Subhead)
• Born to Run by Christopher McDougall – TJ (My Book Strings)
• Pilgrim’s Wilderness by Tom Kizzia – Trisha (eclectic/eccentric)
• Is That a Fish in Your Ear? by David Bellos – Wendy (Wensend)

Reviews

We also had several people link up reviews they posted this week:

• The Life of I: The New Culture of Narcissism by Anne Manne – Brona’s Books
• Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott – Sarah’s Book Shelves
• Cannibal by Lois Jones – Julz Reads
• Glimpsing Heaven by Judy Bachrach – Julz Reads
• First Family Detail by Ronald Kessler – Sarah’s Book Shelves
• Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs by Jeremy Mercer – An Armchair By The Sea
• Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? – Sophisticated Dorkiness
• The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka — Brona’s Books
• The Collapse by Mary Elise Sarotte — My Book Strings
• French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano — Word Evidence of the Fact
• Children of the Dust Bowl by Jerry Stanley — Confessions of a Book Hoarder

Programming Notes

• NEW STUFF: Bex (An Armchair By the Sea) contacted us and asked if we were cool with her organizing a nonfiction book swap in conjunction with Nonfiction November. It sounded really fun, so check out that post for more information.
• Our readalong posts for The Restless Sleep and Cleopatra: A Life will go up on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Follow this link to find out more about the readalongs.
• If you’re talking about Nonfiction November on Twitter, please use the hashtag #nonficnov. The Twitter conversations this week have been really awesome.
• A big shout out to my co-hosts: Leslie (Regular Rumination), Katie (Doing Dewey) and Rebecca (I’m Lost In Books). Leslie will be your host next week when our topic is “Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert.”

Finally, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your enthusiasm this week. It’s been really been really amazing, and I just expect it to keep getting better.