October 24, 2021

Nonfiction November 2021

 

It's that time of year for one of my favorite reading challenges! I enjoy nonfiction, but don't read enough of it throughout the year, so it's especially nice to spend an entire month focusing on memoirs, biographies, travel essays and history. My involvement is pretty low key, as I don't usually participate in the weekly events, but for those interested, you can find all the details on Katie's blog (Doing Dewey).


My stack of books is overly optimistic since I rarely read more than 4-6 books a month (and one of those is usually a book group selection), not to mention that Thanksgiving will be a bit more hectic than it was last year. But it will be fun to see how many of these books I finish before December. Wish me luck!

Have you read any of these? I should probably start with the ones that have been on my shelves for the longest time, right? 

29 comments:

  1. I'm not joining in on the weekly events either, but I do want to read some nonfiction because I haven't read much this year.

    I have a few books lined up but may add more.

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    1. Vicki, I will probably continue with these books on into December. I really do enjoy nonfiction and don't know why I tend to focus on fiction more.

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  2. I've only read Save Me the Plums (I liked it). I feel like I've done NF October - reading about 6 NF this month - weird how that happens and they were all really good too. Hope November NF goes well for you.

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    1. Diane, you have read a lot of nonfiction this fall, haven't you? I'm hoping to wrap up the last of my RIP books so I can dive into the nonfiction on Nov. 1st.

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  3. I loved The Splendid and the Vile! I haven't read any of the others, but I really liked Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone, so Save Me the Plums sounds good, and she must have been thinking about William Carlos Williams' poem!
    This Is Just To Say
    BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
    I have eaten
    the plums
    that were in
    the icebox

    and which
    you were probably
    saving
    for breakfast

    Forgive me
    they were delicious
    so sweet
    and so cold

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    1. Jenclair, thanks for sharing the poem! I like plums, but rarely buy them since they're either unripe or too ripe when I bite into one.

      I'm looking forward to reading The Splendid and the Vile, as so many bloggers have raved about it. My husband thought it was very good, too.

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  4. As much as I've been enjoying R.I.P. I'm already thinking about Nonfiction November and a couple of other upcoming reading challenges. I've not read any of these books so would love to hear what you think of them. I hope all the books you read will be wonderful ones!

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    1. Iliana, I feel the same about the RIP challenge and Nonfiction November. Two months of mysteries and thrillers has been fun, but I'm looking forward to a change next week.

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  5. The Splendid and the Vile was a very enjoyable read/listen combo earlier this year. I really enjoyed the audio of Save Me the Plums, too. A Homemade Life was the first in a series of summer book club meetings where everyone brought a recipe from the book for a pot luck. (I miss my NY boo club!) I liked I Miss You When I Blink, and you can never go wrong with Anna Quindlan! I hope to post a list of possibilities later this week... and an RIP wrap-up, too.

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    1. JoAnn, I know how much you enjoyed The Splendid and the Vile and hope to get to it next week. I have Save Me the Plums on audio, but I'm still listening to The Outsiders (Stephen King), so it'll be a while before I get to that one. I'm probably going to spend two months on these nonfiction selections since November will be hectic with visitors.

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  6. I’ve not read that Larsen but he is pretty reliable.
    I couldn’t finish the Reichl- just didn’t work for me.
    I’ve been wanting to read Untamed.
    I just finished Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller which I really enjoyed even though I never followed his bands. Not a typical rocket. And I gave Ron Howard’s The Boys all lines up to listen to next. I feel I’ve read some good NF this year.

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    1. Raidergirl, my husband is a big fan of Larson's books, so I'm eager to start in on it. Sorry to hear Reichl's book wasn't a winner for you. I read Tender at the Bone many years ago and thought it was good, but I didn't love it, so we'll see how it goes with this one. I'll have to look into the two you've mentioned. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  7. I always do Week 1 and Week 5, which used to be Week 4, but they added a week! I think all the weekly topics are great, I just never have any good ideas for any of them. lol

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    1. Jinjer, I think the weekly topics are great, too. I just don't have the time to compose posts for them, but I will read what others have to say. I can always use suggestions for more nonfiction books to at to my TBR list!

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  8. I like nonfiction November too. But who knows how much time I'll have for it. I like your list of books ... especially the Erik Larson book and Brandi Carlile's memoir. I'm a fan of her music & songs, some albums more than others. She can sing! My husband read Larson's Churchill book and loved it. Enjoy your books!

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    1. Susan, I just started The Splendid and the Vile a few minutes ago! I'm still in the middle of a mystery, but the Larson book is large and heavy, so I won't be reading it in bed. I'll try to make time every afternoon to read a little bit of it. Carlile's memoir should be fun to listen to on audio. Yes, she really can sing, can't she?!

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  9. I've read and enjoyed the new Erik Larson book very much. It took me two tries to get into it, though. I have also read The Longest Road and Save Me the Plums.

    Good luck with your nonfiction reading in November, Les!

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    1. I started the Larson book this afternoon and I'm already engrossed! We'll see how it goes with Save Me the Plums. I have that one on audio and I'm still in the middle of a long Stephen King book. The Longest Road appeals to me, but maybe more when we're on the road... Lots to choose from, though!

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  10. I haven't read any of those books so I look forward to seeing what you think of them. That's one of my favorite things about Nonfiction November: learning about all the books I should read! I still haven't made my list... yikes!

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    1. Helen, I'm already enjoying the Larson book. I know it's not quite November, but I feel like it will take me a long time to read even a small number of these books. Have fun putting together your list!

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  11. I enjoyed A Homemade Life and made several recipes from that book. Nice selection! Instead of the nonfiction November I decided to participate in Shelleyrae’s nonfiction challenge for 2021 & hope to join again next year.

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    1. Tina, I've had A Homemade Life in my stacks for YEARS! Every November I add it to my list, but for some reason I never get around to reading it. This is going to be the year! :) I'll have to look into Shelleyrae's challenge.

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    2. I'll remind you next year or when she posts the sign up!

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  12. Ooh, what a great and varied to-read list! I've only read The Splendid and the Vile and Save Me the Plums, but I really enjoyed both :)

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    1. Katie, it's fun to put together these lists, but we'll see how many I actually read. ;) I started The Splendid and the Vile a couple of days ago and am happy that it's so readable. Larson is very good about making history and nonfiction so accessible.

      Thanks for hosting such a fun challenge!

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  13. This looks like a great selection of non-fiction books! The only one I've read is Save Me the Plums, and I enjoyed it. Not quite as much as Tender at the Bone, which I loved. As always, you've given me some great ideas. I just got The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley from the library and will start it tonight. :-)

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    1. Laurel, I've already begun reading The Splendid and the Vile, which is very accessible and informative (without being dry). It's a hefty book, though, so I'll probably start one of the lighter reads (maybe Quindlen's) to go back and forth to when I feel the Larson book is taking all my time. I hope to get to Save Me the Plums before too long, but I'm listening to a BIG book by Stephen King and want to finish it before I start listening to Reichl's (which I have on audio). I enjoyed the first half of Tender at the Bone (read many, many years ago), but didn't love it.

      Fingers crossed that you enjoy the Tinti novel as well as I did!

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  14. You have an interesting list to choose from, I hope you enjoy!

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