#NonficNov
#nonfictionbookparty: Instagram Daily Challenge
Click on the logo to see the detailed schedule
POST EDITED on 11/06:
After visiting another blogger who mentioned Mary Oliver, I realized I forgot to include poetry, and I did read some awesome ones!!
Like every year, a bunch of really cool bloggers are co-hosting Nonfiction November.
Here is the topic for Week 1 (Nov. 1-5):
YOUR YEAR IN NONFICTION
Hosted by Rennie at What’s Nonfiction:
Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions:
What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?
Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year?
What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?
What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
Here is the recap of the nonfiction I have read (the links will send you to my review when it’s posted).
So far, I have read or listened to 43 nonfiction, which is already 22% more than last year (I read 35 nonfiction in 2020).
And I may read a couple more before the end of the year.
Here are the titles. Obviously, most of these are Biblical books, as I finished my project of relistening to the whole Old Testament.
Bible and religious books:
- The Book of Psalms
- The Book of Job
- The Book of Proverbs
- The Book of Ecclesiastes
- The Book of the Song of Songs
- The Book of Wisdom
- The Book of Sirach
- The Book of Hosea
- The Book of Amos
- The Book of Micah
- The Book of Joel
- The Book of Obadiah
- The Book of Jonah
- The Book of Nahum
- The Book of Habakkuk
- The Book of Zephaniah
- The Book of Haggai
- The Book of Zechariah
- The Book of Malachi
- The Book of Isaiah
- The Book of Jeremiah
- The Book of Baruch
- The Book of Lamentations
- The Book of Ezekiel
- The Book of Daniel – so all the above were audiobooks.
They count for The Classics Club and The Books in Translation Challenge - The New Testament, by David Bentley Hart
I read this new translation.
It counts for The Classics Club and The Books in Translation Challenge - Less Than Fully Catholic, by Trisha Day
About words and authors:
- Le Jourde & Naulleau, by Pierre Jourde and Eric Naulleau
- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life, by George Saunders
- Languages of Truth, by Salman Rushdie
- Living With a Dead Language, by Ann Patty
- Sur la lecture, by Marcel Proust
It counts for The Classics Club - History in English Words, by Owen Barfield
It counts for The Classics Club - Looking for The Stranger: Albert Camus and the Life of a Literary Classic, by Alice Kaplan
About science:
- The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson
About history:
- The Romanov Sisters, by Helen Rappaport
About Japan:
- In Praise of Shadows, by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki
It counts for The Classics Club and The Books in Translation Challenge
On contemporary issues:
- The Future of Buildings, Transportation, and Power, by Roger Duncan & Michael E. Webber
About nature:
- A Bird Watcher’s Guide to Blue Jays, by Katherine Ponka
Poetry:
- The Half-Finished Heaven, by Tomas Tranströmer
- The Lost Spells, by Robert MacFarlane & Jackie Morris
- Alphabet, by Paul Valéry
- Haiku: This Other World, by Richard Wright
I also reviewed 8 books published by Rockridge Press, but I didn’t read these books from A to Z as I would read other books, so I didn’t count them in my statistics.
So really, this was a big nonfiction year for me.
I’m very happy for the diversity of topics as well.
***
What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?
I had to choose two. And it was very difficult. I actually loved a lot titles 2 to 7 in my “words and authors” category above.
What nonfiction books
have you recommended the most?
Do you have a particular topic
you’ve been attracted to more this year?
Besides religious topics, words and authors
What are you hoping to get out
of participating in Nonfiction November?
As usual, to get acquainted with more nonfiction readers
and find good titles unknown to me.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE NONFICTION THIS YEAR?
Words And Peace 
Wow, that’s a lot of nonfiction reading! The Romanov Sisters has been on my TBR for quite awhile.
LikeLike
It’s an excellent book, even though of course the end is so so sad, as we know
LikeLike
I’ve seen Code Breaker on a few blogs this month. It sounds like a book I will need to read. Good luck with Nonfiction November!
LikeLike
It really is excellent!
LikeLike
My dad and his wife were just telling me how much they loved The Code Breaker. I’m glad to see how much you enjoyed it, too. And I thought A Swim in a Pond was great.
LikeLike
Yes to both. You definitely need to follow your dad’s reading advice 😉
LikeLike
Impressive! I’ve noted a couple to add to my TBR!
LikeLike
Ah ah, that’s the danger of nonficnov, your TBR will be soon imploding lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Given my interest in Camus this past year, I’m adding Looking For the Stranger to my wish list – thanks 🙂
Did you write a review for it?
LikeLike
Ah ah not yet, terrible, as this is such a great book
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! That’s a HUGE amount of nonfiction reading.
I’ll be checking out The Code Breaker.
LikeLike
Please do, it’s fabulous
LikeLike
You have read quite an amount of nonfiction already. And, such a variety, sounds very interesting, although I am not familiar with the books. Always good for inspiration.
LikeLike
There are so many fields to explore!
LikeLike
Code Breaker is already on my to read list but, after seeing a few mentions this week, I need to move it closer to the top!
LikeLike
Good move! Anything by this author is worth reading
LikeLike
I will have to look up the Bird Watcher’s Guide to Blue Jays! Blue Jays are a family favorite here!
LikeLike
It’s a super short children book, but it does contain basic info on blue jays that you may actually not know. For instance, the color of the blue jay is NOT blue!!
LikeLike
Less than Fully Catholic has been added to my TBR. I always describe myself as religiously but not politically Catholic. I wonder if the author is of a similar mind.
Enjoy your NFN!
LikeLike
She used to be Roman Catholic, and even very involved. She’s part of the disenchanted. I also converted from Roman Catholicism to the Orthodox Church, and we do have quite a few former Roman Catholics joining us. Orthodoxy goes back to the roots of the Early Christian Church. Alas the West has gotten rid of its deep mysticism and symbolism. I’m so glad Orthodoxy has kept all that richness of meaning
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is certainly fascinating!
LikeLike
Yes, you never know where the path will lead…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was unable to keep my choice down to even two, as you’ve seen already! A nice variety there indeed. I hope you find some good suggestions among the Nonfic November posts.
LikeLike
I understand. I could have chosen almost all my 1st category books as my favorites!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your Words and Authors group in particular, and will be adding some tony want to read list , including the Camus one. My favourite non-fiction this year were Helen Garner’s diaries and Best Australian science writing 2020,
LikeLike
Thanks, on my way to your post
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fabulous year of nonfiction! Your list gives me a lot to contemplate!
LikeLike
I hope you find some good ideas in it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations on a great year of nonfiction reading. The Code Breaker is on my WTR list.
LikeLike
Good move, it is an important book, and so well written
LikeLike
I’m intrigued by The Romanov Sisters. Was it a heavy read?
LikeLike
Not at all, very easy to read, extremely well written. But emotionally, the end was hard, even though I knew obviously – I’m Orthodox and we consider all the members of the Royal Family as martyrs and saints
LikeLike
There are a lot of books I’m interested in on your list. A Swim in the Pond in the Rain looks especially intriguing! Words and authors was a theme of mine too.
LikeLike
Saunders’ book on Russian literature is indeed fabulous
LikeLike
I’ve heard good things about the George Saunders book. Also, I am keen to read The Code Breaker, which I have seen recommended before. Generally, I am impressed about the variety in your nonfiction reading.
LikeLike
Thanks, that’s one advantage of being curious about many things, lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Nonfiction November 2021: Book Pairings | Words And Peace
Oh The Romanov Sisters is so good! I cried my eyes out. Have you read From Splendor to Revolution by Julia P. Gelardi? It covers the Romanov women from 1847 to 1928 and is so wonderful. Julia P. Gelardi is my very favourite biographer of royal women.
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m going to check this book.
By the way, now available on netgalley is:
After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque Through Revolution and War, by Helen Rappaport
You might be interested in this one.
And for whatever reason, I found your comment in my spam!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I am VERY interested in that! Thanks for putting it on my radar!
LikeLike
It does sound good, and she’s really an amazing author
LikeLiked by 1 person
You put me to shame – I have read so little non fiction this year
LikeLike
Some years I also read very few nonfiction
LikeLike
I almost don’t realise how much I have read/ not read until I get to Non Fiction November
LikeLike
Definitely an interesting reference point
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is one amazing list of nonfic! The Romanov Sisters has been on my Kindle forever. I need to get to that one.
LikeLike
It’s really well written
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an excellent year of non-fiction reading, and I am especially impressed that so much of it was Biblical/faith based! 😃
LikeLike
Yes, I do try to include these as well.
Just started another one, The Kingdom of God: The Sermon on the Mount, by Archbishop Dmitri Royster. I will share motes from it here: https://myrtleskete.com/tag/archbishop-dmitri-royster/. So far only posted on it today, and one post is scheduled for tomorrow.
And if you are interested, every Monday, Wed, and Friday, I post on an excellent commentary on Psalm 118: https://myrtleskete.com/tag/psalm-118/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooo yes, will definitely check that out, thank you 😃
LikeLike
It’s really good. Very simple, accessible, and very deep at the same time
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Romanov Sisters is still on my list, it’s taking me so long to get to that one although I’ve enjoyed the other books by that author I’ve read and I love anything Romanov!
I added A Swim in a Pond in the Rain after seeing it on other lists this month, I wasn’t sure about it at first but everyone’s enthusiasm has convinced me!
LikeLike
If you love literature analysis, this is definitely for you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: 2021: November wrap-up | Words And Peace