Nonfiction November is here! This annual event is always a favorite. What's not to love about a whole month of bookish topics devoted entirely to nonfiction? Our hosts this year are:
Katie at Doing Dewey
Lory at Emerald City Book Review
Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves
Julz at Julz Reads
Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness
MY YEAR IN NONFICTION
2017 hasn't been the greatest year as far as reading is concerned... too many distractions, both personal and political. While my overall numbers are down, I've actually read more nonfiction. In fact, I read almost exclusively nonfiction in April, June, and August. As of today, nonfiction accounts for 40% of my reading this year.
What have I read about? Books about food and books about books appear most frequently on this year's list. Among other titles, I've read a couple of books with a feminist theme, several memoirs, a fascinating book about North Korea, a history of Bellevue, NYC's most famous (or infamous?) public hospital. Overall, an eclectic mix.
How do I consume nonfiction? Of course I read it, but I also love listening to nonfiction. It's even better to have both an audio and print copy. That way I never miss out on photographs, charts, or maps, and am also able to review passages or double check names and spelling. The read/listen combination allows me to listen in the car or on my morning walk, then pick up the book at home in the evening.
MY NONFICTION FAVORITES OF 2017
by Barbara Demick, narrated by Karen White
This is also title I have recommended most often throughout the year. Originally published in 2009, it provides a basic overview of life/culture in North Korea. A read/listen combination.
by Rebecca Mead, narrated by Kate Reading
If you've read Middlemarch, you really owe it to yourself to read (or listen to) this book.
By Michael Ruhlman, narrated By Jonathan Todd Ross
If you're at all interested in grocery stores and how they operate, this is the book for you. Click here for the link to my mini-review.
by David M. Oshinsky
What an interesting read... the combination of history and medicine gets me every time. Oshinsky's history of NYC's most famous public hospital begins before the Civil War and takes us through AIDS, Superstorm Sandy, and the ebola virus. That is a lot of history and a lot of medicine! It's almost unfathomable to contemplate an era before anesthesia and antiseptic procedures. This book was completely fascinating, but the amount of information presented is vast and, at times, dense. Alternating between the print and audio versions was helpful.
by Barry Estabrook
Ever wonder why those perfectly red, round tomatoes you see in the grocery store, especially during the winter months, have no taste? Or how about the tomatoes on your fast food burgers and subs? Chances are they were grown in Florida, picked green, and gas ripened. This book is an eye-opening look at the tomato industry, especially in Florida. Another read/listen combination for me, the audio is skillfully narrated by Pete Larkin.
by Pamela Paul
A wonderful book about books and life from the editor of The New York Times Book Review.
My hopes for Nonfiction November are simple... I want to hear about all the books! And read them before next year ;-)
Visit JulzReads for links to more My Year in Nonfiction posts.
