Nonfiction November Week #5: It's a Wrap

Nonfiction November is wrapping up this week with a look at books added to our reading lists.

Week 5: (Nov. 26 to 30) – New to My TBR (hosted by 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.

Let's begin with Nonfiction titles I've read this month... all were recommended by fellow bloggers and/or Nonfiction November participants:

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Recommended by Angela at Musings of a Literary Wanderer, this was a 5-star read and a nonfiction favorite this year. My brief revere is here.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah, narrated by the author

Plenty of bloggers list this among their nonfiction favorites. It's been in my audible library for quite some time and is my book club's December selection. I can't wait for the discussion... it should be a good one.

Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say

by Kelly Corrigan, narrated by the author

This book was mentioned by so many  bloggers in their "My Year in Nonfiction" posts, including Susie at Novel Visits, Sarah at Sarah's Book Shelves, and Melissa Firman among others. It was a very good audio, but keep the tissues handy.

Lift by Kelly Corrigan, narrated by the author

This short book (under two hours on audio) was recommended by my friend Les at Coastal Horizons. I listened to it immediately after finishing Tell Me More. That may have reduced its impact, but Lift was still a worthwhile listening experience.

I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays

by Elinor Lipman, narrated by the author

I've been a fan of Lipman's fiction for years, but never knew she wrote nonfiction until Penny at Literary Hoarders mentioned this title. I immediately downloaded it from my library via hoopla... loved every essay!

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After

by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil

Clemantime Wamariya was just six years old when she, along with her fifteen-year-old sister, fled their Rwandan village, spent another six years in refugee camps and wandering around Africa, before finally landing in the United States. This book tells her story. I learned about it earlier this month fromTara at Running 'n Reading and Sarah at Sarah's Book Shelves.


Some Additions to my TBR list:

The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
(recommended by Tara at Running 'n Reading)

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
 (Robin at A Fondness For Reading)

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
(Katie at Doing Dewey)

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy (Sarah at Sarah's Book Shelves)

The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More by Annie Raser-Rowland,  Adam Grubb (Louise at A Strong Belief in Wicker)

God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wright
(What's Nonfiction?)



My Nonfiction November Posts:

Nonfiction November Week #1: My Year in Nonfiction
Nonfiction November Week #3: Reading About Race


And finally, thank you to our hosts:

Katie at Doing Dewey
Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves
Julz at JulzReads
Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness
Rennie at What’s Nonfiction

I appreciate your time and effort... this is my favorite blogging event of the year!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - November 19, 2018

It's Monday and we're back in snowy central New York. The view from my window is a painful contrast to last week's beach walks, but I'm really happy to see my parents and siblings. We'll stay up here through the holidays.


Finished this week//

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah, narrated by the author

I finished listening to this book on the plane Friday night. It seems like everyone has read it, so  I don't plan to write a review. This is the December selection for my book club and I'm sure we'll have a great discussion... it really is as good as everyone says :)


Current reading//

Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say

by Kelly Corrigan, narrated by the author

This was recommended by several bloggers during week 1 of Nonfiction November... and I'm loving it, too!

Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America

by Laura Shapiro

Purchased on the recommendation of a book club friend, this book has been on my shelf for at least a couple of years. I love books about food almost as much as books about books... this one is very entertaining so far.



On the blog//

Nonfiction November, Week 3: Reading About Race


In the kitchen//
I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving. We will, as usual, host dinner for my family. The crowd will be slightly smaller this year... under 20.


The week ahead//
I'm making my final grocery lists this morning, then we'll battle the early holiday crowd at Wegmans. Thanksgiving set-up and serious cooking begin tomorrow. Our Manhattan daughters arrive tomorrow evening. So many activities planned between now and Sunday.... no wonder it's my favorite week of the year!

How was your week? What are you reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?  is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.

Nonfiction November, Week 3: Reading About Race

As Nonfiction November moves into week 4, I'm playing catch up with week 3's prompt:

Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert - hosted by Julie @ JulzReads: 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).

Reading About Race

Though it's been a couple of years, I must begin this post with Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book has had a profound impact on the way I think about race and the racial issues facing our country today.

 I read a few more books about race this year:

Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving 

In this book, the author speaks very candidly about her awakening to race, racial issues, and her previous pattern of avoidance. She comes to realize that white IS, in fact, a race. This was a fascinating book... I've never read anything quite like it. It sent me in search of hard information... something more scientific and less subjective.

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism 

by Robin DiAngelo

This turned out to be just what I was looking for... not as personal, backed up by research. It also includes plenty of resources and suggestions for further reading. But before tackling those lists,  I returned to memoir...

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

This is my book club's December selection... and fits in nicely with my theme. Noah talks about his childhood in South Africa during and after apartheid. This extended my "race in the US" scope, but kept me reading on topic.

Books I'd Like to Read

 White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Good White People: The Problem with Middle-Class White Anti-Racism

by Shannon Sullivan

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Can you recommend other books for my list?



Previous Be the Expert/Ask the Expert  posts:
2017 - Books About Books 
2016 - Supreme Reading (The Supreme Court)
2015 - Nonfiction Foodie Favorites

Sanibel Sunday: November 11, 2018

Hello from sunny Florida! November is off to a busier-than-anticipated start and, as a result, I took an unintended blogging break. Our daughter visited for a few days last weekend. We made arrangements with a painting contractor to get work done while we're back up north for the holidays. I also started shopping for living room furniture - no decisions yet. We hosted a neighborhood gathering... the air conditioning needed repairing (again!) ... and the election... and all the news...

I signed up to vote by mail, but grew increasingly nervous as my mailbox remained empty. On the last day of early voting, I decided to just go to the polls. By that time, even if my ballot arrived I doubted it would be delivered to election headquarters in time. There were at least  100 people ahead of me in line at the polls... a sharp contrast to early voting in the 2016 presidential election when there was no line at all! I was questioned about my vote-by-mail request, but allowed to vote since my ballot had not been submitted. (The ballot never did show up.)

Now, as you know, the recounts begin...

Recent reading//

White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

by Robin DiAngelo, narrated by Amy Landon

I've been exploring race in nonfiction lately and this is my latest book on that topic. The goodreads summary explains it much better than I can:

Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, anti-racist educator Robin DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what can be done to engage more constructively.

I'll just say this is an important and thought-provoking read which I highly recommended.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

I finished this book last night and can't recommend it highly enough. It has everything I love in nonfiction - science and medicine, a legal battle, human drama, and good writing, too.

In the 1920s and 30s young women worked in factories where they painted watches, clocks, and military dials with a new luminous substance made from radium. Part of the process involved placing the brushes in their mouths to create a finer point. As time passed, they began to suffer crippling, painful illnesses, which baffled physicians for years before eventually being identified as radium poisoning. As their employers falsely denied prior knowledge of the danger involved and refused to take responsibility, the "radium girls" began a fight for justice. Their victory was instrumental in the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

This book, unexpectedly, turned out to be quite a page-turner.  Toward the end it even brought tears to my eyes. I borrowed the audio version narrated by Angela Brazil from the library, but ended up reading most of the book in print. Read or listen, but don't miss it!

Current listening//

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah, narrated by the author

I started listening to this one on my walk this morning. It's received rave reviews from many of my blogging friends and I can already understand why.


Up next//

I plan to start a print book later this evening. It will be more nonfiction...likely one already on my kindle.


The week ahead//

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we have a special day planned. Later in the week we'll finalize arrangements to sell a car... never an enjoyable task. On Friday we fly back to upstate NY for the holidays. I just checked the weather forecast... snow nearly every day this week. Sigh.

I'm hoping to write this week's Nonfiction November post before we leave. Fingers crossed.

How was your week? What are you reading?

Nonfiction November Week #1: My Year in Nonfiction

Nonfiction November is here! This annual event, an entire month of bookish topics devoted entirely to nonfiction, is always a favorite. Our hosts this year are:

Katie at Doing Dewey
Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves
Julz at JulzReads
Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness
Rennie at What’s Nonfiction

MY YEAR IN NONFICTION

So far, 2018 has not been a stellar reading year. Instead, it's been a year of adjustment (to a retired lifestyle) and distractions (mostly political). While my overall numbers are down, the proportion of nonfiction has held steady at 35%.

How I consume nonfiction//
I read nonfiction, of course, but I also love listening. Having both the audiobook and a print copy is ideal. That way, I never miss out on photographs, maps, charts, etc. With a read/listen combination, I usually listen on my morning walk, while doing chores or while driving. Then I'll read outside in the late afternoon or at home in the evening.

What I'm reading about this year//

I've read on a wide variety of subjects, most notably...

RACE:

• Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo 

WEATHER:

• Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
• The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

BOOKS AND READING:

• I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel
• Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper

INTERESTING PEOPLE:

• Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Notably missing this year are medicine/health, food, and The Supreme Court... though I guess just following all the news related to the Court is enough right now.

MY NONFICTION FAVORITE OF 2018

Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall 

by Nina Willner, narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Runners up

Word by Word:The Secret Life of Dictionaries

by Kory Stamper, narrated by the author

Waking up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race

by Debby Irving, narrated by the author

My goal for Nonfiction November is simple. I want to hear about all the great nonfiction titles you have been reading this year...and then read several of them before Nonfiction November 2019. My best recommendations always come from book bloggers!

For links to other "My Year in Nonfiction" posts, visit Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness.