In the fall my reading tastes tend to move towards nonfiction. That’s one of the reasons why I love Nonfiction November.
Since the end of last year’s Nonfiction November I’ve read 47 nonfiction books.
- 29 of them took place in the United States
- 5 were in Africa or the Middle East
- 6 were in Europe
- 3 were in Asia
- 2 were in South America
- 1 was in the Caribbean and 1 in the South Pacific
- 31 were written by women
I mostly read narrative nonfiction and history. I’m not a fan of celebrity memoirs but do read memoirs of people I haven’t heard of before. I don’t read a lot of really heavy history that reads more like a textbook than a novel unless I’m really interested in the subject. I’ve written before about what the husband thinks of my reading choices.
Favorites This Year
History
History 
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle by Kristen Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Memoirs
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor by Susan Wicklund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Social Issues
Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance by Linda K. Wertheimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist’s Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World by Mark Haskell Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve also made two lists for the Travel the World in Books readathon in the last two weeks of Great Books about Food (lots of nonfiction) and Great International Nonfiction. I highly recommend the books on those lists too.
I’m looking forward to getting a lot of great recommendations this month.
[…] week,  Heather shared a quest she is on of reading more non-fiction books in November (definitely a worthy challenge!). Over at Chat Between the Chapters, they are discussing their […]
Great group of nonfiction! They all sound interesting!
Great list. If others are interested, I’m thinking of choosing We Should All Be Feminists for the month I host the travel the world in books readalong.
[…] The Wright Brothers by David McCullough — Heather at Based on a True Story […]
Looks like a great year of reading so far! I love the title and concept of Naked at Lunch, sounds like a fun read.
I reviewed Naked at Lunch here – https://www.spiritblog.net/my-questions-for-nudists/. It was really good.
Wow, you’ve done some really diverse nonfiction reading! Most of what I’ve read is is set in the US, I think, although I have been reading a pretty good mix of male and female authors, I think.
I look forward to checking out the lists you provided – thanks.
And that’s an impressive amount of NF in one year – congrats.
Haven’t read any of those book! Though I tend to read a lot of intellectual NF, which reads like a textbook. 😜
I’m like you with the narrative nonfiction rather than the bigger history type books. I’m fascinated by history–but the thought of reading it reminds me of those dry books I had to read during college. I haven’t read any of the books on your list but I definitely have Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County on my radar.
What a great year of nonfiction reading! I can’t wait to hear more about what you’re reading this month. Thanks for joining us for Nonfiction November!
You’ve got some great geographic diversity in your nonfiction! And – I’ve heard great things about Naked at Lunch.
I’m reviewing Naked at Lunch tomorrow.
I’ve added lots of these to my list,thanks! So glad to see Everyday Sexism and We Should All Be Feminists on your international list,such important books! Have you read It’s What I Do by Lynsey Addario? My favourite of the year so far!