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Nonfiction November: Nonfiction Favorites

What makes a good nonfiction book? Simple question, isn’t it? But perhaps not so simple to answer. Thinking back on some of my favourite nonfiction reads they are actually quite different in terms of topic and writing style.

But there are some common features. In particular, my favourites seem to fall in one of two different categories.

1. Inspirational
I just love to read books which inspire me! Books which I can think of, when I am struggling with my own goals, such as climbing a specific mountain, changing to a more healthy life style or achieving certain targets in my professional life. Or books which inspire me to do something or go somewhere, I would never have considered otherwise.

There is an important catch though. The writing has to be captivating and make for an exciting read. Books such as Touching the Void or Into Thin Air are page turners, which can easily compete with the best crime thrillers. The Salt Path pulled my heartstrings more than any fictional romance could ever do. The so-called self-help books rarely appeal to me. I am sure they can be useful, but I just don’t seem to be able to get through them.

My favourite topics in this category include:

  • People who have achieved a lot and lived an interesting life
  • Pushing the limits for what is physically and mentally possible
  • Books which inspire me to make small changes to my own life
  • Traveling and exploring – exotic countries or just around the corner, it is all about the mindset
Nonfiction November: Knowledge

2. Knowledge, Excitement & Wonder, Makes Me Think
The world is an amazing place. And the more I read about it, the more amazing I find it. Literally, some things can make me gasp, laugh and scratch my head in wonder and the right nonfiction book easily beats fiction. As a child, I took in new knowledge as a sponge. Luckily, I have maintained my curiosity and I still yearn to learn more about the world, the universe and everything in it.

The ideal book is well-structured and logical and finds a good balance between user-friendly communication and technical background. My favourite topics include:

  • Physics (e.g. QED)
  • Philosophy
  • Neuroscience & Artificial Intelligence (e.g. Superintelligence)
  • Biology & Evolution

Generally, I love nonfiction and despite of being extremely busy in November, I was keen to participate in Nonfiction November, which I think is a great initiative. Do you read nonfiction? What are your favourites?

Nonfiction November, Week 4 is hosted by Leann@ThereThereReadThis. Feel free to join in and link your post on the host site.

50 comments

  1. I do read non-fiction but not many memoirs – they never seem to work for me unless they’re about a specific event. Into Thin Air for example appeals to me and I really must read it sometime. I don’t do self-help books either, although I know lots of people find them helpful. History, true crime and popular science are probably my favourites, but I like the occasional quirky subject too – like one I read a couple of years ago about the old London fogs, or a more recent read on the history of horror fiction.

    • Into Thin Air is amazing. It is fascinating, scary, appalling and also a somewhat controversial story.

      I don’t know what it is about self-help books. I suspect it might be my childish aversion of other people telling me what to do 😉 . Or perhaps, I have just picked the wrong books.

      Given my love of crime fiction, it is perhaps strange, I’ve never got started on true crime. Is there anything in particular, you would recommend? I like the sound of the old London fogs. Also, I got recommended The Victorian City, which should be a great companion whilst reading Dickens. Might be something for you, if you haven’t already read it.

      • I really enjoyed Kate Summerscale’s The Wicked Boy, and her earlier The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. Margalit Fox’s Conan Doyle for the Defence was very good too – about a murder in Glasgow that Conan Doyle became involved in investigating. The Victorian City looks great – thanks for the recommendation! Just my kind of thing… 😀

        • Thanks for the recommendations! Conan Doyle involved in a murder case, really?! It sounds like something, I have to look into.

          And yes, I remember you like to read about Victorian London. Now, I haven’t actually read The Victorian City, but I agree it sounds interesting. In my daily life, I often walk around in areas Dickens has described in his books. It is fun to imagine what it was like back then.

          • I used to enjoy the guided Dickens walks when I lived down there. It’s amazing how much of old London has survived side by side with all the modern stuff.

          • Actually, I haven’t done a proper Dickens walk. Perhaps, I will try that in the summer, that is not a bad idea at all 🙂 .

    • Thanks Nicki! I know what you mean, I normally have to be in the mood for nonfiction as well. Except for some stories such as The Salt Path which are not that different from fiction. And yes, I am sure self-help books can be helpful and I know some are extremely popular, I just don’t seem to get on with them.

  3. I like your topics. I read Between A Rock and A Hard Place a few years ago and the book is still prominently in my library, I look at it and think about it often, even now. Do you know it? It’s about a man who went in the Grand Canyon I think and was stuck with his arm behind a big boulder. He saw death in the eyes and he ultimately did what he had to do. I admire people’s will to live and how it lets you do the impossible. Great post lovely!

    • I don’t know Between A Rock and A Hard Place, but it certainly sounds like my kind of book! I have noted it down, so will hopefully get to it at some point. And that is exactly what I mean; getting pushed to the extreme, really makes you realise what you are made of and which resources you can find within yourself. Human beings really are remarkable creatures. Thanks! 🤗

  4. I wish I knew about nonfiction November last month, as I would have joined in! I love non fiction books. My favourite ones are about people working with animals, people with disabilities and lives of the saints.

    • Ah, it is not too late, there is one more week to go! Otherwise, there is always next year, I think it is an annual event. Good to hear you enjoy nonfiction as well. People working with animals sounds like something I would enjoy; I haven’t read much in this genre though. Always open for recommendations 😉

      • I will definitely do it next year, and I might review a couple of non fiction books this year as well. Off the top of my head, I highly recommend The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony, about setting up Thula Thula nature reserve in South Africa. Alex and Me by Irene Pepperberg, about her experiments in animal cognition with an African Grey parrot, and Warrior by Gen. Jack Seely, about the real horse who inspired the novel, play and movie of Warhorse.

        • Great! I will look out for your reviews! And if we are both blogging next year, we can discuss plenty of nonfiction through November. Thanks so much for the recommendations, they sound great. I love Africa, hence The Elephant Whisperer appeals. Also, I am curious about Warrior. I’ve always had a thing for horses and spent a large part of my childhood on horseback.

          • Yes! That will be fun! The Elephant Whisperer is amazing. I would love to visit Thula Thula after reading it. I love horses too, and Warrior was an amazing horse. Would love to hear what you think if you read them.

  5. What a great post! And I’m so pleased that you included The Salt Path! My reading is heavily weighted towards fiction but I do usually have a non-fiction on the go. I enjoy nature writing plus diaries, memoirs, biographies etc. And the odd self-help and/or spiritual book. And cookery books – Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles has become a regular at this time of year.

    🙂

    • Thanks! 😀 The Salt Path was such a great recommendation, so thanks for that as well. I loved it so much and hope to write a review (one day…). In many ways it read like a good novel, but it made a much bigger impression, because I knew it was a real story. Most often, I enjoy memoirs and biographies.

      Just googled Christmas Chronicles, it sounds lovely! I must admit, I am not much of a cook, though.

    • Oh, did you, I will be over to check it out! And yes, it is so fascinating to read about people pushing themselves to the limit!

  8. You’ve described well why I love memoirs, especially when they read and captivate just as well as fiction! Like you said- they can serve as inspiration. This is well-written and thoughtful, as always.

    • Yes, sometimes real life can be more amazing, stranger or scarier than fiction! It is not enough with a fascinating life though, a good memoir also requires a good writer, who can communicate it in an interesting and captivating fashion. Thanks!

  9. I love reading almost any sort of nonfiction. I like stories that are inspiring, too, like Unbroken, The Hiding Place, and The Undefeated (nonfiction picture book). Thanks for sharing some of your favorites. I added a few to my TBR.

    • Thanks so much for the recommendations, I will definitely check them out! By the sounds of it, you have a much broader taste in nonfiction than I do, but going forward I will try to be more openminded and try different topics.

    • Thanks! 😀 Yes, Into Thin Air was heartbreaking, disturbing and a lot of other things. Climbing Mount Everest really shouldn’t be attempted by amateurs. But I do admire people, who challenge themselves to do these extreme events, even when they know things may not end well.

  12. Amazing post! Books on survival in the wilderness, neuroscience and the universe are also my favourite non-fiction books. I tried to love In Patagonia, but simply could not. I could not get into it at all, I wonder if it is the author’s style or something. Maybe I should give it another read. Touching the Void is amazing. I would also recommend Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado, and I remember I enjoyed Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl.

    • Thanks! I see what you mean about In Patagonia, it was somewhat difficult to get into. But I read it after having spent 3 weeks in Patagonia, which definitely affected my reading experience and I really thought the book captured the spirit of Patagonia extremely well. Also I loved Patagonia! Excellent recommendations, I mean to read both Miracle and Kon-Tiki at some point.

    • Thanks so much! I find memoirs inspiring as well. Sometimes they can give you the kick you need to start something new or overcome a specific hurdle in your own life.

    • I am glad you enjoyed it! The Salt Path was amazing! When I read the blurb, I thought it would be my kind of book, but regularly I get disappointed. Not with this one, it exceeded my expectations by miles!

    • I was about to say, ‘hope you enjoy it’, but that is definitely the wrong phrase in connection with death and disaster. But I hope you will find it interesting and captivating – I certainly did!

    • Yes exactly! It is so inspiring when ‘normal’ people do extraordinary things, it makes me want to do the same!

  18. I’ve had Into Thin Air on my list for awhile, I really need to read that one soon. And I’ve heard so many good things about The Salt Path this year!

    • I would recommend to start reading Into Thin Air when you have plenty of time. Once I started, I found it impossible to put it down. The Salt Path easily makes it into my top 3 for 2019. It doesn’t hurt, that I love hiking and could recognise a lot of the things she was writing about. But even for people who are not into hiking at all, this is an amazing story about coping with life, trying to find humour in hopeless situations and what happens when the world certainly looks at you in a completely different way, because you have lost the normal foundation (house, job, money) in life.

      • That’s good to know about both of them! I went back and forth on adding The Salt Path to my list but I’m apprehensive because even just thinking about the topics of sudden health fiascos and losing everything makes me anxious. I’ve read some quotes from it that I really liked but I’m just not sure I can sit with the topics for a book’s length. I’m keeping it in mind though!

        • I see what you mean regarding The Salt Path. Through the opening chapters, where we follow the existing lives of the author and her husband pretty much fall to pieces, I went through the whole spectrum of being horrified, devastated and angry. Soon though, these feelings were overtaken by amazement and some degree of hope. The way they coped with their situation was truly inspiring and life-affirming.

          • That does sound really good, and good to know it’s more hopeful than upsetting. I’m putting it on my list tentatively, I think I need to page through a copy! Thanks for the great description!

  19. I’m generally not a huge non-fiction fan, but I recently read The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston and I LOVED it. It has that feel of a non-fiction book, made even more amazing knowing it really happened! To the author!

    • The Lost City of the Monkey God sounds interesting! I think that is pretty much how I felt with The Salt Path, it was an amazing story in itself (fiction or nonfiction) but the fact that it was a real story made it so much more impactful. Thanks for stopping by!

  20. I find it so hard to find non-fiction books interesting enough to read! O feel like sometimes the language can be inaccessible or dull.
    I am determined to finish Gossip from the Forest, though. Which I think counts?

    • Yes, I know what you mean, not all nonfiction is written in a particularly captivating language. There are some, however, which are 100% on par with fiction and the authenticity of the story adds an extra dimension. I am not familiar with Gossip from the Forest, but I hope you manage to finish it! Thanks for stopping by!

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