stargazer

Nonfiction November 2021: My Year In Books

Nonfiction November is here! I love this event and here is my contribution to week 1, which is hosted by What’s Nonfiction.

Let’s take a look at my nonfiction reading this year. As usual there are several memoirs included. They are all different, but mostly highly enjoyable.

Know My Name is the story of Chanel Miller, whose sexual assault case and witness impact statement got a lot of attention and inspired a change in Californian law. I went through the full emotional spectrum, whilst reading. It turned out that Miller is actually a very good writer and despite the tough subject matter, I flew through this book.

Grace Dent, the English columnist and food critic (known from MasterChef) writes in Hungry charmingly about her life growing up in Carlisle, moving to the big city and making a career and her fathers gradual decline into dementia. It was surprisingly good.

Man’s Search for Meaning is a nonfiction classic about Victor Frankl’s survival in concentration camp and how he used his experience to come up with his own treatment method, logotherapy. I’d read this before and it probably makes a bigger impression when you are young and in the process of forming your own foundation and life principles. Still, I enjoyed the reread.

84, Charing Cross Road is a letter correspondence over 20 years between Helene Hanff (living in New York) and a bookseller in London. A true story about a lovely friendship based on books. Loved it.

Finally, Maggie O’Farrell’s I am, I am, I am is structured around her 17 brushes with death. It is well written and I found it an interesting way to structure a memoir. Sue@whisperinggums recently wrote about literary nonfiction. I hadn’t heard of this classification before, but I think this book qualifies.

I love popular science relating to our planet and our universe. Physics is my favourite subject, but finding the right books isn’t easy. Both the above were good, but not amazing. Evolution and neuroscience are also high on the list and Other Minds includes both. My favourite part were the stories about octopuses, who really are amazing creatures.

Finally, I read two books blending fiction and nonfiction. In the case of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, it resulted in a fun and entertaining story. In the case of When We Cease to Understand the World, I got so annoyed, that I had to write one of my rare rant reviews.

What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?
It’s difficult to say, because they were all so different, but Chanel Miller’s Know My Name made the biggest impression.

Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year?
I am afraid, I am not very good at variety in nonfiction. Science, memoirs and philosophy seem to be my go-to nonfiction.

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?
I don’t recommend books unless people ask me, but I did recommend 84, Charing Cross Road in a recommendation post earlier this year.

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
Perhaps, I will stumble across some nonfiction outside my normal sphere? In any case, I look forward to read lots of nonfiction posts during the month.

58 comments

  1. This looks an interesting challenge. Of your choices, the Grace Dent looks appealing, I enjoy her writing in the Guardian. Maggie O’Farrell is a go-to author as well.

    • I think Nonfiction November is good fun, you can get lots of inspiration from other bloggers and perhaps a push to read more nonfiction if you should so desire. Grace Dent’s book was very good, I wasn’t even familiar with her beforehand, but her book has got lots of praise over on Booktube. It includes lots of food memories and humour, but also more serious topics.

        • Yes, I know, you can easily spend too much time on blogging, which may also trigger an explosion in your TBR!

  2. I’m enjoying the responses to this. Interesting how so many of us read memoirs, which is probably not surprising from people who probably mostly read fiction! I’ve heard of a few of the books you name, but the only ones I’ve read – a very long time ago – are 84, Charing Cross Road and All creatures, great and small. Absolutely love the former, and of course the latter was enjoyable, but I mostly remember the TV series it generated.

    I have heard good things about I am, I am, I am.

    And thanks for the link, which I’ve just noticed!!

    • You are welcome about the link, I enjoyed your post talking about literary nonfiction! Yes, I memoirs are probably the nonfiction, which comes closest to fiction in the sense that it tells a good story. Both 84, Charing Cross Road and All Creatures might be considered nonfiction classics I believe. I haven’t watched the television show yet, but I will get to it some day.

    • I really want to watch that, but I am not currently subscribing to Netflix. I’ve heard it recommended from many people.

  4. I am excited for Nonfiction November. I used to read a LOT more of it, but kind of got myself sidetracked into other genres, but this was a great excuse to focus on some nonfiction titles this month (although I’m not reading ONLY nonfiction). Thanks for all of your recommendations. I see several on your list I think I’d enjoy, so adding those to my TBR. I tend towards history and science’y things but I count memoirs under the “history” umbrella and most of those titles look like good ones!

    • I had a phase, where I only read nonfiction or crime fiction, but now where my fiction reading has expanded to a broader spectrum of genres, my nonfiction reading has unfortunately gone down as well. I agree Nonfiction November is an excellent excuse to dive in again. Also, it’s a great opportunity to find some books, which may be a bit outside your normal nonfiction genres. Hope you will enjoy, if you decide to read any of the memoirs above!

  5. I’m curious about O’Farrell’s memoir … do you get much of her life story or is more about all her accidents? It sounds unusual. And have you seen the 84 Charing Cross Road Movie? I think it’s from 1987 … it fairly nice as I recall. Enjoy your November reads!

    • O’Farrell’s memoir covers more that just the brushes with death, but it’s structured around these concrete incidents. Also, it’s highly nonlinear and the writing style varies from chapter to chapter (from first to third person narrative, from present to past tense, etc). It really is rather experimental and a bit uneven I would say. But there are some extremely strong chapters which left me out of breath!

      I haven’t watched 84, Charing Cross Road yet, but I mean to get to it one day. Thanks!

    • Thanks Nicki, I would have thought there would be good demand for Chanel Miller’s book. Maybe you need to give your library a friendly nudge! 😆

  7. I enjoy memoirs too. The crossover between fiction and non-fiction has become increasingly blurred as writers push boundaries and experiment. Whenever I’ve encountered it, it has worked for me. And thanks for reminding me, yet again, that I really must dig out 84 Charing Cross Road once more 😊

    • Yes, I’m sure you are right about the crossover between fiction and nonfiction. Generally, I like experimentation with styles and genres. But there are certain topics (such as science) which most people read to learn the facts and I don’t like blending fiction into that!

    • Yes, I think all of them are quite popular. It probably is strange that I only got to 84, Charing Cross Road and All Creatures this year, since they’ve almost achieved nonfiction classics status!

  9. I’m not much about nonfiction, but this year there was this one assigned in my book reading club that I truly enjoyed: The glass castle, by Jeanette Walls. It is kind of a coming-to-age narration, with colorful descriptions of places and emotions. I did not imagine a memoir could be like hers. There is also a movie, a good one; but nothing compared to reading the memoir. Anyways, I loved it. And I can see myself looking for some new nonfiction to keep trying.

    • I am not familiar with The Glass Castle, but it sounds good. I am always looking for interesting memoirs. If you don’t read that much nonfiction, I believe memoirs might be a good place to start, since they can be just as gripping and engaging as fiction (if not more).

  10. I loved Man’s Search for Meaning, although I read it a long time ago and would be worth rereading at this point! I love the cover of the edition you posted too.

    I think I’ve only read completely glowing reviews of Know My Name and I Am, I Am, I Am but I haven’t gotten to either. Great to know you enjoyed them both so much.

    I’ve been really curious about Other Minds but I think was worried it would go over my head so never added it to my list. Is it very dense, do you think? I do love learning anything about octopuses, they’re almost too fascinating to believe.

    Looks like you’ve had a great nonfiction reading year! Hope you get lots of good recs out of Nonfiction November 🙂

    • It’s a nice cover indeed! Some of the other covers for that book are not great, but I always try to find something aesthetically pleasing for my posts 😁 You really should get to Know My Name, it’s such an impactful book. I am, I am, I am is more uneven, but it’s a very interesting way of writing a memoir.

      Yes, I would say Other Minds is pretty dense, I had to go back and relisten because parts went completely over my head. I am keeping an eye out for other books about octopuses, which are more readable. Still, it wasn’t a bad book at all. Thanks! Fingers crossed, we will all find lots of good nonfiction during this year’s event. 😀

  11. Hey, stargazer, long time no see! Glad to see you’re still posting excellent stuff as always 😀

    I’m usually not too big on non-fiction, but I did read the Victor Frankl one and found it pretty interesting, so maybe I should read more. Can’t wait to see what else you’ll read in November!

    • Hey, good to see you, it has been a while! Glad you are still around, even if it’s just for quick visit to the blogging world…. I guess nonfiction is not for everyone, but sometimes it’s a matter of finding the right kind of nonfiction suitable for your taste. In my opinion, the best nonfiction is on par with (or even better than) fiction. Because it’s real! 😊

      • Hahah, I hope to stay longer since my main reason for disappearing was some password issues and the like, but I really do like it here 😊
        That’s a good point, I should dig a bit deeper into nonfiction and see what else it has to offer. You never know when a book will click with you, after all!

        • Oh, technical issues, I hate those. Hope you will stay around, but I guess it’s also an art finding the right balance of how much time you want to spend on blogging.

    • 84, Charing Cross Road really is a wonderful book. I doubt there are many book lovers, who wouldn’t enjoy it. I think I am, I am, I am is more divisive. In my opinion, there are some less strong parts, which failed to engage me, but when it was good, it was really good.

  13. I’ve probably read 84, Charing Cross Road a half dozen times and each time is just as enjoyable as the first. The movie (with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft) is also fabulous. Someone else posted about Maggie O’Farrell’s book, so I must move that up on my future list of memoirs to read. I’ll have to take a closer look at the other books you’ve mentioned. Some are familiar, but others are quite new to me. Thanks for all the recommendations!

    • I could easily imagine that 84, Charing Cross Road is one of these books, you can keep on returning to and still enjoy. The movie is definitely on my list, but I always worry if an adaption can live up to a book, I really liked. The O’Farrell memoir is quite an unusual one. It’s well-written and very emotional, but also quite experimental.

      • I also worry about books-to-movies, but with the case of 84, Charing Cross Road, I think this is one of those rare instances in which the movie is not only as good as the book, but it may very well be better.

        • Oh really, that is strong recommendation. I will seek out the movie as soon as possible!

  14. I hardly ever read nonfiction, but I did read 84 Charing Cross Road and the Maggie O’Farrell (heartbreaking)! I’m watching the TV series based on All Creatures… lots of fun!

  16. I always think I don’t read non fiction and then you remind me about 84 Charing Cross Rd and James Herriot! 84 Charing Cross Road I read recently and it’s a real favourite!

    • That is the thing with good memoirs, they read very similar to fiction and they can be just as engaging and interesting as fiction, if not more!

  17. I loved I Am I Am, Maggie O’Farrell is such a fantastic writer. I’ve wanted to read Charing Cross Road for a long time, clearly I need to. Thanks for the recommendations!

    • I haven’t read any of O’Farrell’s fiction, but based on her memoir, I would agree that she is a great writer. Charing Cross is perfect for book lovers! 😊

  18. I have a family member who loves Physics and I always struggle to find good books as a gift for her. Any real standouts from years past?

    I hope something grabs you imagination this month!

    • If your family member enjoys astrophysics, I can highly recommend The Planets by Andrew Cohen and Brian Cox. It was one of my favourite nonfiction books last year. I’ve listened to the audiobook twice, but I also think the physical copy might be worth looking into – it has lots of beautiful photos and illustrations.

    • Of course you are right about the sequel to 84, Charing Cross Road. I will pick it up at some point!

    • Octopuses are so amazing and I would love to read more books about them! You are welcome, 😊

  22. Lovely round-up, Stargazer. I enjoy memoirs and narrative nonfiction, especially around culture or historical events. I still need to read the two you recommend, Know My Name and 84, Charing Cross Road.

    • Thanks Jennifer! I can highly recommend those two for very different reasons. 84, Charing Cross Road is the perfect comfort read. Know My Name is probably the opposite and can be quite uncomfortable to read at times, but very powerful.

    • It really is lovely. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t enjoy it (or perhaps they are just keeping quiet! 😊)

  24. I’ve not read many nonfiction this year 🙁 I did better last year and enjoyed quite a few! I’ve been on a reading slump on and off this year. BIG SIGH! I must reading Charing Cross Road soon!

    • My reading of nonfiction also seems to have gone down. On the other hand, I have expanded my horizons within fiction. So it’s all good. Charing Cross Road is a must read for book lovers!

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