Nonfiction November is here! Below you will find my contribution to week 1, which is hosted by Doing Dewey.
2022 has been a great year for nonfiction, at least in terms of quality. I’ve read nine nonfiction books, which equals 19% of my total reading. Two of these were mediocre, but most were great and I even found a couple of new favourites.
What was your favourite nonfiction read?
My favourite in 2022 so far is Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time, which is a series of lectures by Professor Sean Carroll, covering the concept of time from various angles.
Ever since I first heard the weird statements relating to the block universe, such as the future is just as real as the present or time is an illusion, I’ve been meaning to learn more about the prevailing scientific view on time. Strangely, it was Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, which gave me the final push.
Time is a fascinating topic. It is something we can all relate to, but our pragmatic daily-life experience of time seems light-years away from the scientific interpretation. Discussions of time typically involve physics, neuroscience and philosophy, which happen to be my favourite topics to read about.
Sean Carroll has the gift of being able to explain complex ideas, so “normal” people can understand them and his enthusiasm for the subject shines through.
The lectures are available for free for Audible subscribers and if you have any interest in the mysteries of time, I can’t recommend this enough.
Any particular topic you’ve been attracted to?
My nonfiction reading has been dominated by popular science this year, even more than usual.
The Higgs Boson and Beyond also by Sean Carroll wasn’t quite as much fun as the lectures about time, partly because it was pushing the limits for how much technical information I can cope with on audio. If you aren’t already familiar with the basics of particle physics, which are covered in 30 minutes or so, there is a lot to take in. Still, I did enjoy the lectures and mean to re-listen at a later stage.
The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity was utterly fascinating. I was amazed to learn how big a role dopamine plays in pretty much anything we do. Dopamine is behind the strong drive and motivation in the human race. But it’s also an important factor in drug abuse, gambling and other destructive behaviour. The book makes some unrealistically broad generalisations and it feels like some conclusions might be based on a small number of experiments or even just anecdotal evidence. Still, the interesting topics, such as the connection between genius and madness made it worth reading. I will definitely be searching out more books about dopamine in the future.
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is a quick read. Whilst not getting too much new information, I enjoyed the tidbits about the evolution of brain. The debunking of some very persistent brain myths was useful as well. However, the author’s preachy style grated on me and I didn’t get on with her narration of the audiobook, which was a huge distraction.
The Importance of Being Interested is written by Robin Ince, co-host of my favourite podcast, The Infinite Monkey Cage, which blends science and comedy. His musings about being curious reminded me, why I love science so much.
The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett is a super fun and educational book about the mysteries of the brain. It never fails to amaze me, how our complex – and sometimes stupid – brains are working.
Other Nonfiction Reads
Crying in H Mart is a memoir about grief, identity and a complex mother-daughter relationship, which I found really powerful.
Machiavelli’s The Prince probably doesn’t need any introduction. I guess it’s one of these books, you ought to have read…
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the story about a loner trying to survive in Alaska’s wilderness. Krakauer’s Into Thin Air is an all-time favourite, but Into the Wild couldn’t live up to that and I found it way too long compared to the material Krakauer actually possessed.
What are you hoping to get out of Nonfiction Nov?
Hopefully, I will find lots of inspiration for nonfiction books to read in 2023. I am sure, I will. 😉
I’m not a scientist, but enjoyed The Importance of Being Interested very much, partly because Robin Ince had come to Ripon and talked very engagingly about his book. However, two scientist friends hated it and couldn’t finish it. Normally, I read a lot of non-fiction, but I note I haven’t recently.. Must get back to it!
Ah, I would like to hear Robin Ince speak in real life. His book isn’t really targeting scientists, but normal people with a curiosity about the world around them. I mostly read fiction, but I really enjoy nonfiction as well. The fact that I picked up so many great nonfiction reads this year has encouraged me to seek out more.
I feel the same. And yes, Ince was a really engaging speaker, who really communicated his wonder at the world of science.
That must have been fun. I am sure many authors do promotion in London, but I never hear about it…
You have to keep an eye out at your local indie bookshop. Lots of authors prioritise these over chains when planning their tours.
Thanks, I will do that. I know a lot of people get this sort of information from Twitter, but I am still trying to stay away from social media.
I don’t do Twitter at all, and share your feelings.
Hello. You’ve done a good amount of heavy reading. It’s great that you like to challenge yourself and like to investigate difficult topics. Have a good week. Neil S.
Thanks Neil. I find that my brain needs to be stimulated once in a while and science really is amazingly interesting. I wish you a good week too.
I, too, am very interested in the concept of time, but as a non-scientist the material is often too dense for me. This sounds like a good option.
Agree, also re Into the Wild vs Thin Air. Part of my antipathy was the place of mental illness McCandless was coming from; his was not a heroic (if foolish) adventure, but rather a slow unravelling, which was ultimately very very sad.
Yes, the lectures about time were at a suitable level for non-scientists, I think. Admittedly, there was quite a lot of physics, but nothing too complex. Agree about Into the Wild, it was a very sad story. Parts of the book were captivating, but it was nothing compared to Into Thin Air.
I think I threw back Into the Wild. I like his other book though. I like books of that sort–real-life adventures.
Yes, real life adventures are amazing, exactly because they are real. It adds a different dimension to the reading experience, that you know it actually happened. Unfortunately, Into the Wild didn’t quite succeed in communicating a fascinating story, there was too much filler content, which broke the flow of the story.
Thanks for sharing these excellent suggestions!
My pleasure!
Next non-fiction should maybe be a danish one “I skyggen af det nye jerntæppe” about the neighbours of Russia.
Yup, might be interesting! I can only cope with audiobooks though. And who knows if I still remember how to read in Danish? 😉 Will send you email btw.
I love the sound of a lot of these nonfiction books. Happy Nonfiction November!
I found, it was a very successful selection this year. Admittedly, I do have a rather specific taste in nonfiction, which not everyone will find interesting.
Congrats on a great year of reading nonfiction, and thanks for sharing your rec’s!
Thanks Shelley!
I loved Into Thin Air as well, but haven’t branched out to his other books yet! As far as science books go, it wasn’t one of my better subjects in school, but I do enjoy reading about certain topics these days, as long as it’s not too technical!
Well, I think you might want to give Into the Wild a miss, it was nothing compared to Into Thin Air. Weirdly, I disliked physics in school, but later on it has become one of my favourite subjects and I even took an evening class in quantum physics.
The Molecule of More sounds like a book I’d definitely like to read. Thank you for sharing it and your other favorite reads.
It was so amazing to learn, how dopamine influences everything we do! Really weird and fun to read about!
Popular science is one of my favorite topics too and I’ve not ready any of the books on your list, so I’m excited to check them out! The book on time sounds especially interesting. Modern physics is so complicated, it’s great to find someone who can explain it well.
Yes, I agree it’s a treat to come across someone, who can explain physics properly. Sometimes, reading popular science can be hard work, but the lectures on time were great entertainment besides from being interesting and educational. Great to have *met* another reader, who is into popular science!
I didn’t realize you were such a science buff. Is your job in science? I didn’t do too well in college physics … but I probably should’ve taken biology instead. Into the Wild is a tragic story … that took me by the heart …. I sometimes think of the kid to this day. and how he couldn’t get across the river to leave ugh. Happy reading in November!
Haha, I wouldn’t call myself a science buff, but I do find it interesting. My work in unrelated to any form of science and I hated physics in school! Not even sure, why I started to read about it. Into the Wild certainly was a tragic story and I felt so bad for him as well. Happy reading!
I’m glad it was such a great nonfiction reading year for you! I’m excited to discover The Idiot Brain thanks to you.
I was also lukewarm about Into the Wild, although Into Thin Air didn’t do much for me either. Crying in H-Mart was great. Hope you find lots of good reads this month!
I hope you will enjoy The Idiot Brain, if you decide to pick it up. I found it interesting and the author had a great way of writing, which was fun and easy to read.
Oh really, you didn’t like Into Thin Air. That is shocking 😉 I am sure, I’ll find some good recommendations during November, I always do.
I’m excited to get to The Idiot Brain, thanks again for highlighting that one! And I feel like I sense the sarcasm there but not sure why it’s shocking 🤔
Hehe, no it wasn’t meant to be sarcastic. It did take me by surprise, since I haven’t come across many people who didn’t enjoy Into Thin Air. But it wasn’t serious either, since of course I know we all enjoy different books.
Sounds like you’ve been surrounded by a lot of break nonfiction this year! I agree with you on Into the Wild, though. It’s actually the reason I’ve put off reading Into Thin Air, but it’s good to hear you enjoyed that one more.
Yes, it has been a great nonfiction year, which has inspired me to pick up more nonfiction going forward. I thought Into Thin Air was very different from Into the Wild. The former is quite a page turner. My friend who lend the book to me, said they doubted I could put it down, once I started reading. That turned out to be correct!
Well done! Nonfiction is only 15% of what I have read this year.
Fascinating science topics!
I have one as well: https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/11/02/nonfiction-november-my-year-2022-in-nonfiction/
Thanks, I actually thought I’d read more nonfiction this year, but at least the quality has been good. I’ll never tire of reading popular science books, although it is difficult to find the good ones.
Have you read The Code Breaker, on gene editing? So loved it, in 2021: https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/07/07/book-review-the-code-breaker/
I haven’t read it, but it sounds interesting. Gene editing is a fascinating area with lots of possibilities and some moral dilemmas as well.
Great round up of books. I like science too.
Nice to meet another science reader, I guess that is quite a niche subject in the reading community.
Awesome to hear that you’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction. Popular science is something I’ve barely ever looked into but the titles you’ve picked sound intriguing. The only title I have read that you’ve mentioned here is The Prince haha!
Haha, I am not surprised you’ve read The Prince. Generally, I don’t have much overlap with the other bloggers participating in Nonfiction November, since my nonfiction reading tends to be quite technical. For me, science is great entertainment, though.