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My Nonfiction November Reading Pile

nonfiction november reading pile

Nonfiction November is coming! While reading exclusively nonfiction isn’t part of the celebration I’m co-hosting with Leslie (Regular Rumination), Katie (Doing Dewey) and Rebecca (I’m Lost In Books), it is something I’m excited to try next month. I’ve just been feeling out of my reading groove lately, so I’m hoping a month focusing on my true love, nonfiction, will get me back in the swing of things.

Thanks to the library, some review copies, and my inability to pass up a good book sale, I’ve got lots of great options to choose from. These books are just the ones that were top of mind when I started pulling the pile together last night. In no particular order:

  1. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb — This is our Nonfiction November Readalong book for the year, so of course I need to read it! We’ll be discussing it the fourth week of the month.
  2. Notorious RGB by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhink — This is a Tumblr turned book all about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I’m in.
  3. Relish by Lucy Knisley — Lucy Knisley is really delightful, and I think this will be a nice change of pace.
  4. Speed Kings by Andy Bull — I’ve been holding on to this book since this summer. I love good historical sports nonfiction.
  5. Best American Essays 2015 edited by Ariel Levy — I miss reading essays. I didn’t need a new to get another collection, but I’m excited about the guest editor.
  6. The Prince of Darkness by Shane White — I’m really interested in the story of Jeremiah Hamilton, an African American Wall Street tycoon in the late 1800s.
  7. Soldier Girls by Helen Thompson — This was an impulse grab at the library last month, but it looks really great.
  8. The Optimistic Workplace by Shawn Murphy and Dorie Clark — I’m the chair of our workplace culture committee, so I’m thinking this book would be helpful in that respect.
  9. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahesi Coates — This might be the biggest book of 2015. I definitely need to read it this month.
  10. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald — This is another one that’s been on my TBR since much earlier this year. It’s one of the big books of 2015, so definitely want to get to it.
  11. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell — I just love Sarah Vowell, and this is her newest book (out Oct. 20). Should be a lot of fun!
  12. Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon — A dual biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. This chunkster got on my TBR list thanks to a review at A Gun in Act One. Hopefully it’ll get to the library soon so I can dive into it.
  13. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander — I saw this book on the Instagram account of a DIY blogger I follow and got curious. Thanks library!

Obviously there’s no chance of me finishing 13 books but it’s nice to have a bunch of options pulled out and ready to go. I’m jumping in soon! What are you excited to read in November?

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Rachel October 29, 2015, 6:19 am

    I certainly won’t read exclusively non-fiction, since I get burnt out when I do that. But I will attempt to catch up on my non-fiction reviews. That’ll be quite the pleasure if I can! *fingers crossed*

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:46 pm

      We’ll see how long the “only nonfiction” plan actually lasts — I’m sure I’ll throw some fiction in there too.

  • Shannon @ River City Reading October 29, 2015, 6:39 am

    You have a great stack! I read Notorious RBG during the Readathon and was surprised by how well it blended biography and fun coffee table book. It was a great read!

  • Lory @ Emerald City Book Review October 29, 2015, 6:57 am

    Really nice variety there. Including a book of essays is a good idea, I always forget about those. I have only read (and can highly recommend) H Is for Hawk. As for my own reading, I’m definitely planning to join the readalong, and other than that I have some of the Slightly Foxed memoirs to review as well as a new volume of Robertson Davies’s diaries. I’ll see what else jumps onto my shelf!

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:45 pm

      I’ve heard all great things about H Is For Hawk — I hope to get to it this month!

  • Sarah's Book Shelves October 29, 2015, 7:53 am

    What a stack! I’m looking forward to participating…so much that I started reading my picks in early October!
    Speed Kings was on my list too…sadly it ended up being a DNF for me. I love historical sports books as well…and the Olympics, but this one read more like a society column. Not as much Olympics in there as I’d hoped. Hope it works out better for you!

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:44 pm

      That is such a bummer!

  • BermudaOnion (Kathy) October 29, 2015, 8:00 am

    Relish is delicious! (Excuse my pun.) I need to get to Between the World and Me.

  • TJ @ MyBookStrings October 29, 2015, 8:09 am

    November will be so bad for my TBR Pile! I’m still waiting for my library to get Romantic Outlaws…

  • Amanda October 29, 2015, 11:28 am

    Yay for Romantic Outlaws!! I hope you love it! I had good timing with I am Malala – just read it for book club. She is amazing.

    I have H is for Hawk and RBG on my list as well. Should be excellent reading!

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:44 pm

      I was so excited the library had it — definitely seems like a good fall read.

  • Heather @ Capricious Reader October 29, 2015, 12:02 pm

    H is for Hawk was really a pleasant surprise. I really loved that book. And Relish was a lot of fun. Great pile! November is going to be murder on my TBR. So happy!

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:42 pm

      I’m so excited about Relish — need to get to that one before it has to go back to the library!

  • Julie @ Smiling Shelves October 29, 2015, 7:41 pm

    I haven’t participated in a Nonfiction November yet, but everyone’s posts are getting me excited about it. And looking at what I planned to read in the near future…it includes quite a bit of nonfiction. I might give this a try! Looks like you’ve got a great stack!

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:42 pm

      The thing that makes me happy about Nonfiction November is that, I hope, everyone who participates feels like they can do it in their own way — write posts, read books, whatever. So I hope the month inspires you to grab some more nonfiction.

  • Alise @ Read.Write.Repeat. October 30, 2015, 8:35 am

    I absolutely loved I Am Malala! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

  • Jenny @ Reading the End October 31, 2015, 6:24 pm

    Question: WILL YOU BE listening to the Lafayette hype song portions of the Hamilton cast recording while you read the Vowell book? Cause it feels like you should. (“Who’s the best? C’est moi.”)

    • Kim November 1, 2015, 12:40 pm

      Yes, I am 100 percent doing that — listening to Hamilton is why I decided to pick up the book 🙂

  • Becca November 1, 2015, 1:07 pm

    That’s an awesome pile, Kim! I started my first read just a bit ago.

  • Allison @ The Book Wheel November 1, 2015, 2:26 pm

    I have I Am Malala on my TBR and feel like a slacker for not reading it yet because I saw her speak earlier this year. I also loved Between the World and Me. I listened to the audiobook and the author narrated it, which made it all the more powerful. I highly recommend bumping it up the list!

  • Katie @ Doing Dewey November 1, 2015, 6:58 pm

    I loved Prince of Darkness, so I’d highly recommend getting to that one! I look forward to hearing what you think of it when you do 🙂

  • Leslie November 1, 2015, 8:54 pm

    I have H is for Hawk, too! Definitely listening to that one this month!

  • susan November 5, 2015, 7:48 am

    I like your list. Of those, I’m most interested to read H Is for Hawk! I got to get to this.

  • Jennine G November 10, 2015, 12:36 pm

    Oh I see some interesting titles in that list! I have a stack of about ten I’m looking forward to. Only one is nonfiction – The Oregon Trail. I won’t get to all of mine either, but like you said, it’s notice to know there’s a superb selection waiting!