Nonfiction November

It’s Nonfiction November!

You wouldn’t think that a category as large as “nonfiction” needs its own month but this annual designation serves as an encouragement to readers who shy away from nonfiction books. I love nonfiction but admit that it only takes up about 20% of my reading. Even though I wax enthusiastically about the joys of fiction and of how it creates empathy in people, now let me sing the praises of making time for nonfiction titles in your reading life. 

A few reasons to read nonfiction are to learn about a current topic that interests you, to expose yourself to different view points, to delve deeper into historical events, and to read about real lives. Nonfiction is a giant category that can include almost anything, but if you are wondering where to start, my first go-to is “narrative nonfiction.” These are books about real events and people that are written in such an engaging way, it feels like you are reading a fictional story. A few recent favorites include: The Art Thief, The Wager, and A Woman of No Importance.

Another nonfiction category I love is memoir. This is a massive category - books by actors, sports stars, people in the public eye, and those sharing a personal journey - about illness, grief, addiction, family, travel, etc. This fall we are selling a lot of Kelly Bishop’s The Third Gilmore Girl. I loved Stanley Tucci’s and Ina Garten’s food centric memoirs. Travel memoirs are a favorite — and A Season For That by Steve Hoffman, chronicling a year his family spent in Provence is a joy. 

I do not read many history books but definitely recommend David McCullough for well told US History and learned so much from The Pioneers. This month I am reading The Barn, a book I have heard many people rave about. 

---

Love this:

The New Colorsoft Kindle: A Report

I got very excited when Amazon announced the new color soft kindle. While I wasn’t going to run out and buy it immediately, it looked like a great product for the e-reader market space. Since their announcement just over a month ago, things have not gone as planned. First, they have had quality problems. People using the new kindle reported a yellow bar at the bottom of the screen and discoloration around the edges. Second, the idea of color is exciting for e-readers but this is a very muted color - “soft” is the key word in the product name. It is not going to be a game changer for those looking to use their kindle for cookbooks, graphic novels, children’s picture books, or other color-forward types of reading material. They are selling it as a way to annotate books. I appreciated Meredith’s lackluster review on the Currently Reading Podcast. Besides not being wowed by the color, she also complained of a short battery life as well. And finally, the price is steep at $280, more than $100 over the cost of the reliable and beloved Paperwhite.

---

Fun Links and Recommendations

• I LOVE this article from The Yale Review about one of my all time favorite authors/ illustrators Richard Scarry. Nothing brings me more delight than spotting Richard Scarry illustrations out in the world and I know a lot of people share my joy. At the shop, his Cars and Trucks tote is hugely popular, as well the classic Scarry books and newer board books. Scarry wins for the best nostalgia factor for Gen X, and I find this meme so incredibly relatable:

• Instead of opening a bookshop, how about just renting a bookshelf? I am fascinated by the idea of a shelf-sharing bookstore that is divided into shelves, all uniquely owned and operated. Sadly this endeavor has come about because so many independent bookshops in Japan have closed in recent years.

Rokurou Yui, who runs three shelf-sharing bookstores, at his bookstore in Tokyo's Kanda Jimbocho district - from Barron’s

• The Booker Prize was announced last week, and I have to admit I was caught off guard when Orbital by Samantha Harvey won. I am not sure anyone had this on their list to win, but I am definitely interested, especially after seeing this:

Recent Reads:

I love this captivating cross-cultural story about family. In This Motherless Land, Funke is born in Nigeria, but sent to England after a family tragedy. We see what life is like being thrown into a family where she is considered less than, and how hard she works to keep her dreams alive. She develops a close relationship with her cousin Liv until another tragedy tears them apart. I hate to give too much away, since I went in cold and loved this novel. I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed the perspectives of being an outsider in both England and Nigeria. Funke is one of my favorite characters this fall - she is smart, strong, and courageous even when everything is going against her. This book follows her and her cousin’s path to adulthood while they both grapple with the demons they have been dealt. It also asks the question, is it better to lose the mother that lifts you up, or live with the mother that tears you down. Loosely based on Jane Austin's Mansfield Park, this book is a delight!!  Nikki May was a guest on the WSIRN podcast in October and it’s a great conversation. [Published: 10/24, Pages: 352]

I am a huge fan of Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures and am happy to report his latest book is worth the wait. The Last One At The Wedding is a fun thriller with a dad as the main protagonist. Frank Szatowski is a stand up guy, a devoted single father, and reliable driver for UPS. When his daughter, who has been estranged from him for a few years gets back in touch, she doesn’t want to talk about the past, she just wants her dad there for her wedding day. But when Frank meets her fiance, he immediately has concerns, and as much as he tries to warn her, she won’t listen. The fiance’s family is very wealthy and very secretive, and his daughter works for her soon to be father-in-law. Frank is really trying to do his best to stay uninvolved, but as it gets closer to the big day, Frank decides to take action and find out what is really going on with her fiance’s family. This book takes place over the build up to the wedding and the big wedding weekend which is held at a secretive compound in the woods. Frank, his sister, and her foster child try to fit in but Frank can not shake the feeling (or the actual signs) that things are not as they should be. I appreciated that there is some humor in this book - particularly between his sister, the tag along foster child, and Frank. It’s a bit quirky and it works. What follows is suspenseful and unexpected. This book is just great entertainment; I had fun reading it. I can be picky about suspenseful novels - if there are too many twists, too many unlikely scenarios, unlikable protagonists, etc. This story isn’t too much of anything, except enjoyable. [Published: 10/24, Pages: 352]

I have absolutely done a terrible job of late reading backlist books (those published in prior years), so I intentionally picked The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishigura, a book I have wanted to read for a while. I listened to this and the audio by acclaimed actor David Horovitch is outstanding.  Ishigura is a Nobel Prize winning author and The Remains of the Day is one of my favorite novels. His ability to write in different genres and tones is amazing. The Buried Giant is a fantasy novel that takes place in Arthurian England during a time of peace between the Saxons and English. It follows an older couple, Axel and Beatrice as they leave their home and journey to visit their son. A mist has settled on the land that impacts everyone’s ability to remember their past. As they meet people on this journey, there are hints that perhaps they have crossed paths with some of them before. Ogres, pixies, and dragons make appearances, as well as knights, monks, and a mysterious boatman. Similar to Remains of the Day, the themes of repression and regret loom large here. This quietly atmospheric, beautifully written novel is worth taking your time with. (Note: per last month’s rant about ratings, Goodreads has given this brilliantly written novel a 3.58 [Published: 1/16, Pages: 336]

Every Moment Since is a straight to paperback novel that strikes a familiar note. When the jacket of a missing boy is found 15 years after his disappearance, his older brother returns home to face the ghosts of his past. The brother is famous for writing a true crime novel about his own brother’s disappearance, yet there are still facts about that night he doesn’t want to face. He struggles to support his family, relate to old friends and neighbors, and find peace. As the events of the night in question are reinvestigated, more and more people within this small town become suspects. Honestly, there is nothing really new here, but this is a genre I like and the story is well written. While I wasn’t blown away, if you enjoy mysteries with missing persons at the core, I recommend this. [Published: 10/24, Pages: 384]

---

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for each of you who take time to read my bookish musings each month.