November is a busy themed month – I’m starting with Nonfiction (I’m never sure with it should be Non Fiction, Nonfiction or Non-Fiction!), but I shall go with all one word or NF…
Week 1 (30th Oct – 3rd Nov) Your Year in Nonfiction: Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? (Heather at Based on a True Story)
I’m down a bit on nonfiction reading this year, currently running at 15/102 books read (last year I had read 27/118 – 23%). I have several NF novellas as possibles lined up for #NovNov though, which will bump it up a little. The fifteen I have read have all been interesting reads, and over half I’ve scored highly at 8.5/10 or more.
I’ve read a different mixture this year too – just the one medical memoir (Kay), but two about movies (McEwen and Dyer), two about lifestyle (Highmore and Jones), one true-crime (O’Connell), one classic travel (Heyerdahl), two psychology (Liming and Dahlen/Thorbjørnsen), one facts (Cock-Starkey), and a variety of memoirs (Dury, Rothschild, Rogers, Taylor and Royle). However, many of those memoirs include reportage and other digressions, and some of the others include moments of memoir – to use a neologism coined by Nicholas Royle – they’re ‘memoirish’.
I have particularly loved those memoirish books his year: Mark McEwen’s essays on his favourite films and how they have shaped him; Mark O’Connell’s reportage plus talking about how his investigation into a true crime affected him; Hannah Rothschild on her aunt Nica; Geoff Dyer on his scene by scene obsession with Tarkovsky’s film Stalker; Jude Rogers on how music makes us feel (my NF highlight so far); Catherine Taylor evoking the sociopolitical scene of the 1970s-1980s; and Nicholas Royle’s own personal obsessions with David Bowie and Enid Blyton which he combined into a series of lectures (out end of this month and to be reviewed then!).
Here’s my full list – looking at it – what can you recommend me to add to it?
- Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time by Sheila Liming – RC NF (8/10) Shiny Review
- Weights and Measures by Claire Cock-Starkey – RC (7/10) Review
- Lifestyle Revolution by Ben Highmore – RC (8.5/10) Shiny Review
- Cary Grant’s Suit by Todd McEwen – RC (9/10) Shiny Review
- Chaise Longue by Baxter Dury – O* NF (9/10) Review
- The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl – O NF (8/10) Review
- More. Numbers. Every. Day. by Micael Dahlen & Helge Thorbjørnsen – RC NF (8.5/10) Review
- The Baroness: The search for Nica, the rebellious Rothschild by Hannah Rothschild – O* NF (9/10) Review
- Zona by Geoff Dyer – O* NF (9/10) Review
- Undoctored by Adam Kay – O* (20B#6) (8/10) Review
- The Sound of Being Human by Jude Rogers – O* (20B#7) (10/10) Review
- A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell – RC (20B#11) (9/10) Review
- The Stirrings by Catherine Taylor – O (9/10) Shiny Review
- Divide by Anna Jones – RC – (8/10) Review
- David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the Sun Machine by Nicholas Royle – RC
For your music and pop culture interest: Dickens and Prince by Nick Hornby is an amusing biographical essay, and novella length too. And Michel Faber has a music-themed book just out.
That’s one of the NF novellas on my pile! I have my eye on the Michel Faber one too already.
I can never resist a book with David Bowie in its title, so I will probably get that – even more fascinating in juxtaposition with Enid Blyton!
The two were a lockdown thing for him, but he finds some great links and juxtapositions in his musings. there is a direct connection with Blyton too which I shan’t spoil further. The ‘sun machine’ comes from Bowie’s Memory of a Free Festival from his first album.
Nicely wide-ranging selection in your list. I take ages reading non-fiction but have three to recommend: Rachel Morris’ The Museum Makers, a memoir which might suit you; Iain Dunt’s How to Be a Liberal which both depressed me and made me feel better and Peter Ross’ A Tomb with a View which you’ve probably read already.
I’ve just looked up the Rachel Morris – and added it to my wishlist, the Ross was already on it. However, the Dunt doesn’t tickle my fancy. Thank you for the recommendations.
Interesting that Royle groups Bowie and Blyton, because they both lived in Bromley (where I currently live)! Bowie was born here, and Blyton moved as an adult. Must be something in the water.
That Bromley/Beckenham/Croydon thing resonates through the whole book… (I’m from the Croydon area too).
I love Jude Rodgers writing so I’m very keen to read that one!
It’s superb Cathy. You’d love it.
I’ve read precious little nonfiction recently – Arthur Koestler’s The Roots of Coincidence, plus a couple of faux narratives – so I’ll try to fit some in November, one of which I have coming up in Witch Week. The only one on your list I know is the Thor Heyerdahl 😐
My volume of reading is down this year in general, life has been too involved lately, but I do love reading NF, especially memoirish books
I like “memoir-ish” to describe those books that don’t seem to be easy to classify.
I love it when memoirs are more than just memoirs, having other running themes or reportage behind the personal stories
Hannah Rothchild’s book about her aunt has caught my eye – Nico was an interesting woman. I spotted the fiction title you had on your review of it as well which sounds promising…and gives you a nice pairing start for week three 🙂
You’re reading my mind Brona re wk 3!
I’m down for Cary Grant’s Suit and Chaise Lounge!
Both fantastic.
Thanks for sharing your books with us. I wish I had some to recommend to you.
I can never pass up a book about Cary Grant. This looks perfect!
It’s just one chapter in his selection of films that influenced him – and Grant’s suit in North by Northwest really struck a chord. This essay collection was delightful.
I think you have quite a variety of subjects. I admire that since I have mostly one subject; history and possibly biographies. I am looking forward to seeing what you will be reading this year.
Hooray for Jude’s book; I’d recommend Michel Faber’s Listen further to that one, though I have only heard him talk about it and read bits out so far.
I’m a big champion of Jude’s writing – I subscribe to her substack (may have a gift sub if you don’t have one). I’ve just acquired the Faber. Looking forward to reading it.