My Top Non-Fiction Reads from 2017!

My top fiction reads of-2

Today I’m sharing my top non-fiction books that I read in 2017! I posted my fiction favourites yesterday, which you can read here, and because I have read quite a lot of non-fiction over the last year it seemed fitting that it got its own list!

So, in no particular order here are the non-fiction books that I loved in 2017:

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Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while and finally picked it up towards the end of last year. I’m kicking myself for leaving it so long because once I picked it up I was engrossed until I finished reading the entire book. It’s a scary and fascinating story of a rare illness and how it affected her.

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The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson

This was my first ever Maggie Nelson book and it absolutely won’t be my last. Her writing is incredible and moving. This book is her exploration of her thoughts and feelings around the re-opening of the investigation into her aunt’s murder.

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The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This book is described as being a biography of cancer and it’s fascinating! I put off reading it because I worried it would be very heavy but it actually wasn’t. I learnt things that I didn’t know and it was such a page turner of a book.

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Thinking Out Loud by Rio Ferdinand with Decca Aitkenhead

This book has made my list because it was such an honest and open memoir about Rio’s grief over the loss of his wife. Later in the book he shares the things that really helped him through the darkest days and all the suggestions are excellent. I recommend this to anyone but particularly those who are grieving. You can read my full review here.

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Just Kids by Patti Smith

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while and somehow never picked it up until 2017. I’m so glad that I finally got to it because I loved every second that I spent reading this book, it’s wonderful.

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Good Night and Good Riddance by David Cavanagh

This is a book containing a wide selection of John Peel’s radio shows. There are descriptions of the shows, parts of transcripts and short lists of the bands and singers he had on his show. I adored this book, it reminded me all over again how many artists I discovered through listening to John Peel.

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It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice

This is another book that I put off reading for a long time because it felt like it might be a bit too close to home for me. I’m so glad that I finally read it because it’s a really moving and honest account of living with MND. It actually felt quite life-affirming and it’s a book I highly recommend.

A Manual for Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink

A Manual for Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink

This is a brilliant book that really does what it says on the cover. I read this in one sitting when I bought it and have since dipped in and out of it, it is a comfort and a solace to have this book to go back to as needed.

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Good as You by Paul Flynn

This is a non-fiction book that I bought and started reading immediately. I really enjoyed reading this, it’s a look over the last thirty years of homosexuality in Britain and it’s fascinating from beginning to end.

How to Survive a Plague- The Story of Activists and Scientists by David France

How to Survive a Plague by David France

This book took me a little while to read but it’s one that has really stayed with me. It’s a look at the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and is a really detailed account of how it was for people dying from AIDS alongside what was happening politically and medically. It’s a harrowing read but one that I highly recommend.

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I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O’Farrell

My list of non-fiction is roughly in no particular order but I have to be honest and admit that this book is my top non-fiction book of the entire year. I’m a massive Maggie O’Farrell fan so to read this book and find out more about her life was brilliant. There were things in this book that sent shivers down my spine because similar things have happened to me, and it really made me think. This is a book that I want to re-read this year, and I fully intend to keep on shouting from the rooftops about how amazing this book is and how everyone should read it!

I really enjoyed the non-fiction that I read in 2017 and am already looking forward to discovering lots more non-fiction in 2018. Have you got a non-fiction favourite from last year? Or any books you can recommend me? Here’s to a great reading year in 2018!

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WWW Wednesdays (22 Nov)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now:

Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli 

I’ve heard about this book on a few BookTube videos recently and so put it on my wishlist. I then spotted it on my audio book subscription so I immediately downloaded it and am now half-way through listening to it. It’s a really interesting book.

Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin by Sybrina Fulton & Tracy Martin

This is an ARC that I’ve had on my TBR for a few weeks now and I finally started reading it last night. It’s such a heartbreaking book but it’s such an important and prescient read. I have such admiration for Trayvon’s parents in the way they have tried to channel their grief into raising awareness and to honour their son’s life. I’ll definitely be reviewing this one when I’ve finished reading it.

Dear Cathy… Love, Mary by Catherine Conlon & Mary Phelan

This is such a lovely book, it’s a real feel-good and quite nostalgic read. I recommend this if you want a light-hearted book about two girls in the early 80s as they begin their adult lives.

Coco Chanel:The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie

I’m enjoying this book so much. It’s only taking me so long to read it because my copy is a really heavy hardback – it’s a beautiful book and one I’ll definitely be keeping but it’s hard to hold and read for more than a chapter at a time. It’s printed on thick glossy paper and has lots of great photos throughout. I recommend it.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

This is still on my currently reading and I do intend to get back to it soon but I’ve been drawn to non-fiction on other subjects over the last week so I’m going with how I feel.

What I recently finished reading:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

This book has been on my TBR for over three years but when I finally picked it up this week I honestly couldn’t put it down. I read it in two sittings and it feels like one of this books that will really stay with me. I highly recommend it.

Friends Like These by Danny Wallace

This is an audible book that I’ve owned for seven years and somehow have never listened to it! I was in need of something light to listen to at the weekend so put this on and I enjoyed it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read it when I was younger but it was still interesting to see how Danny tracked down his old school friends.

Flash Boys by Michael Lewis

This was a really fascinating book and the New York Stock Exchange and how companies would do anything to have the edge over others. I didn’t put it on my #NonFictionNovember2017 TBR because I was worried it might be a bit dry and take me a long while to read but I was so wrong. I found that once I picked this book up I didn’t want to put it down and ended up reading it in just a couple of sittings.

Whatever… Love is Love by Maria Bello

This is another audio book that I listened to on a whim. It was an easy listen and there were sections that really made me pause to think about my own life and how I view myself. As a whole it wasn’t quite as good as I hoped it might be but I’m still glad I read it.

What I plan on reading next:

Hystories by Elaine Showalter

I’ve wanted to read this book for ages and promised myself I would definitely get to it this November so I’m really hoping I can read it this week.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I’m always fascinated by the books that Jon Ronson writes and this one sounds like it’ll be a brilliant read.

The Lonely City by Olivia Laing

I hoped to read this last week and didn’t get to it so I’m putting it on my TBR for the week ahead. I’m really looking forward to this one.


 

What are you reading at the moment? Have you finished any good books recently? Which books are you looking forward to reading soon? Please feel free to join in with this meme and share your link below, or if you don’t have a blog please share in the comments below.

Weekly Wrap-Up (19 Nov)!

Weekly Wrap up SQUARE copyrighted

 

I want to start this post by saying a huge thank you to everyone who visits my blog, and especially to this who have commented recently. I’m aware that I’m slow to respond at the moment, and also that I’m not managing to comment on as many of your blogs as I’d like to, but I will get there. Please know that even when it takes me a while I respond, I do very much appreciate every comment.

This week has been quite quiet as I’ve not been feeling great. I have got a lot of reading done though, which has been lovely. I’ve been seeking escapism in books as I have another round of medical appointments and tests coming up and I don’t want to think about those until I have to.

Last night my husband and I curled up and watched The Deer Hunter, which we haven’t seen in a few years. It was so nice to just relax and watch a film together but it doesn’t matter how many times you see this film, it’s never not heartbreaking.

 

This week I’ve finished reading seven books:

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

This is a book that I was going to put on my #NonFictionNovember2017 TBR and then forgot about! I spotted it this week and was just in the mood to read it so decided to go ahead anyway. I read it in two sittings and found it such a fascinating insight into what goes on in Wall Street.

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

I really enjoyed reading this book! I read it a chapter or two at a time throughout the week in between other books and it really worked for me like that. If I’m to be completely honest I did find the author a bit irritating and she didn’t seem to have much of a concept of how lucky she was but, having said that, I loved reading about the lifestyle in Denmark and it has made me want to move there! I’d still recommend the book too.

Whatever… Love is Love by Maria Bello

This is another non-fiction book that wasn’t on my TBR for this month but it caught my eye amongst my audio books. It was an interesting listen, and some parts were thought-provoking but I don’t think it’s a book that will really stick with me.

Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington

This is a novel that I read this week as I was in need of some escapism and non-fiction wasn’t giving me that so instead I picked up this book, which I owned before this year so it’s another one that counts towards my Mount TBR challenge on Goodreads. I enjoyed this thriller, it kept me interested all the way through and I’ll definitely pick up Sam’s next book, Bad Sister.

Thinking Out Loud: Love, Grief and Being Mum and Dad by Rio Ferdinand (with Decca Aitkenhead)

This is such a powerful book about Rio’s grief after the death of his wife. I found it to be a really honest and moving book. I’ve already reviewed this so you can read more of my thoughts on it here if you’d like to.

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

This was the other novel that I read this week when needing some escapism. I really enjoyed this book – I do love Lucy Clarke’s writing.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is a very short book that I’ve been meaning to read for ages and I’m glad I finally got to it. It’s one of those books that makes you think about your own thoughts and ideas about things.

 

This week I’ve blogged three times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of Thinking Out Loud by Rio Ferdinand (with Decca Aitkenhead)

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

I just started this book yesterday but it’s already got me engrossed. I don’t think it’ll take me very long to read this. I’m expecting it to be quite harrowing at times but I’ve seen so many people recommend it that I have to read it.

Dear Cathy… Love, Mary by Catherine Conlon and Mary Phelan

This is letters between Catherine and Mary in 1984 – the year they leave school and one goes on to further study and the other goes to France to be an au pair. I’m so enjoying this one, it’s wonderful.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie

This is a really interesting look at Coco Chanel’s life and I’m really enjoying it. My copy of the book is physically very heavy so I’ll be quite slow to read this but it’s such a treat every time I pick it up.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

I haven’t read much more of this over the last week but I will be getting back to it soon as I was finding it really interesting.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

My (rather ambitious!) TBR for Non-Fiction November!

NonFictionNovember!

I’ve decided, at the last minute, to take part in #NonFictionNovember! I have a lot of non-fiction on my TBR so it seems like a good time to read more of it. I struggled to make an exact TBR as generally once I make a list of books to read my brain decides it wants to read anything but what’s on the list! This time I’ve picked a selection of books that I really like the sound of – I’ve deliberately picked more books than I’m able to read in a month in the hope that having more choice will keep me on track. I do have some fiction to read and review so I may not read exclusively non-fiction but I aim to mostly read it in November.

I’ve predominantly picked books that I owned before 2017 so that I can use these books towards my Goodreads Mount TBR Challenge as I haven’t managed to complete that as yet, hence why there aren’t any new books (other than review books) on this list. I’ve tried to make my list a mix of easier non-fiction to balance some of the more challenging books in the hope it keeps me on the non-fiction track for the most part!

#NonFictionNovember2017 was started by abookolive and Non Fic Books on YouTube.

Their prompts for this reading challenge are:

Home

Substance

Love

Scholarship

and you can interpret these prompts however you like.

 

Here’s my #NonFictionNovember TBR

Hystories by Elaine Showalter

This is one of my picks for the scholarship prompt. I first heard about Elaine Showalter when she was giving a talk at the university that I was about to start. I loved her talk and went on to read two of her books soon after. For some reason I never got around to reading this one so it seemed a good choice to aim for during this reading challenge.

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev

This is another book that could possibly fit into scholarship as Russian politics is something I feel I should learn more about and this book looks like it could be an accessible way to start. It’s also a book that’s been on my TBR for a while so it’s time I picked it up.

Essays in Love by Alain de Botton

This is my pick for Love seeing as it has love in the title! I’ve had this on my TBR for a while too and it seemed a good pick for something to dip in and out of during this challenge to break up some of the heavier books on my TBR.

It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice

This book doesn’t really fit any of the challenges but it’s a book I’ve own for a long time and really want to read. It’s a book about the author being diagnosed with MND and how he has come to terms with how that has changed his life. I didn’t read it for a while because there was a time when this felt like it might be too close to home but that time has passed now and I feel ready to read this.

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

This book could fit into home as it’s a book about a couple making a new home for themselves in Denmark. I’ve wanted to read this for ages and so I’ve added it to this TBR for some light relief if I find myself needing it.

The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This is my pick for substance as it’s a biography of cancer and looks at the way cells can go rogue within the human body. I’ve wanted to read this for so long but it’s a subject that I find really hard to read about. I’m using this challenge to push myself to read it at last because I feel sure it will be fascinating.

The Lonely City by Olivia Laing

This book is on my TBR simply because I really want to read it and I think it might have a different vibe to other books that I’ve picked and so might be good to change things up a bit.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie

I’ve had the lovely hardback of this book on my TBR for about seven years now and I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet as it’s a book I really wanted. I also love the author’s writing so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to fit this book in this month.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

This is a recent buy but I’m so looking forward to reading that I’ve added it. I may well end up not reading this as I want to focus on books from before this year but I’ve put this on the list in case I get stuck at any point and then I know I can pick this up. It’s the book that inspired Roger Waters to write Amused to Death and as I love that album I am very keen to read this book!

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

This is another book that I’ve wanted to read for a long time and I don’t know why I haven’t done so as yet. I feel like this might be a one sitting read and so perfect for this reading challenge.

Mercury and Me by Jim Hutton

I do like memoirs and biographies so have added this one as it will break up the other books I have on my TBR. I’m a huge Freddie Mercury fan and can never resist books about him.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I love Jon Ronson’s books and this one is on a subject that fascinates me so I’m keen to see how he approaches it.

Small Acts of Disappearance by Fiona Wright

This is an essay collection that I’ve been looking forward to and it seemed like a good idea to have another book that can be read on and off throughout the month.

The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield

This is a memoir of Kate Mayfield and how it was to grow up living above a funeral parlour. It sounds like such an interesting read and when I flicked though it seems like a really accessible writing style so seems a good book to have on the list for a reading challenge.

Dear Cathy… Love, Mary by Catherine Conlon & May Phelan

This is a book of letters written between the two authors in the 1980s and it just sounds so wonderful and nostalgic. I can’t wait to read this one!

Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum

This is a book that I bought ages ago now and really wanted to read but then the time never felt right. I’m really interested to read about women who’ve chosen not to have children though so a collection of essays seems like a good book to add to this challenge.

A Pound of Paper by John Baxter

This book has been on my TBR since before I had a Goodreads account (more than nine years). I’m mortified because it’s a book about a book addict and I feel sure I will love it. What’s more is that it’s in a lovely hardback edition and when I picked it off my shelf to make this TBR I just wanted to curl up with it right away. Therefore this book also fits the challenge of home for me because books are home to me.

Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

This has also been on my TBR for a long time (more than ten years!). In fairness I have read some of it for my degree but I never sat down and read the whole book. I’ve kept it all this time so there must be something in me that still wants to read it so I’m including it in this TBR. I will just say that my edition has small text and my eyes aren’t great at the moment so this book may not get read this month but I’m including it on the list to keep it fresh in my mind so that it doesn’t languish on my TBR for another ten years!

 

I also have some Non-Fiction ARCs to read so I’ve included them in my reading plans too

Riot Days by  Maria Alyokhina

This is a book about the Russian band Pussy Riot and how they were imprisoned. It sounds like such a fascinating read and I’m keen to get to it soon. If I don’t manage to read it during this reading challenge, I will aim to have it read and reviewed before the end of this year.

The Day that went Missing by Richard Beard

This is a memoir of how the author looked back at what happened on the day his brother drowned and the aftermath. It sounds like a really moving book but it’s one I want to read soon.

Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton & Tracy Martin

Trayvon Martin was shot dead whilst innocently walking home minding his own business; he was seventeen years old – it was such a shocking story on the news when it happened. This book is his story as told by his mum. I’m sure this will be a heartbreaking read but it’s important that books like this are read and spoken about.

The Book of Untruths by Miranda Doyle

This is Miranda Doyle’s memoir told through lies – this was all I needed to know about this book before I requested it on NetGalley! I’m so keen to read this book and hope to get to it this month.

Gone by Min Kym

 

Of Women: In the 21s Century by Shami Chakarabati

I just got and ARC of this book this week so I’m adding it to this list of books that I may get to this month. It does sound like it could be a very prescient book given what is happening at the moment with the #metoo so I’d like to read this soon if I can.

Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell

I was unexpectedly sent a copy of this book for review a little while ago and it sounded interesting so I added it to my TBR. The subject matter sounds tough as it’s about the author’s husband’s suicide but it’s so important to be more aware of mental health so I want to read this one soon.

Currently reading

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

I’ve been reading this book for the past few weeks but I had a spell where I just wanted to read fiction so it got put to one side. I picked it up again this week though and am back to being engrossed in it.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Britain by David Cavanagh

This is a book that I’m dipping in and out of and it’s just wonderful. I highly recommend this if you love music and John Peel.

A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray

This is an audiobook that I spotted when I was looking for non-fiction in my Audible cloud. I’d forgotten that I had this on my TBR but as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to listen to it asap. I started listening to it today and am really enjoying it.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

I can’t remember buying this book but it’s been on my TBR for ages. I started reading it last night and I think it could be a really interesting read.

 


 

Are you joining in with #NonfictionNovember2017? If you are I’d love to know what you plan on reading for this challenge.
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