It is that time of the year!

Time for  Non-Fiction November!

*cue happy-dance*

Honestly,  it’s one of the few readathons that I find easy to participate in. Nonetheless,  the idea of creating a TBR list has me a bit nervous.

I know. I know.  The organisers, Olive from abookolive and Gemma from Non Fic Books have stated that to participate, one has to read at least one non-fiction book. But my obliger-self can’t make peace with that. So I decided to see which books on my bookshelves fit into each of the challenges. Hopefully, by putting it on the interwebs, the bookish community will hold me accountable.

Here are my choices for each of the four challenges:

Past time // Pastime

This challenge brings to mind books with a historical angle (past time) or about a hobby (pastime).  But one may also interpret the challenge to mean books that I have been on your shelf the longest.

The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness and Rewards by Paul Woodruff seems to fit all these interpretations. I bought this book in late 2015 on sale at Waterstones (UK) but have never gotten round to it. It is centred on the ancient conflict between Ajax and Odysseus over the armour of the slain warrior Achilles. Apparently, this story is found in Homer’s Illiad, which I haven’t read (Don’t judge me). The author discusses leadership lessons particularly around rewards and meritocracy based on Greek mythology which I deeply interest me. I get the feeling that The Ajax Dilemma will have a more academic tone. Thankfully, it is less than 300 pages and in a compact size.

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Self // Shelf

Hmmm…One way to look at is what book from your current bookshelf reflect you? If you take this train of thought you would probably pick the recently Anne Bogel’s I’d Rather Be Reading or  Sarah Clarkson’s Book Girl.  In my case, it puts me in a bit of pickle;  On one hand, I still do not have Bogel’s book. Gasp! ( I know). On the other, I have already started and loving Clarkson’s book and I will be finishing before the end of October.

So this got me thinking about memoirs and biographies as well as books that are part of my unread shelf project. I am down to two picks: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Tabe by  Ruth Reichl and  The Glass Castle  by Jeanette Walls

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Wonder // Wander

Planning where to go on vacation in 2019? Then this prompt will be excused for you to go to splurge a little at your local bookstore in the name of research.

If you have been a reader on my blog, you will know that  I have been pledging and trying to read Daniel Metcalfe’s Blue Dahlia, Black Gold: A Journey into Angola for almost two years! This is it. If I don’t, I will unhaul it. There I said it

Anyway, back to the book. From the first few chapters, Metcalfe’s takes the reader into Angola, an oil-rich country in southern Africa and the people have dealt with the resource curse and recovered from its 27-year civil war. He provides a rich background into the history of the national, tracing its colonial roots to its current state.  Personally, I am curious about how its colonial legacy of the Portuguese on the Angolan people and how it differs from the African countries ruled by other  Western countries. In case, what does the blue dahlia symbolise?

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Side note: If you have any recommendations fiction or non-fiction (especially historical fiction ) about Equatorial Guinea, please let me know.

Micro // Macro

The last prompt gives room for one to investigate an issue from an in-depth or broad perspective. This would be a great chance to read a microhistory and deep dive into minute details on whichever topic under the sun.  Personally, I will be using Blue Dahlia, Black Gold to fulfil this challenge since it zeros into Angola’s social-economic issues.

What are your reading plans for Non-fiction November 2018?  In case you need some more non-fiction ideas, here is a list of books from my archives. You are welcome.

You can watch Olive’s announcement video here. Be sure to follow Non-Fiction November on Twitter with its dedicated handle or join the Goodreads group.

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2 thoughts on “Non-Fiction November 2018 TBR

  1. All the best! I really wanted to do non-fiction November this year but it’s going to be an extremely hectic month for me and I don’t want to stretch myself to thin. I’ll be watching on the sidelines and waiting on your updtaes/review. 🙂

    Like

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