I did not manage to keep up with the weekly themes for Nonfiction November this year, but I enjoyed browsing others’ posts, and I want to thank all the hosts:
Heather – Based on a True Story
Frances – Volatile Rune
Liz – Adventures in Reading, Running and Working from Home
Rebekah – She Seeks Nonfiction
Deb – Readerbuzz
At the tail end of the month, I’m chipping in by listing ten of my favorite nonfiction reads this year. Just in case you need something to top up the TBR!
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein – Finished January 12. Starting off the year with a glimpse of alternate realities, I encountered much that was disturbing and a gleam of hope.
In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness by Peter Levine – Finished February 4. I find Levine’s work on somatic healing of trauma truly hopeful and inspiring, even if his book could use better editing.
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea – Finished April 4. Pure delight for Shakespeare fans – full of insight into character and craft, along with priceless behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings by Mary Henley Rubio – Finished April 14. A comprehensive examination of the dark and tragic life of a writer known for uplifting stories.
Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story in Music Lessons by Jeremy Denk – Finished May 3. Part memoir, part music writing by a concert pianist I’d never heard of but now feel I know in a strangely intimate way.
Julian of Norwich: The Showings by Mirabai Starr – Finished May 9. Just beautiful, a book to live by. Starr has rendered the medieval mystic’s visions in inclusive language for today.
“But He Doesn’t Know the Territory”: The Story Behind The Music Man by Meredith Willson – Finished May 27. It’s hard now to believe the iconic American musical was ever not a sure thing, but Willson’s quirky voice tells another story.
My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging by Rachel Naomi Remen – Finished September 9. A companion to Kitchen Table Wisdom, one of my all-time favorite books, more wise, compassionate stories to comfort and enlighten the heart.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney – Finished October 13. I was not enamored of Romney’s overly informal style, but the information she has gathered is fascinating — concerning the largely forgotten female authors who influenced Jane Austen, and who deserve to recover their place beside her in the canon.
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman – Finished November 7. Ignore the misleading title; this is not a steamy romance novel, but a riveting memoir about two college graduates in the 1980s traveling woefully unprepared in China and making it out alive, though not unscathed.
I’m grateful to have found so much information and inspiration in my nonfiction reading this year, and look forward to more reading adventures in the year to come.
What would you put on your list of top nonfiction from 2025? Have you read any of these? Which ones interest you the most?