Non-fiction November Wrapup

Non-fiction November is a project run by Olive and Gemma on BookTube (the bookish part of YouTube), and I heard about it via Jen Campbell’s channel. Here is the Goodreads page for the project: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/174090-nonfiction-november-2016

This is the first year I decided to participate. I don’t read much non-fiction, maybe one every couple months, but I decided to make a conscious effort to pick up a couple more. I did unexpectedly well! I started six non-fiction books in November. Confession time, I finished two of those in the first days of December but the Non-fiction November and December wrap-up sounded too bulky. Anywhoodle, mere details. It’s the thought that counts, yada yada yada. 

The first book I picked up was Code Talker by Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila. Chester Nez was one of the original Navajo code talkers, and creators, of the only unbroken code of modern warfare. One of the reasons for this was because the Navajo language – on which the code was based – was largely unwritten, so there wouldn’t have been an easy way to deconstruct the secret language. The memoir chronicles Chester Nez’s childhood and his years as a Marine. It’s fascinating, and reads like a thriller novel; mainly because my education didn’t focus heavily on the battles in Asia. I gave this memoir 4 stars. It’s accessible and not overly wordy. The book deals with war, loss of life, and racism, so it’s not exactly an easy read, but certainly a valuable one.

Then I read one of my favourite books of the year - Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. You may have heard of this because there is also a film coming out in January. I first heard about this just as the trailer came out and I promptly ordered the book. It seemed important to read the book first in this case. It’s about the African-American women that were working in NACA/NASA, and have largely gone unnoticed in the mainstream coverage of the development of NASA and the space race. It is a beautiful book that follows a few of the women working in NASA after World War II and during the Space Race. They had to work themselves up without the same privileges as others, battling not just gender but also racial inequality. It’s harrowing but wonderful, and deftly deals with the absolutely infuriating casual racism that was running rampant in that era (prisoners of war were served in bars, but not African-American soldiers that fought in the wars). My top non-fiction book of the year.

Then I decided to delve into a celebrity memoir. Is It Just Me? is written by Miranda Hart, who you may know from her TV show Miranda or then Call the Midwife. In this fun book she is in an imaginary dialogue with her younger self, and in doing so offers useful information on, well, adulating in general. It had some great insights and I laughed out loud a lot. It’s a solid three star book – I liked it, but it wasn’t spectacular.

This was followed by a slim adult picture book Lost in Translation. This one shows us 25 untranslatable words from different languages. This is almost a must-read and no doubt a fascinating read for all people who are interested in linguistics, translation, or pretty pictures combined with words ;-). It would also make a great present.

The two books I started in November but finished in December are Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Both were excellent reads. I have forgotten seemingly everything from my high school chemistry and physics lessons, and the Rovelli book was a great refresher. The lessons are brief and meant for the layperson, so they are never too difficult or a trudge to read.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is another memoir. Ms Woodson chronicles her childhood, moving between her life in Ohio, the South, and New York City. It’s beautiful and hard-hitting, and written in absolutely beautiful verse. I cried, I chuckled, and read bits of it out loud. Often.  I would recommend this to aspiring writers, I’m sure they will find a lot to relate to.

And that's it. The main take-away was how much fun I had, and I've found myself paying more attention to non-fiction. I can't wait to continue my adventures in space-related non-fic, for instance. Plus, the Read Harder 2017 challenge is soon upon us and that always helps to expand my reading horizons.

#MonthlyWrapUp

Tiina
Right, now this is a rather new feature on our blog. We thought it’d be fun to do a little wrap-up of our monthly highlights. I for one don’t review every book I read on this blog, but I do try to write up a review of everything on Goodreads. First of all, my favourite read of the month that was featured on this blog – Melissa Keil’s The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl. It is a sweet story about friendship and how endings lead to new beginnings. All this with a side of swoonworthy yet quiet romance so this book has it all. Another highlight of the month was the Locke & Key comic book series. It’s a limited run, so all the volumes are out for your enjoyment. The series it’s a darkly Gothic story of a family battling with grief and supernatural horror. It can be very graphic, and it was definitely scary, so if that is your jam, then what are you waiting for? Go read it! The first volume is Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft.

I have two other novels I want to mention. Firstly, a reread of Pride and Prejudice. It took me longish to read this time, but it was still as great as I remember. The romance is amazing, the characters are great whether you love or hate them. The novel is also incredibly snarky, which is always a plus. Secondly, my favourite non-fiction “read” of the month was the The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You audiobook by Robert L Leahy (narrated by Mike Chamberlain). It was an abridged version but it covered most of the main subjects that cause worry in people. I for one found it extremely helpful and would recommend to anyone who has generalised anxiety that isn’t too severe. The book just helps you come to grips and rationalise your worry – is it useful or do we just think it is? There are no miracle fixes but I definitely felt a little better after I put the steps into use. That’s it. These were the best of the best this month. I have been slumpy lately so hopefully there’ll be more five star reads in my future. Pro tip: audiobooks are a good way to feel like you are reading something, even if you’re not picking up a physical book every day. 

Coll
As with Tiina, I also do not review every book I read. Hell, if we did that our blog would be inundated with posts. So I just wanted to share my stand-out reads for the month of March that were not featured on the blog. My favorite book for the month of March was Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, which is the second book in the Grisha trilogy. A quick background, the Grisha are a group of people who hold special powers where they can manipulate elements of nature such as water, air, sun, night, etc. There is a war raging in the country and the Grisha have been split between two leaders, one who has mastered the dark and one who has mastered the sun. As one side is trying to take over the world, the other is trying to save it. This book (and the series) is packed with so much imagination and action that it pulls you in instantly. It is a great series for fantasy lovers, and I think it would also be perfect for those who are not usually into fantasy because it integrates parts of many different genres, so there is something for everyone. 

When I go on vacation near the ocean I like to stick with reading ocean themed books, so this year I was able to fit two in over the course of the two weeks. The first was Secrets of the Realm by Bev Stout, and it was about a girl who poses as a boy to escape her past and get a job as a cabin boy on a ship. I flew through it and enjoyed it, but as much as I love YA this was slightly juvenile at times and I also felt it was too short. The other book was Blackheart's Legacy by Sally Copus, which is book one in The Odyssey of Jon Sinclair series. Jon’s grandparents own a time machine and a malfunction sends him and his grandmother to the Caribbean in 1692. They are separated and Jon is kidnapped and put on a pirate ship as the cabin boy of Blackheart. This book is entertaining and very heavy on the sailing theme, which I loved. It is also full of a lot of history but never once comes off boring or dry. I really did enjoy this and am excited to continue on with the series.

I read several other books during March, including Glitch by Hugh Howey (short story), Waiting for Godot (again), and the short graphic novel Dayglow, but I highlighted the main books I wanted to talk about. I hit a slight slump after getting back from vacation (the ol’ post-vacation depression) so I did not read as much as I hoped to or usually would, but April is looking to be a good month for me book-wise and I am looking forward to some awesome reads.