I have just this week begun a modified version of Nonfiction November. As you can see from the meme, the first week, November 1-5 deals with a look back at one’s year of nonfiction reads. Several questions were proposed to deal with in this first post, but I chose to give a statistic first instead. Browsing over my nonfiction reads in 2021 (not counting Saturday Mornings for Kids or any children’s books), I found I’d read 38 nonfiction books so far this year. For someone who previously read only novels and literary fiction, this is not bad. I owe this change in taste and the inclusion of nonfiction into my reading habits to blogging friend, Deb Nance. She encouraged our Third Tuesday book club to read Lab Girl, a book I never dreamed I would enjoy. I was captivated by the book and decided at that point to become a reader of non-fiction.

Later, her Happiness Project on her blog provided recommendations steering me to several books on that topic, which I enjoyed as much as any novel I’d ever read. Perhaps my favorite nonfiction read of the year so far is Your Turn: How to be an Adult. It would make a perfect textbook for a course in Adulting 101, and revealed to me several areas in which I could act more like a responsible adult!

I have definitely been attracted to books that help a reader grow, live a meaningful life, and maintain a better Christian walk. I have recommended Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile, a book club selection over and over again to friends, students, and family members. Like so many of my “bookish” friends, when I find a book that “speaks” to me, my first thought is to share it with those I love.

I am hoping to deepen my appreciation and enjoyment of nonfiction by participating in Nonfiction November. Won’t you join me? Go to http://www.What’sNonFiction.com for details.

Rae