Nonfiction November Week 4: New to My TBR

Yet again, Nonfiction November flies by and here we are in the last week already. It’s been such a bright spot for me this year, and I hope for everyone who participated too!

Our host this week is Katie @ Doing Dewey, and here’s the prompt:

New to My TBR : It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book!

I’ve done an even worse job of blog-hopping this year than usual and haven’t gotten around to half of the posts I’d hoped to, so I expect this list will grow further. But here are mine for now:

Dear Life: A Doctor’s Story of Love and Loss, by Rachel Clarke (Shelly @ Book’d Out) – This is the year I’ve become braver about reading medical nonfiction and medical memoirs, something that, surprisingly, has helped me immensely. This memoir from a palliative care doctor sounds poignant and meaningful.

Corrupt Bodies: Death and Dirty Dealing in a London Morgue (Shelly @ Book’d Out) – I mean, the title alone.

Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life – (Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books) – Kristin always finds the best nature books! This one, which also blends biography, memoir, and biology, is also blurbed by Susan Orlean and Mary Roach, so, YES.

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, by Ed Yong (Lory @ Emerald City Book Review) This is very relevant to my interests right now. I’ve also seen the author quoted here and there in pandemic-related media so I’m interested to read his own work.

Surfacing, by Kathleen Jamie (Claire @ Word by Word) – Described as lyrical nature writing essays on, among other things, “the natural world, lost cultures, and the passage of time”.

Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro, by Rachel Slade (Sarah @ Celebration of Books) – I heard endless good things about this book when it came out last year but it just never felt like a priority. Sarah’s take on it is very convincing.

The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall, by Mary Elise Sarotte and After the Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood and the Life that Came Next, by Jana Hensel (Jaymi @ The OC BookGirl) – Have you been following Jaymi’s Nonfiction November posts? She put us all to shame. Jaymi covered so many different topics, genres, and spotlighted tons of titles that I haven’t encountered elsewhere. Berlin Wall history is an endlessly fascinating period to me, and Jaymi listed these two, a history and a memoir, that I’d never heard of.

Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith by Timothy Beal (Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks) Speaking of spotlighting unique titles, Christopher is THE ONE for finding nonfiction that I never see mentioned elsewhere. I owe so many fantastic reading recommendations to him. Like this one, detailing an American road trip to investigate weird religious-based roadside attractions. Yes please.

The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge (Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks) Another of Christopher’s specialty areas is foodie nonfiction. I loved the parts of Michael Twitty’s The Cooking Gene that focused on Southern cooking and culture, so I’d like to learn more in this area.

A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears) by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling (Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks) Christopher also introduced me to this funny, bizarre story, and I’ve felt nervously intrigued by what’s going on with Libertarians after reading Dark Money.

Shadow City: A Woman Walks Kabul by Taran N. Khan (Shelly @ Book’d Out) I’m interested in any stories from women in Afghanistan and within the Middle East, and narratives about walking have been appealing lately too.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, And Body In The Healing Of Trauma, by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. (Lory @ Emerald City Book Review) – This appeared in several people’s posts this month but I first noticed it from Lory. I’ve been on the fence about whether I wanted to read this — it just seems like it’ll be tough material to sit with — but it got so much praise and seems helpful, even necessary.

An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales, by Oliver Sacks (Lory @ Emerald City Book Review) A lot of Oliver Sacks came up this month, and I’ve somehow made it this far in life without having read anything of his! I’m rightfully embarrassed. This one sounded great, although Liz @ Librofulltime recommended the classic The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat as a good starting place among his books.

Daughter of Family G: A Memoir of Cancer Genes, Love and Fate, by Ami McKay (Eva @ The Paperback Princess) Hidden Valley Road and others have drawn me more to genetics histories and narratives, and this one seems like a must-read.

God’s Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican, by Gerald Posner (Christopher @ Plucked from the Stacks) Again, having just finished/been horrified by Dark Money, as well as a few other follow-the-money books this year, I’m interested in this topic as it applies to the Vatican. Doesn’t sound like good news!

Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine, by Paul A. Offit (Hanna @ Booking in Heels) Hanna had a fantastic list of medical history books for Expert Week, and speaking of naughty doings around religion, this one combining that with medical history makes it an immediate must-read for me.

Have you read any of these? What Nonfiction November find are you most excited about?