I'm thrilled to be your host this week for Nonfiction November Week 2: Book pairings! This used to be my least favorite week since I don't read fiction anymore. Once I started hosting, out of necessity I began pairing nonfiction books and podcasts, and this year tweaked the prompt a bit to give you some... Continue Reading →
A Thorough Exposé of a Literary Fraud and a Podcast-to-Book on Cults
When I was growing up, Go Ask Alice, the "true diary" of an anonymous teen girl, nicknamed Alice, was still an ubiquitous must-read despite being released in 1971, already decades old at that point. It's a salacious, haphazard diary of a young girl who is dosed once with LSD at a high school party, from... Continue Reading →
Two Narrative Nonfictions Around Climate Change: The Vortex and The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
Sometimes you learn of some bit of history you've never heard of that's so monumental, it's hard to believe. Incredible how some major events slip by without notice on the world stage of history while others, even more minor, become common knowledge. The Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970 is one such event that I think... Continue Reading →
Some Books to Make Sense of Putin’s War
It's been a dark few weeks in the world, hasn't it? Everything still feels surreal, and the news brings fresh horrors every day. I try to keep this blog solely book-related, but of course the world doesn't compartmentalize so neatly. It feels worthwhile right now to point people towards some books that can help to... Continue Reading →
10 Upcoming Nonfiction Titles to Look For in 2022
Super late but better late than never when it comes to looking ahead to the year's new nonfiction, right? Right! Here's what's caught my eye in new and recent nonfiction releases: Longshot: The Inside Story of the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Heath (January 18) - "Investigative journalist David Heath takes readers inside... Continue Reading →
A Long Overdue Comprehensive Biography of Sylvia Plath
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath (Used or new @ SecondSale.com), by Heather Clark Now she is flyingMore terrible than she ever was, redScar in the sky, red cometOver the engine that killed her—The mausoleum, the wax house The book I most surprised myself by reading last year was Red... Continue Reading →
21 New Release Favorites of 2021
Eking in at the veeeery last minute, I've compiled my new release favorites of 2021. Let's dive in! Unsurprisingly, nothing surpassed Elissa Washuta's White Magic for me. This memoir-in-essays is like nothing I've ever read before, although I've come across a lot of memoirs that attempt similar things less successfully. This uses a blend of... Continue Reading →
17 Favorites from the Backlist
It's the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas stresses are over and it's time for year-end favorites lists! I love dividing up my year's favorite books by new releases and backlist selections because it means I can include more books. Also, since my blogging has deteriorated into a truly awful state, I realized that... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction November Week 4: Stranger Than Fiction
Nonfiction November continues to fly by! I've been very excited for this week's prompt, courtesy of Christopher at Plucked from the Stacks: Week 4: (November 22-26) – Stranger Than Fiction with Christopher at Plucked from the Stacks: This week we’re focusing on all the great nonfiction books that *almost* don’t seem real. A sports biography involving overcoming massive... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction November Week 3: Be/Ask/Become The Expert: Foodoir and Food Writing
Week 3 here we go! This week our host is Veronica @ The Thousand Book Project and here's our topic: Week 3: (November 15-19) – Be The Expert/ Ask the Expert/ Become the Expert: Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you... Continue Reading →
Mini Reviews: The Quiet Zone, Mystery at the Blue Sea Cottage, Sex Cult Nun
Some minis today: A town with no WiFi, growing up in a sex cult, and the unsolved murder of a Jazz Age dancer. They have nothing in common besides their blue-green cover schemes. I didn't plan it that way, but I like it! The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence... Continue Reading →
Frighteningly Good Reads: Unbelievable and Zodiac
Are you joining up with Molly @ Silver Button Books for Frighteningly Good Reads? There's still one week until Halloween! I managed to surprise myself by reading not only the book I'd specifically set aside for Molly's very fun challenge, but another that had been on my shelves for awhile and is, arguably, the spookier... Continue Reading →