Nonfiction November: A Nonfiction Book for Every Mood

Welcome to Nonfiction November!

Nonfiction (true stories, think NF = Not Fake) is my preferred type of book to read. I love memoirs, essay collections, travel journals and deep dives into everything from parenting and cooking to hunting serial killers or confronting racism. I love reading true stories and knowing things really did happen. I find nonfiction books easier to get into because I don’t have to enjoy an author’s narrative style, tone or dialogue (though that helps). I just have to be interested in the subject matter.

But I know not everyone feels the same way as I do about nonfiction. Most people who read for fun reach for fiction novels. And don’t me wrong, I love fiction! I just have a harder time finding fiction I love.

So if you’re intrigued by nonfiction but don’t know where to start, I’ve got your back. Below I’m sharing some of my favourite nonfiction reads and recommending them to you, based on your mood. Looking to laugh? Cry? Learn something? Forget everything? There’s a nonfiction book for you!

And if you want even more nonfiction book recommendations, check out my favourite true crime reads and memoirs.

All right, let’s find you your next nonfiction book!

If you want a book you can’t put down…

If you want a book that will keep you up until 5AM reading just to get to the final page (speaking from experience!), I highly recommend A House In The Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett.

This is the unbelievable true story of a woman who was kidnapped in Somalia and held for 15 months. While the story starts a little slow, once you’re hooked you won’t be able to stop reading until you find out what happens.

If you love true crime podcasts…

True crime has been a popular genre ever since Serial came out. Everyone seems to have their favourite true crime podcast and cult documentary on Netflix. So if that’s you, but you’ve yet to venture into true crime reading, let me suggest The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn.

This is for the true crime fan who is obsessed and wants to know everything there is to know about Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple and what really happened in Guyana.

If you want to solve a mystery…

I’m a big true crime reader and American Predator by Maureen Callahan is one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. This book is gripping and you’ll be on the edge of your seat as you go along with the detectives who try and solve this case.

If you want to go somewhere new…

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is the kind of memoir that instantly transports you. In it, Noah tells his story of growing up in South Africa at the end of apartheid.

The worlds Noah had to navigate as a child look so different than the life he leads today as a late night TV show host. And, because it’s Trevor Noah, this memoir is also hilariously funny.

If you want to feel empowered…

This was one of the very first books I read where I felt completely seen. I found myself nodding along as Lindy West perfectly articulated everything I was feeling in her memoir, Shrill.

West is funny, real and not afraid to call things out that need to be called out. If you love this one, be sure to check out her next book, The Witches Are Coming, and the TV adaptation of Shrill.

If you need a pep talk…

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (author of Wild) is the perfect book to go to if you need a little bit of wisdom. Back in the day, Cheryl worked as an advice columnist named Sugar.

This book is her advice column in long-form. It’s the perfect book to leave sitting out on a table, reading a chapter at a time whenever you need the inspiration.

If you want to have a good cry…

I sobbed through the majority of The Only Plane In The Sky by Garrett M Graff. This is the story of 9/11 but told in a way you’ve never seen before. The entire book is told as an oral history, like lines of a play, from people all over the US recounting the events of 9/11.

We all know what happened that day but there is so much more to the story. I’ve heard this one is also very powerful as an audiobook with some of the actual people speaking their lines.

If you want to cry, but then want someone to hug you…

Know My Name by Chanel Miller was my very first audiobook and I’m so glad I listened to this one. You may know Miller as the victim and survivor in the Brock Turner Stanford rape case.

This book documents Miller’s experience going through the years of that case. It highlights how horrendously unfair the justice system is, as well as how resilient and brave people can be in the face of it all.

If you want to get mad…

So you probably never pick up a book hoping to get mad, but be warned that Catch & Kill by Ronan Farrow will certainly enrage you. This book recounts Farrow’s efforts to expose Harvey Weinstein and other predators in Hollywood.

It’s a fascinating journey of investigative journalism that will infuriate you every step of the way with how unjust this world seems to be.

If you’re hungry…

Moving onto something lighter: Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl is an absolutely delicious read! Reichl was brought on as Editor in Chief of Gourmet magazine and set to work completely shaking up the stale food journal.

I loved hearing about how she innovated food journalism and, of course, reading about all of the delicious things she got to eat along the way!

If you want to be inspired…

Untamed by Glennon Doyle is one of the best books I have read this year. I absolutely loved this memoir and found it so brilliant.

Delivered in short essays, each chapter is a snippet of Glennon’s life that had me taking notes on all of the ways I want to live my life going forward.

If you want to learn…

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (fun fact: she is sisters-in-law with Lindy West!) is another one of my favourite reads of 2020.

This book is so insightful and perfectly breaks down so many facets of privilege and racism. Oluo shares personal stories and gives actionable tips, making this a must read for allies.

If you want to feel…

You know those books that make you say “oof” as they hit you right in the heart? Yeah, that’s Hunger by Roxanne Gay. Gay is a prolific writer and this is one of her incredible works.

This story really hit home for me and made me want to wrap Gay in a giant hug (though I wouldn’t, because she’s not big on hugs).

If you like to root for someone…

From selling candy on the subway to a prestigious cooking school and the head chef of his own restaurant, Notes From A Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi is an incredible coming-of-age and rage to riches story. But it’s not just success waiting for Onwuachi; there are struggles at the top.

This memoir was fascinating as Onwuachi’s story is so engaging. It will also have you drooling with all the food descriptions and recipes!

If you want to laugh…

I used to think I didn’t like essay collections but then I listened to Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby on audiobook and I could not stop laughing.

This book is hilarious and great representation for a Black, queer woman with a chronic illness – a voice we don’t hear often. Seriously, go pick this book up immediately!

If you want to laugh some more…

While you’re buying Wow, No Thank You, make sure to add Here For It by R. Eric Thomas to your basket as well. This is another essay collection that will have you laughing out loud (I recommend the audiobook which Thomas reads himself).

I also loved how the book, both seriously and comically, looked at the intersections of who Thomas is as a gay, Black, Christian man.

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Which of these nonfiction books will you be picking up?

 

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