Nonfiction and Novellas in November: Week 1
November brings a variety of great book blogging events, and I’m lucky if I properly participate in just one. This year I’m going to attempt to join two of my favourites: Novellas in November, hosted by Cathy and Rebecca, and Nonfiction November, with a new slate of hosts, including Liz and this week’s host Heather.
Both events are organized by weekly themes, the first of which is: celebrate your year in nonfiction/novellas. Forgive me for grouping the weekly posts, but this is the only way I have a hope in hell!
My Year in Nonfiction
I’ve read nine nonfiction books this year, or about 20% of my total. That’s a little low for me, but a few were standouts (good and bad).
- I Used to Live Here Once by Miranda Seymour is a biography of Jean Rhys and while Rhys is a strong interest of mine, the book itself hasn’t stuck with me.
- Run Toward the Danger by Sarah Polley is a memoir presented as essays. I didn’t have a special interest in Polley or her iconic role as Anne of Green Gables, but this one absolutely stuck with me. I will never look at a child actor the same way.
- Run, Hide, Repeat by Paula Dakin is another memoir, more traditionally presented than Polley’s, that compelled me with its maddening story of family dysfunction and delusion.
- The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell is a groundbreaking and emotionally complex biography. What it lacks in candidness (at times) it makes up for in empathy and care. Mini-review here.
- Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying by Light Watkins is more practical than literary, but I have kept up a pretty consistent meditation practice since reading it.
- How to Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence and Productivity in Anxious Times by Chris Bailey was not groundbreaking by any means; more of a comfort read for those of us who are into productivity culture.
- Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud by Ben McKenzie with Jacob Silverman was also not groundbreaking but a fun read for those of us into crypto schadenfreude. Review here.
- The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi is a sort of meta-memoir in essays, including many reflections on the Holocaust, and it was by far the most challenging of these books. Review to come.
- Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet by Taylor Lorenz is about a fascinating subject, but I was let down by how it merely skimmed the surface of influencer culture. Review in progress – pray for me, the author already blasted me on Twitter for simply sharing someone else’s negative review!
My year in novellas
I’ve read four novellas this year, plus a surprising number of novels with just over 200 pages – but those don’t count. I hope to increase this total in November!
- McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh concluded my reading of all her novels. This one was delightfully depraved (aren’t they all!)
- The Ladybird by D.H. Lawrence was also pretty depraved, though a little more restrained than McGlue.
- Revenge of the Scapegoat by Caren Beilin was the weirdest book I’ve read this year, which is saying something (see: McGlue)
- The Nun by Denis Diderot rounds out the theme, with a weird and wonderful tale of sadistic and amorous nuns. Review to come.
We’re off and running! See you for another weekly post soon and hopefully a review or two besides.
Reading in Bed 
Adding the Polley and Dakin memoirs!
You can’t go wrong with Sarah Polley. I wonder if you can find the other one outside Canada? Part of why I liked it is its maritime (New Brunswick) setting, but it’s also just a wild story!
Thank you for reminding me I want to read the Gaskell biography – I’m very interested to hear what she has to say. And I can’t believe that author replied to you on Twitter when you hadn’t even mentioned her name – what a weird thing to do 🙄
The Gaskell bio is so good. Flawed, because she was a close friend writing while grieving – there’s some omissions and sugar coating. But it also feels so raw and authentic. And yes I will have more to say about that tweet in my review 😉
I have The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell on my TBR already, just have to make the time to rerad it!
I went through a Primo Levi phase about 20-odd years ago. Challenging and confronting are the right words; also unforgettable and important.
This is the first Primo Levi I read, and it just happened to be his very last book. I didn’t know anything about him. There was a startling passage near the end about Israel and Palestine that was awfully prescient for being written in 1986.
I always love Moshfegh’s writing – will check out McGlue.
It’s got all her hallmarks – filthy, depraved, but also funny!
I have The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell on my kindle but haven’t read it yet. I read several Bronte novels earlier this year and added that one to my list for a non-fiction read but never got around to it.
It’s a good one to read after reading the novels. You sure see the connections to their real lives.
Bliss More sounds really good. Adding it to my TBR
Like most “self help” books it’s a bit repetitive, but very easy to follow. He also did a series of videos with “Yoga with Adriene” that I liked, they’re on her paid app though. That’s how I discovered him!
Nice list and thank you for the shout-out! I found Symeon Brown’s “Get Rich or Lie Trying” to be a good deep dive into the world of influencers, if that helps https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/03/09/book-review-symeon-brown-get-rich-or-lie-trying/
Oh thank you, I am building up a list of alternative books about influencers. I’ve read a lot about tech companies and founders but not a lot about influencer culture itself.
Extremely Online sounds like my kind of thing – shame it didn’t have more depth.
It’s a good overview if you’re going in fresh, I think. For someone like me who’s been “extremely online” for a long time it just didn’t offer much insight.
I think I’d be the same Laura.
I shall look for Bliss More. And I do like offbeat, so I’ll also have my eye out for Revenge of the Scapegoat.
I’ve added Bliss More to my TBR. If anyone needs to crack into meditation, it would be me right now.
I didn’t see the Gaskell Charlotte Bronte. Bother. I’ve already posted my list but will have to sneak this one in. Thanks Laura. I hope you’re keeping well.
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