Nonfiction November: Week One

Week 1: (November 1-5) – Your Year in Nonfiction with Rennie at What’s Nonfiction: Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – 

What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? I am a Cybils Judge for Nonfiction. That means I spend all of January and half of February reading nonfiction books from elementary levels through high school. Of the 26 nonfiction books I've read this year 19 of them were Cybils nominees. With this in mind I want to list my favorites by category:

Titles (below) are hyperlinked to my reviews.

• Elementary/Preschool level -- Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming. A beautifully illustrated book for pre-readers. I learned so much about bees and the book passed the test with my then three-year-old grandson. He loved it.
• Middle/Junior High School level -- All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat. This account of a harrowing and dangerous rescue of the Thai soccer team won the Cybils for this level. It is so well-written, giving details of the landscape, the history, the culture, and the Thai people as well as details of the successful rescue.
• High School level (YA) -- The Radium Girls (Young Readers' Edition): The Scary But True Story of Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore. This is a YA version of the adult version published several years ago. I've probably thought about this book more than any other book I read for my Cybils role.
• Adult level -- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Essays about aspects of daily life by a favorite author.
  

Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? Looking over my list of nonfiction titles read in 2021 so far I'd say I'm all over the place. Last year I read a bunch of political books and books about racism/anti-racism. This year my reading took me all over the place but the category that emerged most often was historical with seven titles, and science with five.

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? Without a doubt I've recommended The Anthropocene Reviewed more than any other book, fiction and nonfiction alike.

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? As in years past, I hope to read several nonfiction titles and catch up on my reviews of a few others I've read but reviewed yet. I also look forward to finding new TBR suggestions from other participants.

 

-Anne