I just spotted a reading challenge over at Marianne of Let’s Read’s, called “Nonfiction November“. Given that my nonfiction reading reliably counts for 60% to 70% of my reading, it caught my attention: it looks like a series of reflections about nonfiction. Since I am a bit late to the a party, I’m going to answer both available prompts.

Week 1 (10/30-11/3)

Your Year in Nonfiction: Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more?  What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

I don’t want to say too much here because we’re not that far from end-year wrap-up posts, but it’s been a good year. Completed the science survey early, read into English history, went on a baseball streak, enjoyed Space Camp, went crazy for US presidents for a bit, and finally started reading some books on social media and big tech that had been on the list for a while. And then there was all the other stuff — even with all of the 1990s kidlit I read in early July for the “Blast from the Past” series, nonfiction is over 62% of my reading so far. Favorite NF so far would be Will Storr’s Adventures with the Enemies of Science.

Week 2:

Choosing Nonfiction: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking.

There are some topics I visit on a regular basis: I try to get a nice cross-section of science and nature reading with the Survey, I often focus on Anglo-American history in the spring and summer, etc. Although a fair bit of my nonfiction reading is done purely for pleasure and understanding, what unites much of my reading is the attempt to understanding what the flourishing life is for human beings, and how we might achieve it — something that unites seemingly disparate interests in say, evolutionary psychology, urban design, Stoic philosophy, and sociology. Titles and covers definitely make a contribution as far as attracting my attention: How I Killed Pluto (and Why It Had it Coming) being a prize example.