A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy by Sarah Lazarovic
I was confused by this one. I expected tips on simplifying but found a celebration of material goods instead. Perhaps I missed something.

Dr. Mutter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz
A fascinating look at a more than fascinating man. Reading about the early days of medical school was interesting and made me cringe more than once.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
What a lovely, and incredibly moving, story.

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican
Brutal. That’s an understatement. See my review here.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I read this for the very first time. It was as spooky as I expected and the ending made me gasp aloud. It was the perfect October read.

This One Summer by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
An absolutely gorgeous graphic novel with a story that could have come out of my own childhood. This one hit close to home.

The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg
A brilliant look at the practice of presenting female children as boys, in order to circumnavigate the oppression of women in Afghanistan. An amazing book.

American  Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Another great graphic novel. I’ll admit to liking Boxers & Saints more, but this one was well worth the time.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
This was my first Cather. (I know!!!) I was stunned by the breathtaking prose. Simply gorgeous.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
If you haven’t read this yet you shouldn’t wait a moment longer. The power of this novel cannot be overstated.

Sleep in Peace Tonight by James MacManus
An interesting take on historical happenings just proceeding the United States involvement in WWII. You can see my review here.

What was your favorite read of the month? 

Week 1 of Nonfiction November asks us to take a look back at our year of nonfiction and to reflect on the following questions:

What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

I’m never a fan of choosing a favorite but one book that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it back in February is The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Dust Bowl. I was wrong. The author combined history with personal narratives to craft an exceptional book that was heartbreaking and incredibly informative.

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? 

This question made me realize that I don’t recommend nearly enough nonfiction to my family and friends. I’m trying to figure out why. Am I afraid that people won’t be interested in books unless they are fiction? I think I could be underestimating people and I’m going to start being a bit more of an evangelist for my favorite nonfiction reads.

I’ll start now by saying that you MUST read Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikötter. That book nearly broke my soul. Read it. Please.

What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet?

I’d like to read more nonfiction about science. For instance, I’ve been hearing about the wonderfully accessible works by Mary Roach forever but haven’t gotten around to actually reading any of them. 

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

I’ve read less nonfiction this year than most and I’m hoping that this event will give me the impetus to sneak a few more in before the end of 2014. I’m really excited to see the book blogging community talking about nonfiction books and I’m looking forward to adding more titles to my impossibly long wish list. 

Here’s to Nonfiction November. Let’s go learn some stuff!