Great Nonfiction Book Recommendations for Nonfiction November and Beyond

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2 жыл бұрын

With #NonfictionNovember on the horizon, I thought it would be fun to look at some of my favorite nonfiction books of all time (and some from my TBR), which you can use for inspiration if you need something to read this November or beyond. I tried to keep a mix of history, memoir, narrative nonfiction, graphic memoir, and more so you have lots to choose from. Let me know If you agree and what you think are the best nonfiction books of all time.
Further viewing 🎥:
Independent Bookstore Tour Vlog: • An Independent Booksto...
New York Times Best Books of 2020: • The New York Times Bes...
My Favorite Books: • My Favorite Books of A...
Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, Candacy Taylor: bookshop.org/books/overground...
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold: bookshop.org/books/the-five-t...
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family, Robert Kolker: bookshop.org/books/hidden-val...
Educated: A Memoir, Tara Westover: bookshop.org/books/educated-a...
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel: bookshop.org/books/fun-home-a...
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, Thi Bui: bookshop.org/books/the-best-w...
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery: bookshop.org/books/the-soul-o...
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, Timothy Egan: bookshop.org/books/the-worst-...
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain: bookshop.org/books/kitchen-co...
Persepolis 1 and 2, Marjane Satrapi: bookshop.org/books/the-comple...
Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood, Mark Harris: bookshop.org/books/pictures-a...
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto, George M. Johnson: bookshop.org/books/all-boys-a...
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Matthew Desmond: bookshop.org/books/evicted-po...
Assassination Vacation, Sarah Vowell: bookshop.org/books/assassinat...
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, Tony Horwitz: bookshop.org/books/confederat...
From my TBR:
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson: bookshop.org/books/caste-opra...
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson: bookshop.org/books/the-warmth...
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, Michelle Zauner: bookshop.org/books/crying-in-...
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, Jim DeFede: bookshop.org/books/the-day-th...
Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, a Dual Portrait, Nick Davis: bookshop.org/books/competing-...
The Devil’s Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco, Julia Salamon: bookshop.org/books/the-devil-...
The Book of Eels, Patrick Svensson: bookshop.org/books/the-book-o...
After the Eclipse, Sarah Perry: bookshop.org/books/after-the-...
Logical Family: A Memoir, Armistead Maupin: bookshop.org/books/logical-fa...
The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, Eric Cervini: bookshop.org/books/the-devian...

Пікірлер: 100

@BookishTexan 2 жыл бұрын

I never read the Anthony Bourdain book, but I remember reading an excerpt (?) in the New Yorker a year or two after I stopped working in restaurants and nodding my head at all the stuff he wrote about. Wilkerson's books are very readable and go quickly. Great list of recommendations.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That's good to know re: Wilkerson.

@pjhey947 2 жыл бұрын

Kitchen Confidential was a really good book. Loved it

@hconf 2 жыл бұрын

I really feel like you're talking to a friend and I love it. Great content.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@kompas29 2 жыл бұрын

Do not be discouraged by the size of The Warmth of Other Suns. It is a very engaging reading, read at times like a novel. Hope you enjoy your reads for Non-fiction November!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

That's good to know--thank you!

@jacquelinemcmenamin8204 2 жыл бұрын

My TBR for #nonficnov The Road to Middlemarch(author explains how the book has influenced her life) Hidden Valley Road War Doctor Empire of Pain The Body Keeps the Score Let Me Not Be Mad The Collected Schizophrenia’s 🍀👋☘️📚🫖☕️📖🐝

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy Hidden Valley Road! I've heard good things about Empire of Pain but I think it would make me too angry to read it right now.

@AC-87 2 жыл бұрын

Hidden valley road is so good! I highly recommend!

@Learningdvg 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! I’m overwhelmed! Great choices for 2022! ! The Warmth of Other Suns… Fun Home,; the Soul Of An Octopus; Kitchen Confidential (love AB)…what a great list and you eloquently described each to entice us!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much--that means a lot!

@dmurfval702 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! I am not a Nonfiction reader but I'm very excited about some of the books you shared. I paused you and went and bought Kitchen Confidential. I love(d) Anthony Bourdain and when I saw he narrates it I had to have it! I think The Soul of an Octopus sounds great as the creature fascinates me. The same with The Book of Eels. Thanks for the awesome recommentations! Looks like I will be reading some Nonfiction in November after all.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoy any of the books you pick up. Happy Nonfiction November!

@adamhasideas6813 2 жыл бұрын

Greg, you mentioned several very interesting books! As a lover of non-fiction, I'm regretting not having got around to any of these yet. I did start "The Warmth of Other Suns", but it is not a quick read, thanks for sharpening my resolve to get back to non-fiction.

@jennthecapricorn 2 жыл бұрын

I love this video. I have added some of these to my TBR list.❤️

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy them!

@communistdaughter4985 2 жыл бұрын

This channel is so underrated

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! That means a lot.

@geraldjones4530 2 жыл бұрын

I read Caste in the last month. I was surprised how fast it went for its size. Really learned so much. So well done.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

A lot of people have had similar feedback--thank you for sharing!

@Gagging4Lit 2 жыл бұрын

The Soul of an Octopus sounds amazing. Octopuses are my fave animals! They are like real life wild pokemon. I got to see a Great Pacific Octopus in Blue Planet aquarium only 40 minutes' drive away from me. They are fascinating creatures.

@alisonallen8658 2 жыл бұрын

there is a bbc doc natural world and they did an episode on a scienti who had an octopus in his living room it played tricks on him and his daughter it watched Tv and all sorts!

@WillSaabye-ey5vy Ай бұрын

Thanks so much! I’m trying to branch out into more genres besides fantasy and literary fiction! I love learning about new things and I am excited to read these! And the more non-fiction I read the better the recommendations for kindle I will get.

@LaurieInTexas 2 жыл бұрын

Great recommendations! I have read several that you mentioned and all were good, but Caste is amazing. I still need to get to The Warmth of Other Suns. I have The Day the World Came to Town and I must read it soon. Maybe this year. I also really want to read The Five.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy The Five if you pick it up.

@yudie2 Жыл бұрын

We have started a new green book. The Overground Railroad continues. It’s 2023.

@GloriaZThompson 2 жыл бұрын

Some absolutely fantastic recs! You single handedly expanded my TBR, haha. Soul of an Octopus reminds me of the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher which was stunning and got me so invested in this one octopuses life. I read Caste earlier this year and it was brilliant, such an eye-opening read.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

My Octopus teacher was a GREAT documentary. If you liked that, you will probably enjoy The Soul of an Octopus.

@hayleystenger2799 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome!! I remember After the Eclipse as being incredibly personal. Also, The Warmth of Other Suns is an all-time favorite. I have, Little Devil In America by Hanif Abdurraqib and Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez for November.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the feedback. The two you have lined up sound interesting!

@Christine-rn6dv Жыл бұрын

The Worst Hard Time is terrific! I have recommended to my friends and they also enjoyed it. Great choices 🎃

@SupposedlyFun Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm glad you also liked The Worst Hard Time.

@skaterandrew 2 жыл бұрын

Wow man, love your videos. Reviews are short and sweet, and engaging. Learning from you for my channel. Best of luck!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much--that means a lot!

@MsReadsAlot 2 жыл бұрын

I haven’t read any of these! Except Educated! It was amazing! The Five sounds like one that I would like! I am trying to decide on my November nonfiction TBR…. So many great options!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy the books you pick!

@jay75.61 2 жыл бұрын

Just stumbled upon your channel. great recs! I've read Hidden Valley Road and Kitchen Confidential, loved em both. TBR'ing a few of these as well. Subbed

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this.

@jasminedeseignora1347 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve listened to The Warmth of Other Suns and it was such a great listening experience! I hope you’re able to get to it soon, it will NOT disappoint you!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the feedback! That one has gotten a lot of positive response so far.

@myreadinglife8816 2 жыл бұрын

Great list! So many I have read and loved.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@megjshark 2 жыл бұрын

i unhauled Assassination Vacation just recently because i thought i'd never get around to it. kind of regretting that now. finished Crying in H Mart last week, such a beautiful book. heartbreaking and full of so much love. Pictures at a Revolution sounds great too. amazing recommendations all around! thanks!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching!

@mandietyree5394 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the recommendations! A lot of those I had never heard of. I am especially interested in the graphic novels. I will have to check those out! My favorite nonfiction writers are David Sedaris and Bill Bryson. Also, I know it’s a weird choice but Mark Twain wrote some great nonfiction. I think they are better than a lot of his fiction. One I recently read was The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Mark Twain is a great writer so I don't think that's a weird choice at all. If you do pick up either of the graphic novels, I hope you enjoy them!

@michelacarletti3671 2 жыл бұрын

Great recommendations!! Thank you!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching.

@johncrwarner 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, I think I will have to copy and study those recommendations there were so many and many were interesting too.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you like any that you pick up!

@timelston4260 2 ай бұрын

Wow, your comments about the Hollywood book made me understand why I've always liked '70s movies so much. Can't stand movies made earlier than that, and later decades never captured the mood a '70s movie gave me.

@Harasezza Жыл бұрын

I actually just finished The Five, and I totally agree with you about true crime. This book about the victims is SO important, and very well done. 👏 I also read Assassination Vacation earlier this year, and it was great! I'm in Virginia, so I also had a similar experience of being able to visualize the places she was referring to. I love her sense of humor too. Great choices!

@pjhey947 2 жыл бұрын

Just discovered your channel. I’ve read Hidden Valley Road, Educated, Kitchen Confidential, Crying in Hmart and Fun Home (fun fact: my father went to school with her father in Lock Haven/ Beech Creek Pa). The others are on my list. Thanks

@athertonca 2 жыл бұрын

What a thoroughly enjoyable video! I have read quite a few of these books. Caste and Warmth of Other Suns are imminently readable due to Wilkerson’s writing. I remember reading Caste and stopping in wonder at how a human (Wilkerson) could be so smart. Crying in H Mart is a must-read as well. The author narrates the audiobook wonderfully. In this instance, I feel reading the physical book would be shortchanging yourself. I read Evicted by Desmond when it was published and it was an eye-opener. Have you read Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickled and Dimed : On (Not) Getting By in America?

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

There's been so much overwhelmingly positive feedback on Wilkerson--I'll have to try to get to her ASAP. I liked Nickel and Dimed until the last chapter--it felt like once she was getting ready to go back to her own life she started making excuses for why she should be allowed to make a mess in stores.

@AC-87 2 жыл бұрын

Just finished Hidden Valley Road. For me it was the most compelling book I've read to date. If for nothing else, it makes one extremely grateful for their family...however messed up they may be. Correction: 6 were diagnosed with schizophrenia instead of 8.

@kimswhims8435 2 жыл бұрын

Educated is such an engaging book. The Five was great to listen to as an audiobook. There's a great 2018 film called Green Book, that was what opened my eyes to that segregation. I have Hidden Valley from the library, have just started it. Fun Home was really good. So many other great books on your list! I'll be reading Australian non-fiction, especially Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs, if I can get to it. Plus two others from the library (that aren't Australian) Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert and Square Haunting by Francesa Wade.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the Australian recommendations--most of the Australian authors I've tried have been great.

@AnaMoShoshin 2 жыл бұрын

I'm rereading Tales of the City (inspired by Simon Savidge) and really want to read Maupin's Memoir.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I've read two of the later books in the series but still need to get to the original. Hopefully soon!

@rebeccah.6587 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the recommendations. In November, I would like to read: Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer All Our Relations by Tanya Talaga

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

That's an interesting list!

@Thepeejay 2 жыл бұрын

So many good recommendations Perfect for non fiction nov

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@Wethecenter 5 ай бұрын

Hello, just getting into your channel and wondering if you have reviewed any Dave Goulson ? A sting in the tale, The garden jungle and Silent earth ....I found amazing the latter being tough to read.

@gabormuller9850 10 ай бұрын

Great video!

@ScullyPopASMR 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy this book channel.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@gpat7788 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you!!!!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@SharayaMW Жыл бұрын

You had me at Fun Home! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was interesting, funny, and well written. I knew the whole time about the dad, because he was way too OCD to be straight, in my opinion. I think Eviction might be too close to home for me to read anytime soon. I was involved in a bitter back and forth with my shady property management, here in CT for the past few years. As a military veteran I was able to obtain an attorney. However, The system made it near impossible for me to actually win the case. At the end of the day, the case was thrown out because they never produced any viable information or documents to the discovery and the court date was pushed back 3 times. I ended up moving out and now I live with my parents again. Needless to say, I'm already passed off at the system. Idk, I've been thinking about reading the story about the dust bowl, as well as Crying in H Mart. Caste and the Warmth of Other Suns are on my TBR list and I've considered adding the Hidden Valley title, as well as Educated. Thanks for sharing!

@BrandonsBookshelf 2 жыл бұрын

The Five is on my short list...and I absolutely loved The Worst Hard Time!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy The Five!

@KurtAnderson812 2 жыл бұрын

A few recent nonfiction books I’ve read and would recommend are: The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World's Queer Frontiers Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 I’ve recommended Hidden Valley Road to everyone. Powerful story, difficult to read in parts but worth the effort. I just checked out Overground Railroad from my library. I’m sure it will be excellent.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy Overground Railroad! For some reason I felt like I couldn't include Deviant War and Let the Record Show, but that one is on my list as well--as is The Pink Line. I almost included Last Call as well. Hidden Valley Road is one of my favorite reads of the year--definitely my favorite nonfiction book (so far).

@AntisocialAuntie 9 ай бұрын

I want to read more nonfiction but so many are such difficult reads, emotionally. For some reason they were easier to read when I was younger. Lots of love from the Pacific Northwest 🧡

@SupposedlyFun 9 ай бұрын

🥂

@Prairielily04 2 жыл бұрын

What a wonderful list of books! I don’t read much non-fiction but you have piqued my interest! Thanks so much for this!😀

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoy any books you pick up!

@erinh7450 2 жыл бұрын

I just finished Overground Railroad, and I'll agree with you that it's a fabulous book. I had a hardcopy from the library, but I'm thinking of, like you, getting myself a copy for my shelves because it's just such a gorgeous book physically as well. I'm going to echo others that you should not be intimidated by either of Isabel Wilkerson's books, in spite of their heft. They are very readable and engaging and so, so worth it. (maybe Warmth even a bit more than Caste, as it focuses on personal stories, but they're both wonderful). Caste is interesting and frames the race question in America in a slightly different way, but Warmth I learned so much from - I really knew nothing about The Great Migration other than my high school history book gave it a line or two. Also agree Evicted was so good but enraging - also just finished Empire of Pain, which hit me similarly - good but makes you sooo mad.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you enjoyed Overground Railroad--it really is a gorgeous book. Thank you for the feedback on Wilkerson--I'll have to try to fit her in ASAP. I also don't know much about the great migration so it will be a huge learning experience for me. Empire of Pain is something I'm interested in but need to wait for until it won't make me so angry.

@timelston4260 2 ай бұрын

I sometimes say "octopoda" since that's the Greek declension, but I cringe when people say "octopi" because the word is Greek, not Latin. But you're right: 'octopuses' is the standard Anglicization.

@thiraniperera6620 Жыл бұрын

❤️

@ToddsBookTube91 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video!

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@panvladislav Жыл бұрын

Try to read "Four canonical Gospels of the New Testament from an atheist" by V. Panteleev, 1.4 million characters with spaces

@Timmymtd Жыл бұрын

hey thanks for the recommendations. Have you ever been told that you resemble Alex Ovechkin?

@SupposedlyFun Жыл бұрын

I had never been told that before! That's a new one.

@noeditbookreviews Жыл бұрын

I thought soul of an octopus was going to be about how fascinating octopuses are but no, it's about how fascinating this lady's obsession with octopuses is. I only finished it to see if she was going to cross any major lines cause it sure felt like she was going to.

@KierTheScrivener 2 жыл бұрын

As someone who worked in kitchens for years I don't have love for kitchen nonfiction or competitions even though I love cooking so much. All Boys Aren't Blue is high on my list so is Valley High Road. Crying In H Mart has come on and off my library app waiting to be ready to read it. Are you familar with Come From Away the musical. It is a Canadian musical based on Gander and those who were diverted there. It's free on apple tv.

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

It's hard to feel enthusiastic for something when you've worked in the trenches. I used to work at a Borders in a mall and I refused to go to malls for about five years after. We don't have Apple TV but are looking into it--thank you for pointing out that it's available there!

@KierTheScrivener 2 жыл бұрын

@@SupposedlyFun I just used the 7 day free trial. 😆

@SupposedlyFun 2 жыл бұрын

@@KierTheScrivener Clever 😉

@strangebrew1231 2 жыл бұрын

A couple of my favorites are David Simon's "Homicide" which he wrote over the course of a year as a reporter embedded with the Baltimore Police Homicide Unit. Also "Inside the Third Reich" by Albert Speer. "Chaos" by Tom O'Neil which is about Charles Manson and the CIA mind control programs of the 1960s. I'm currently reading "All We Are Saying" by David Sheff, which is John Lennon's final interview given to Playboy Magazine, in it he goes in depth describing every single Beatles song in the order the albums came out. Fascinating stuff to me I love non-fiction as a kind of break into reality from fictional stories