Category: Uncategorized

Nonfiction November: New to my TBR

December 1, 2022 Uncategorized 1

As always, November has flown by far too quickly. I’ve loved chatting about nonfiction with all of you and I’m already looking forward to doing it again. Be sure to let us know what books you’ve added to your to-read list this month and link up your post with our host, Jaymi at The OC Book Girl. I managed to keep my list of additions short, but I’m excited about all of them. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually read my new picks before the next event this year! There’s a first time for everything 🙂

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Nonfiction November: Worldview Changers

November 21, 2022 Uncategorized 9

This week is another exciting week with a new prompt from our newest host, Rebekah at She Seeks Nonfiction. I’m not sure I have a good answer for this one, but I’m looking forward to having a fresh nonfiction topic to discuss with all of you.

Worldview Changers : One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without it. There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the profound. What nonfiction book (or books) has impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way? Do you think there is one book that everyone needs to read for a better understanding of the world we live in?

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A Less Well-Known Book on the Opioid Crisis

November 17, 2022 Uncategorized 5 ★★★★½

A Less Well-Known Book on the Opioid CrisisTitle: Death in Mud Lick: A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America
Author: Eric Eyre
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:four-half-stars

Summary: A great work of investigative journalism that benefited from the author’s depth of local knowledge.

So far, the two books I’d heard the least about have been the best books I’ve read on the opioid crisis. In Pain, a memoir by a bioethicist who was addicted to opioids, included both personal experience and some of the most thoughtful analysis I’ve read. This book, Death in Mudlick, is by a reporter who received a Pulitzer Prize for his role reporting on opioid distributor sales data in West Virginia. It really delivered everything I want in narrative nonfiction. Read more »

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Nonfiction November: Stranger Than Fiction

November 14, 2022 Uncategorized 7

We’re revisiting one of our newer discussion prompts this week with host Christopher of Plucked From the Stacks and talking about nonfiction that you’d find too unbelievable if it were fiction. This prompt made me realize that I’ve done a decent amount of depressingly real nonfiction reading this year, but I did find a few fun ones for the discussion today!

Book Pairing :This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title (or another nonfiction!). It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story. Or pair a book with a podcast, film or documentary, TV show, etc. on the same topic or stories that pair together.

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Inspiration or Instruction? Homebody in Review

November 13, 2022 Uncategorized 2 ★★★★

Inspiration or Instruction? Homebody in ReviewTitle: Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave
Author: Joanna Gaines
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:four-stars

Summary: A great design book for beginners, without much specific advice, but with pictures arranged to help you figure out your own style.

This book from HGTV star and designer Joanna Gaines is recommended by several lists as a must-read interior design book. That meant I was a little  surprised to find that the amount of actual advice was quite slim. For each chapter (one per room), there are a few introductory pages describing an attractive design philosophy. The author aims to make her spaces feel like a cozy shelter from the world that reflects her family’s personality. A great statement of purpose that suits what I want to accomplish, but not very specific. Then the author spends a page or two on solutions to specific problems. This could be helpful, but many of the suggestions involve larger changes than I want to make – changing your flooring, for example. Lastly, each chapter had a page listing the items to consider including in a room. Read more »

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Nonficion November: Book Pairing

November 7, 2022 Uncategorized 23

It’s time for that classic Nonfiction November prompt – the book pairing! Our host this week is Rennie at What’s Nonfiction, so if you post some book pairings, be sure to go share it in the link-up on her blog. In the past, we’ve typically focused the book pairing on a fiction/nonfiction recommendation, but this year, Rennie is broadening our horizons with some other suggestions for a pairing.

Book Pairing :This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title (or another nonfiction!). It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story. Or pair a book with a podcast, film or documentary, TV show, etc. on the same topic or stories that pair together.

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A Memoir of the Opioid Crisis in Review

November 5, 2022 Uncategorized 3 ★★★★★

A Memoir of the Opioid Crisis in ReviewTitle: In Pain: A Bioethicist's Personal Struggle with Opioids
Author: Travis Rieder
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:five-stars

Summary: Both the personal story and the thoughtful analysis in this book made it a clear favorite of the books I’ve read on the opioid epidemic.

This memoir by a bioethics research is by far the best book I’ve read about the opioid epidemic. Author Travis Rieder was in a motorcycle accident, after which he was prescribed opioids that he struggled to stop taking. One obvious strong point of this book is that personal perspective. The author does an incredible job of getting you to image you’re going through what he experienced. His descriptions of his thoughts and physical sensations were explained very clearly. His description of his accident and of withdrawal were equally terrifying. Together, the two experiences viscerally demonstrated the power of opioids to help and to harm. Read more »

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An Academic and A Pop Take on the Opioid Crisis

November 2, 2022 Uncategorized 0 ★★★

An Academic and A Pop Take on the Opioid CrisisTitle: Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It's So Hard to Stop
Author: Anna Lembke
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:three-stars

When trying to read a lot on one topic, I worry that the books might get repetitive. So far though, I’ve found that each book brings something unique to the table. In this case, the author is a doctor who works with people suffering from addiction. This is also the only book from an academic press on my list. It did read more like an academic text, with language that was more technical and less descriptive. Short chapters and even shorter sections with descriptive titles helped keep this feeling like any easy read. It was interesting to hear from a doctors’ perspective about the systemic pressures promoting prescriptions as a quick fix to people’s problems. The section on the way the author perceives the behavior of patients seeking medication was another unique element. The author did include a number of patient stories, which were moving simply based on the facts of the situation. Still there was a clinical feel to the stories that meant they weren’t this book’s strongest suit. Read more »

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Nonfiction November: Your Year in Nonfiction

October 31, 2022 Uncategorized 41

 

Friends! I know it’s not yet November, but it will be tomorrow and we can’t wait, so Nonfiction November kicks off today! I’m so excited to have you all join me for our first weekly discussion prompt. As is tradition, we first want to hear about how your reading year has been going to far and what you’re looking forward to from your year in nonfiction. Read more »

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Books on Home Decorating

October 29, 2022 Uncategorized 2 ★★★

Books on Home DecoratingTitle: Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff
Author: Myquillyn Smith
Source: Library
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:three-stars

This book aligned really well with my goals for my space. I want things to feel cozy, but not cluttered. I’d like to achieve a cozy, homey feel with no more decorative items than are really necessary. I’d like to generally feel ready to host and have the space meet the needs of the people in it. The author of this book articulated those goals very clearly. There were also a few bits of practical advice that I think I’ll actually use. In particular, I liked her suggestions for setting up a mantel display. I also thought her advice to focus on lighting, drapes, and rugs was helpful. However, a lot of the text felt like filler. The advice was sometimes only useful for readers who start with a serious problem with clutter. And, although I maybe should have seen this coming for the goodreads tags, I was unpleasantly surprised by some religious references and support for traditional gender roles throughout. Read more »

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