Welcome to my stop for the Bookish Blog Hop – Spring Hop 2020! This blog hop is organized by Jo Lindsell and this is my second time taking part in it. It’s been super fun answering a different question for every day and being hosted on other blogs. Being a bookish hop, the questions are about books! There are lots of book covers in this post so click the image to add to your Goodreads Shelf. For my turn, the books we are talking about are today (you guessed it): Non-Fiction.
It is only recently that I have discovered how many non-fiction books I read in a year. Looking back at 2019, non-fiction (excluding memoirs, philosophy and reference books) was the second most read genre for me. I love reading non-fiction because it exposes me to new ideas and history that I don’t much about. This year has also started with a whole bunch of non-fiction books. Currently, I am reading (apparently all are non-fiction!):
In today’s blog hope and me fellow readers are sharing about their last non-fiction read. For me it was:
A Monk’s Guide to Happiness: Meditation in the 21st century by Gelong Thubten (my review coming next week!) is Gelong’s journey into meditation and how it the key to happiness. This book has meditation practices, and questions that we have to ask ourselves to get to know ourselves better. There are chapters dedicated to compassion (how that differs from empathy) as well as forgiveness. Gelong gives us control over our happiness, reminding us that in today’s world, we are driven too much by what others think of us, thanks to social media.
This book is out in US and Canada in a couple months though it is already available in the UK.
Now, let’s hear from fellow book bloggers and book lovers about thheir last non-fiction reads:
Jo Linsdell @ JoLinsdell.com
The last non fiction book I read was the ebook A Little Bit of Everything For Dummies by John Wiley & Sons.
I love the For Dummies series and so jumped at the chance to read this special anniversary edition offering 20 chapters from a list of books compiled by John Wiley & Sons.
Includes chapters from these Dummies titles:
Eating Clean, Meditation, Compassion Focused Therapy, Nutrition, Windows 10, Coding, iPhone for Seniors, GoPro Cameras, Business Plans Kit, Office 2016, Small Business Marketing Strategies, Investing, Blogging, Facebook, eBay, LinkedIn, Guitar, Bridge, Chess and Digital Photography.
Whist I wasn’t interested in all the chapters, there were plenty of good ones in there.
Leslie Conzatti @ Upstream Writer
The last nonfiction book I read, I’m still reading. A friend and I are exchanging books back and forth, and so last time I gave her the whole Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke, while she lent me a book she recently finished and really enjoyed, Until We Meet Again, by Michael Korenbilt. It’s the story of the son and daughter of two Jewish families during the Holocaust, as they struggle to survive and stay hidden and forge a life for themselves, in the face of unbelievable suffering and wanton destruction. It’s pretty fascinating so far! I love stories like this, so full of heartache and triumph and the grisly reality of war.
Becki Svare @ A Book Lover’s Adventures
The last non-fiction book I read was a business one, She Means Business by Carrie Green. Green is the founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association, an online community of businesswomen. This book was filled with so many gems! I’m sure I’ll be going back through it again. For any woman business owner who needs some encouragement or good business information, you’ll want to check out this book!
Stormi @ Bewitched Reader Book Blog
The last non-fiction book I read was Power Play: Discover the Secrets to Spirit-Winning Success by Lisa J. Wicker. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but after having the pleasure of listening to Lisa J. Wicker speak in person, I had to read her book for women in business. I would highly recommend this book to any woman who works in the business world, especially if you’re in a male-dominated field like me.
Robin @ Robin Loves Reading
As much as I love to read, nonfiction would be my least favorite genre. However, February was Black history month and because of such there were certain prompts in a challenge I participate in monthly. I was able to read a few really good books. One was Becoming by Michelle Obama. Her book was very impressive and I learned so much about her time in the White House and how she became the woman that she is.
I also read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. He was born during Apartheid in South Africa. Trevor Noah was a child of mixed race which was actually a crime. What his mother had to do to protect him so that he could grow up was shocking and tragic and really opened my eyes to one of the most despicable times in South African history. His story will be with me for a long time and as I have it in audiobook form I know that I will be listening to it again.
The other book that I will mention is The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier. Sydney Portier’s book was really wonderful because, as it was narrated by him, his inflections were beyond exceptional. He became a star during a time in history where people of color struggled greatly in life in that business. He became a true icon in Hollywood. I think I will look for more memoirs or autobiographies by influential people in history.
Erica Robyn @ Erica Robyn Reads
The last non-fiction book I read was a True Crime novel by Billy Jensen, called Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders. This is a fascinating tale about the path of a true-crime writer and how he began to help authorities and the family members of victims solve cases using social media. I’m a huge fan of the Jensen and Holes podcast. When Billy announced that he had a book coming out, I preordered a copy immediately! Chase Darkness With Me is a must read for not only true crime fans, but people that are interested in learning more about how others become involved in solving cases. Feel free to check out my review of Chase Darkness With Me here.
Laura Doherty @ Tales of a Natural Spoonie
As I mentioned a few days ago I am currently researching for my own fantasy novel that I am in the process of writing. I have a few different ideas on how I want to involve magick and witchcraft along with mythology. I also identify as being a witch, so my last non-fiction read was both bookish and personal research. The last nonfiction book I read therefore was The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More by Arin Murphy Hiscock. The Green Witch was a fantastic introduction into how to use herbs, plants, and flowers to make potions and oils for everyday healing. Additionally the book guides you on how to find harmony in Earth’s great elements and connect your soul to every living creature.
Veronica @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf
The last non-fiction book I read was Lost But Found which is stories about rescue dogs, how they were found by the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home and how they found their new forever homes. The stories were heartbreaking and uplifting and the photos were absolutely adorable. It’s the most gorgeous book I have read.
Which was the last non-fiction book you read? And have you read or plan to read any that we mentioned here?
Cover Image: From VisualHunt.com
Lost but found, green witch & the monk’s guide to hapiness sounds quite interesting!
I dont read much non-fiction either, but i believe my last one was notes on a nervous planet from Matt Haig. I feel like I liked it a little less than it’s other work reasons to stay alive, but I found quite some interresting things in it nonetheless
Great post! I’ve been trying to slowly add more non-fiction books to my TBR.
Some of these are on my TBR! Thanks for sharing and reminding me to read more nonfiction.
I am glad you enjoyed this post. Non-fiction is such an informative genre. I just posted about Invisible Women yesterday if you want to check it out. 🙂