Lovin' me some non-fiction

I have been on a non-fiction kick. Not exclusively, but mostly. My side trips with fiction this year have been disappointing. Here are the non-fiction I’ve read:

Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris. What is it about reading someone’s diary? I find it fascinating. And, the best part of this book is you hear his voice – the one we know and love from his popular books – emerge. I liked this a lot.

Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient by Rachael Freed. Thanks to Kathy K. for recommending this soon after Michael’s event. It was just in time, described perfectly some of the things I was going through, explained things I didn’t know. It was the perfect book at an important time.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance. This was the book for the One Book One Community reading event. I didn’t like this book. Something about it didn’t seem authentic or sincere.

Words on the Move: Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally) by John McWhorter. How does a living language stay alive? Answer: only through change. This book picks out some of those changes and examines them. LOVED this book, but I’m a little funny about language that way.

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris. Mary Norris was an editor at The New Yorker. That might be all you need to know. This is another book about English and editing. It was not nearly as engaging as Words on the Move precisely because she was touting some of those old, peculiar style rules that The New Yorker is always the last to let go of. I found it a little stuffy.

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee. The author examines the age old questions of how to be a writer and what makes good writing. In the process, he tells his story. I enjoyed this book, and it followed beautifully on the heels of the other two books on English.

Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life by Tom Robbins. OMG! You know I love Tom Robbins, right? This is his sort of memoir, sort of autobiography. It starts slow. I actually didn’t like it to start; it seemed artificial. But, towards the end, that old, round-about style of his comes through, and we get a sense of his life as an artist. I was smiling when I closed the cover (OK, shut down my Kindle) on this one. I might ask him to marry me or at least let me lick his face.

Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright. Tough book to read especially if you do so within an hour or two of watching the news. She reviews autocratic/fascist leaders starting with Mussolini through the present day, shines a favorable spotlight on her efforts as Secretary of State, and wonders about the future of democracy.