{"id":16892,"date":"2013-01-12T15:53:03","date_gmt":"2013-01-12T19:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=16892"},"modified":"2013-01-12T16:57:05","modified_gmt":"2013-01-12T20:57:05","slug":"2012-sonderbooks-stand-outs-nonfiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=16892","title":{"rendered":"2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs: Nonfiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I announced my 2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs<\/a> on January 1st, but I’m highlighting each category on my blog. Then I’m updating the webpages of all the already-posted reviews in that category with my Sonderbooks Stand-outs Seal. (I always love alliteration.)<\/p>\n

Nonfiction for adults is the final category left. Sometimes I don’t give it all the attention it deserves, and this is the category where I have the most reviews still to post, but there are some truly wonderful books listed here.<\/p>\n

I read Nonfiction differently than I read Fiction. I didn’t use to read a lot of Nonfiction until I started working in a library, back in 1998. Then so many fascinating books came past my desk, I started devouring them. But I quickly learned that if I read them at bedtime, like I do novels, I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about them when it’s time to sleep.<\/p>\n

So I read Nonfiction at the table. I’ve got a “book chair” for propping them up, and I read while I eat. (Yes, even library books. Don’t tell!) When I finish eating and keep reading, I read while I knit.<\/p>\n

And instead of reading them one at a time, like I do fiction, I’ve got an elaborate rotation worked out. I’ve got piles of inspirational nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and educational nonfiction, and I read one chapter at a time, then take the next book from the pile and put the one I just read on the bottom.<\/p>\n

Yes, it takes a long time to get through the books that way. Some of these listed here I began in 2011. Some books never made the list, because I found I didn’t really remember what I’d last read. (The good ones stick in your mind.) And of course, some were excellent books, but just not my very favorites.<\/p>\n

There were exceptions, particularly in Narrative Nonfiction (Personal Stories). Some I couldn’t stop and once I started, I sat down and finished. In fact, several of these Personal Stories Stand-outs were in that category. With A History of English in 100 Words<\/em>, I moved it to my daily pile and read a section on one word each day. It still took almost 100 days (some days I read an extra section), and isn’t a flashy book, but looking back, I really enjoyed that tidbit each day.<\/p>\n

My favorite nonfiction book read this year, The Reading Promise<\/a><\/em>, I listened to in Audiobook form. It had so much going for it: An issue I feel passionate about (reading to children), laugh-out-loud and heart-warming anecdotes about a kid and her dad, references to much-loved children’s books, and even a call to action at the end.<\/p>\n

So here are my personal favorite Nonfiction books read in 2012, broken into two categories and ranked simply by how much I enjoyed them. All the books are recommended. I’ve written reviews of all of them, but not all are posted yet. I will remedy that in the next week or two.<\/p>\n

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs<\/a>, Nonfiction: Personal Stories:<\/p>\n

1. The Reading Promise<\/a><\/em>, by Alice Ozma\"\"<\/a>
\n2. Some Assembly Required<\/a><\/em>, by Anne Lamott, with Sam Lamott
\n3. A Jane Austen Education<\/em>, by William Deresiewicz
\n4. Map of My Dead Pilots<\/a><\/em>, by Colleen Mondor
\n5. The Journal of Best Practices<\/em>, by David Finch
\n6. The Boy Who Met Jesus<\/em>, by Immaculee Ilibagiza
\n7. Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt<\/em>, by Christi Paul<\/p>\n

2012 Sonderbooks Stand-outs<\/a>, Other Nonfiction:<\/p>\n

1. Help Thanks Wow<\/a><\/em>, by Anne Lamott\"\"<\/a>
\n2. So Good They Can’t Ignore You<\/em>, by Cal Newport
\n3. A Praying Life<\/em>, by Paul E. Miller
\n4. Fat Is the New 30<\/em>, by Jill Conner Browne
\n5. Victory Over Verbal Abuse<\/em>, by Patricia Evans
\n6. The Brain That Changes Itself<\/em>, by Norman Doidge
\n7. Each Day a New Beginning<\/em>, by Karen Casey
\n8. The Story of English in 100 Words<\/em>, by David Crystal<\/p>\n

Happy Reading!<\/p>\n

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