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Nonfiction You Can Read Over a Long Weekend

Here we are. If you’re in the US, you’re lookin’ at a three-day weekend. Otherwise…probably a normal weekend. But STILL, some time to just sit and read (yayyy). I asked my wife what I should write about and she suggested a topic for people with way more focus than I have, but! My sole criterion for these is they have to be shorter than 250 pages. I feel like you can knock that out in two days and then hey, you’ve read a book. Exciting.

We Should All Be Feminists Cover

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is a short nonfiction classic. It’s so short! I read it during a lunch break at work! And not only is it short, but it’s got some A+ points by a great writer. Adichie’s feminism is something that benefits everyone (the patriarchy harms all! it is only superficially beneficial to men! this is an important fact!). You can knock this out on Saturday afternoon and still have time to watch some Star Trek: Discovery. Or…whatever people watch. It should probably be that, though.

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

This title reminds me of Tracy Jordan talking about mind grapes, and I had to get that out of the way because this book is intense! Lots of serious topics! But also it’s v. short, so you can delve into Feelings and then come back out. Mailhot grew up on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. As an adult, she is simultaneously diagnosed with PTSD and bipolar II disorder. She takes to a notebook to write out her feelings, which turns into exploring memory, family, and maybe give yourself a tiny recovery window from this one.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

This is shorter than 250 pages! And pretty breezy. I’ve talked about this on the podcast, but I happened to bring this to a tough family holiday, and I retreated to a room with it and it was SUCH an amazing break. I will forever love this book. Kaling talks about working in writers rooms, creating her two women show (two woman show?) about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and how she’s a huge nerd and figured out what she wanted to do with her life.


Enjoy your weekend to the utmost. For more nonfiction new releases, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.