With scary season over, we begin heading into the last few weeks of fall before the holidays bring forth everything from peppermint bark to twinkling fairy lights. But here in the South, our weather still hasn’t caught up. This past weekend, my spouse and I took the Corgis to the park in gorgeous 70-degree weather. I’ll admit, I’m glad the Corgis still have a chance to frap with their friends as I listen to my Nonfiction November TBR on audio.
Of course, here at True Story, every month is nonfiction month. So here are a few of my favorite nonfiction books from this year.
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Bookish Goods
Reading Journal by The Book Sisters Bookshop
This week’s reading journal is one with STICKERS. I also love the details where you can write in the titles of the books you read. So many custom options for plenty of creativity. $42
New Releases
A Death in Malta: An Assassination and a Family’s Quest for Justice by Paul Caruana Galizia
Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered after a car bomb exploded and took her life. Now, her youngest son investigates her death, trying to find closure for him and his family.
Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land
The author of Maid, which was made into an incredibly successful series on Netflix, is back with a new memoir exploring more ideas around single motherhood and class. Class is also a Good Morning America Book Club pick.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Liliana’s Invincible Summer by Cristina Rivera Garza
In one of my favorite memoirs of the year, Cristina Rivera Garza chronicles how she tries to track down her sister’s last days before she was murdered. Rivera Garza interviews Liliana’s friends at university, goes through her journals, and looks through official documents. But Liliana’s Invincible Summer is not a true crime story. Instead, it’s a beautiful testament celebrating Liliana’s life and the joy she brought to the world.
A Living Memory by Nicole Chung
Nicole Chung is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. From her memoir All You Can Ever Know to her newsletter for The Atlantic, Chung writes with such vulnerability and clarity. A Living Memory follows Chung’s experience with the death of her father and her mother’s diagnosis of cancer. But when the pandemic arrives, Chung finds herself unable to be with her mother in her last days. This memoir is so intimate, so heart-rending, as Chung voices what many of us experience when a loved one passes away and we can’t be there for them. A Living Memory is truly a stunning book.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra