Nonfiction November 2018!

Whoo! Whoo! Look what I found!!

This event is being cohosted by the following five bloggers: 

Sarah of Sarah's Book Shelves

Katie of Doing Dewey

Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness

Rennie of What's Nonfiction

Julz of JulzReads

Before I give you their November schedule, 

I reviewed the listing of nonfiction books I read since 2016...and it was pitiful! 

(At least in my opinion!)

Week 1 (October 29-November 2): Your Year in Nonfiction 

(Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness)

Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions:

What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

Do you have a particular topic you've been attracted to more this year?

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven't read enough of yet?

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

Week 2 (November 5-9): Fiction/Nonfiction Book Pairing

(Sarah of Sarah's Book Shelves)

Pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title.

It can be a "If you loved this book, read this!"

or just two titles you think would go well together. 

Maybe it's a historical novel and you'd like to get the real history 

by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

Week 3 (November 12-16): Be the Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert

(Julz of JulzReads)

There are three ways to participate this week!

You can share three or more books on a single topic 

that you have read and can recommend--BE THE EXPERT

OR

You can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic 

that you have been dying to learn more about--ASK THE EXPERT

OR

You can create your own list of books you would like to read that discuss a topic about which you would like to learn more--BECOME THE EXPERT

Week 4 (November 19-23): Reads Like Fiction

(Rennie of What's Nonfiction)

Nonfiction books are often praised for how they stack up to fiction. 

Does it matter to you whether nonfiction reads like a novel?

If it does, what gives it that fiction-like feeling?

Does it depend on the topic, the writing, the use of certain literary elements and techniques?

What are your favorite nonfiction recommendations that read like fiction?

And if your nonfiction picks could never be mistaken for novels, 

what do you love about the differences?

Week 5 (November 26-30): New to My TBR

(Katie of Doing Dewey)

By now, it has been a month full of amazing nonfiction books!

Which ones have made it onto your TBR listing?

(Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book!)

So, now I need to dig out at least two nonfiction books 

that are NOT memoirs to read in November!

Here are two I know I own:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

(Huh. There was a TV movie released in 2017.)

and

Life's Work: A Moral Argument for Choice by Dr. Willie Parker

Happy reading!!

--Lynn

Top Ten Tuesday for October 2!

Here are previous Smoke & Mirrors Top Ten Tuesday posts.

This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by that site until

January 2018 when That Artsy Reader Girl took on the hosting duties!

Today's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is Authors I Would Love to Meet!
Wow. Honestly, there are so many! 
Although I have perhaps met more authors than I ever expected to be able to meet, 
there are more I would love to have the opportunity to meet...
(Perhaps I'm just never satisfied! LOL)

I don't know if I can limit this list to ten or not...but here goes!

First and foremost, Janet Evanovich! 
Her Stephanie Plum series is one of the silliest I've ever read, 
but also one of my absolutely favorite and most entertaining ways to spend time!
The newest installment, Look Alive Twenty-Five, is due to be released November 13th! 
That is a Tuesday. If at all possible, I will schedule myself off work for a day of vacation, head to my local bookstore that morning as soon as they open, 
purchase my pre-ordered copy, and enjoy my afternoon!
I am certain to be laughing out loud many times as I read.
The only question is how many times and how loudly! :)
I cannot imagine being the person whose imagination works in ways 
whereby you create Stephanie's world and all the very unique people and situations 
contained therein! Pure genius! (IMHO) :)

I have been privileged to have met many of the authors who might otherwise 
appear next on my list:
Garth Stein, Erica Bauermeister, Carol Cassella, Jennie Shortridge, Elizabeth Berg, 
Marisa de los Santos, Laurie R. King, Terese Marie Mailhot, Roxane Gay, Junot Diaz, 
AJ Finn, Lori Rader-Day, Annie Sullivan, Summer Heacock, 

And I feel as if I've met others due to having spoken with them via Skype/telephone and/or extensive contact via email/social media: Andrea Busfield, W. Bruce Cameron.

But to continue with the list of those I would love to meet in the future:

Jacqueline Winspear (I love her Maisie Dobbs series!)

David Rosenfelt (I love his Andy Carpenter series!)

Alexander McCall Smith (I love his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series,
Isabel Dalhousie series, and Corduroy Mansion series!)

Sarah Addison Allen (I love her magical realism!)

Kevin Kwan (I love those crazy rich Asians!)

Joyce Maynard (I loved Labor Day and The Good Daughters!)

Alafair Burke (I've loved all 10 of her books I have read!)

Susan Wittig Albert (I love her China Bayles series!)

Gennifer Choldenko (I adore her Al Capone at Alcatraz series!)

Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants--one of my all-time favorite books)

Emma Donoghue (Room was amazing!

Bill Clegg (I loved his debut, Did You Ever Have a Family!)

LaShonda Katrice Barnett (Jam on the Vine!)

Paula McClain (The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun!)

Penelope Lively (I loved Moon Tiger)

Anthony Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See...be still my heart!)

Susanna Kearsley (I've read two and need to read more!)

And if they were still alive: Kent Haruf and Sue Grafton 

Trust me! I could add more--but time has run out!

Happy reading!

--Lynn