Tag: Reading Challenges

Nonfiction November – My Year in Nonfiction

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Nonfiction November is an annual reading event hosted jointly by Liz at Adventures in Reading, Frances at Volatile Rune, Heather at Based on a True Story and Deb at Readerbuzz. Its aim is to celebrate all things nonfiction.

The prompt for week one is provided by Heather who poses the following questions:

What nonfiction have you read in the past year?
What were your favorites?
Did you find yourself reading a particular category of nonfiction most often?

I’m not a great reader of nonfiction, evidenced by the fact I’ve only read five nonfiction books since last year’s event. These are:

  1. Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World by Parmy Olson – Recounting the contest between giant technology corporations such as Microsoft and Google to develop and monetize AI tools
  2. The Draw of the Sea by Wyl Menmuir – The author’s very personal book about the fishermen, surfers, swimmers, beachcombers, conservationists, sailors and boatbuilders who make their living on the coast of Cornwall
  3. Relative Failures: The Lives of Willie Wilde, Mabel Beardsley and Howard Sturgis by Matthew Sturgis – A look at the lives of the siblings of more famous individuals
  4. Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams – The author’s exposé of her time working for Facebook
  5. V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemical of Death by Kathryn Harkup – Exploring some of the poisons used by Agatha Christie to kill off characters in her crime novels, everything from arrow poison to snake venom

My favourite book was The Draw of the Sea, not only because it is a wonderful book but because I met the author when we were both members of the judging panel for the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2026. At the time Wyl was engaged in restoring a boat at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. He has since completed the project and sailed it to the Scilly Isles.

Looking at my list you might assume technology is a favourite topic but both were book club picks and to be honest I found the two of them hard going.

I’m hoping Nonfiction November will encourage me to read some of the nonfiction books in my TBR pile. I already know I’ll be reading The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet because, conveniently, this is my book club’s pick for November.

That’s A Bookish Wrap! – October 2026

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Reading update

I read eight books in October, the same as last month. I still have one ARC with a September publication date outstanding (I’m currently reading it) but I did finish all the ARCs I had that published in October.

Here are the books I read, with links to my reviews (where I’ve got round to writing them):

  • A Monster in the Ash by Susie Gordon
  • Doom Painting by A. K. Blakemore
  • Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake #1949Club
  • The Farther Shore by Seth Fleisher
  • The Wolf’s Oath by Tim Hodkinson
  • Three Summers by Karen Swan
  • The Taper Man by Nick Harkaway
  • May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry

My favourite book last month was The Taper Man with Doom Painting a close second.

Blog update

I published 28 blog posts in October:

Book reviews/author features – 9
Memes – 10
Reading updates – 9

For those who like stats, my blog received 9.9k views in October, down 4% on the previous month. All-time views now stand at 558,046. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my reviews and/or leave comments last month.

Reading goals update

  • Goodreads – 81/104, 5 books behind schedule
  • Read 20 books that have been in my TBR for over 2 years – 5/20, one more than last month
  • When Are You Reading? Challenge – 10/12, same as last month
  • Historical Fiction Reading Challenge – 39/50, 3 more than last month
  • Classics Club List 2 – 6/50, 1 more than last month
  • Read all the books on the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 longlist – 9/12, same as last month
  • NetGalley feedback ratio – 97%, 1% lower than last month (because I am behind with reviewing books I’ve read and have added new ones to my shelf)
  • Audiobooks – 7/12, 1 more than last month

Plans for November…

  • Get up-to-date with reviews. Yes, I know that appeared in last month’s list and the month before that
  • Read my two ARCs with November publication dates – The Bohemian Queen by Jean Findlay and Adder Stone by Clare Clark, both for blog tours
  • Read my book club’s November pick – The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet – which also qualifies for NonFiction November
  • Read a book for Reading Scotland Month – possibly Shannon’s Way by A. J. Cronin which is also on my Classics Club list
  • Read a book for Novellas in November – possibly Quartet by Jean Rhys which is another one on my Classics Club list