Tag: nonfiction

Book Talk: MEN: NOTES FROM AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION, by Laura Kipnis
November 25, 2014 reading

Book Talk: MEN: NOTES FROM AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION, by Laura Kipnis

Men: Notes from an Ongoing Investigation Laura Kipnis (Facebook) (Twitter) Henry Holt & Co. / Metropolitan Books (November 18, 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 1627791876 / 9781627791878) Nonfiction: essays (sociology), 224 pages This review was originally prepared for Shelf Awareness for Readers, but was not accepted for publication due to a missed deadline. Shelf Awareness provided me with a publisher-furnished galley to facilitate the review, and no additional compensation. “The Scumbag.” “The Con Man.” “The Lothario.” “The […]

#NonfictionNovember Q&A: My Year in Nonfiction
November 5, 2014 'riting

#NonfictionNovember Q&A: My Year in Nonfiction

Nonfiction November is officially underway! This week’s survey-style look at “Your Year In Nonfiction” is hosted by Kim at 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? As I was preparing this post, I was somewhat taken aback to discover I’ve only reviewed about a dozen nonfiction books on the blog this year. I expect to […]

Book Talk: ON IMMUNITY, by Eula Biss
November 4, 2014 reading

Book Talk: ON IMMUNITY, by Eula Biss

On Immunity: An Inoculation Eula Biss Graywolf Press (September 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 1555976891 / 9781555976897) Nonfiction: Social sciences, 216 pages Source: ARC from publisher at Book Expo America 2014 On Immunity: An Inoculation, Eula Biss’ exploration of illness and vaccination filtered through a mother’s concerns for her young son, was one of only two works of nonfiction selected as “Buzz Books” at Book Expo America 2014. It’s absolutely worthy of that attention. The childhood immunizations that […]

(Audio)Book Talk: THE TEACHER WARS, by Dana Goldstein, read by Nan McNamara
October 7, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: THE TEACHER WARS, by Dana Goldstein, read by Nan McNamara

The Teacher Wars: A History of America’s Most Embattled Profession Dana Goldstein (Twitter) Audiobook read by Nan McNamara Doubleday (September 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 038553695X / 9780385536950) Nonfiction: history/education, 368 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Audible Studios, September 2014, ASIN B00M4LUO90) Dana Goldstein’s The Teacher Wars is not the comprehensive history of two centuries of American public education. In fact, this book strongly suggests that such a history may never be written, in part because there is […]

(Audio)Book Talk: LOVE LIFE, by Rob Lowe
September 18, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: LOVE LIFE, by Rob Lowe

Love Life Rob Lowe (Twitter) Audiobook read by the author Simon & Schuster (April 2014), Hardcover ( ISBN 1451685718 / 9781451685718) Nonfiction: memoir/essays, 272 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Simon & Schuster (April 2014), Audio ISBN 9781442367340 /Audible ASIN B00HX2WBJG ) Although I really enjoyed listening to Rob Lowe read his Stories I Only Tell My Friends, to me a couple of years ago, I wasn’t entirely sure about repeating the experience with his second book, Love Life. He’d […]

(Audio)Book Talk: I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ME FROM, by Judy Greer
September 16, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ME FROM, by Judy Greer

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star Judy Greer (Twitter) Audiobook read by the author Doubleday (April 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 0385537883 / 9780385537889) Nonfiction: memoir/essays, 256 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Random House Audio (April 2014), ISBN 9780804149150 / Audible ASIN B00IPJTXHO) I know exactly what I know Judy Greer from, and it’s why I knew that if I i intended to read her memoir/essay collection, I Don’t Know What You Know Me From, at […]

Book Talk: AGAINST FOOTBALL, by Steve Almond
September 2, 2014 reading

Book Talk: AGAINST FOOTBALL, by Steve Almond

Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto Steve Almond (Facebook) (Twitter) Melville House (August 26, 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 161219415X / 9781612194158) Nonfiction (journalism/sports), 192 pages A version of this review was previously published in Shelf Awareness for Readers (August 29, 2014). Shelf Awareness provided me with a publisher-furnished galley to facilitate the review, and compensated me for the review they received and posted. Those who don’t care much for America’s favorite autumn-weekend pastime might be inclined to pick up Steve Almond’s collection of […]

(Audio)Book Talk: ALL JOY AND NO FUN, by Jennifer Senior
August 19, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: ALL JOY AND NO FUN, by Jennifer Senior

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood Jennifer Senior (Twitter) Audiobook read by the author Ecco (January 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 0062072226 / 9780062072221) Nonfiction: Sociology, 320 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Harper Audio, January 2014, ISBN 9780062308634; Audible ASIN B00H8QSIFS) Jennifer Senior’s provocatively-titled New York magazine article from July 2010, “All Joy and No Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting” contained much of what makes up the introduction to her 2014 book, which reframes the proposition of “all joy […]

(Audio)Book Talk: SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS, by Aisha Tyler
July 1, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS, by Aisha Tyler

Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation Aisha Tyler (Twitter) (Facebook) Audiobook read by the author It Books/Dey Street Books (July 2013), Hardcover (ISBN 0062223771 / 9780062223777) Nonfiction (memoir/essays/humor), 256 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Harper Audio, July 2013, ISBN 9780062263322; Audible ASIN B00D98KXPW) “They say” that when you look back over your life, you’ll have more regrets over what you didn’t do than what you did. I don’t completely agree–if what you’ve done was immoral, illegal, and/or caused irreparable […]

(Audio)Book Talk: CALL THE MIDWIFE, by Jennifer Worth
June 24, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: CALL THE MIDWIFE, by Jennifer Worth

Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard TimesJennifer WorthAudiobook read by Nicola BarberPenguin Books (2012), Trade Paperback (ISBN 1611749247 / 9781611749243)Nonfiction: autobiography/memoir, 352 pagesSource: purchased audiobook (Highbridge Audio, 2012, ISBN 9781611749250, Audible ASIN B009899R76) I don’t often buy audiobooks on a whim, but after I finished listening to The Cuckoo’s Calling I was craving more British narration, and when Call the Midwife popped up as a suggestion on Audible, I decided to […]

Book Talk: NEW LIFE, NO INSTRUCTIONS, by Gail Caldwell
May 20, 2014 reading

Book Talk: NEW LIFE, NO INSTRUCTIONS, by Gail Caldwell

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir Gail Caldwell (Facebook) Random House (April 2014), Hardcover (ISBN 1400069548 / 9781400069545) Nonfiction/memoir, 176 pages A version of this review was previously published in Shelf Awareness for Readers (April 15, 2014). Shelf Awareness provided me with a publisher-furnished galley to facilitate the review, and compensated me for the review they received and posted. Gail Caldwell’s 2010 memoir, Let’s Take the Long Way Home, explored the losses that defined her fifth decade: her parents, her best friend […]

(Audio)Book Talk: A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, by Bill Bryson
May 13, 2014 reading

(Audio)Book Talk: A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, by Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson (Facebook) Abridged audiobook read by the author / Unabridged audio read by Richard Matthews Broadway Books (2004), trade paper (ISBN 076790818X / 9780275980528) Nonfiction: science, 544 pages Source: Purchased audiobook (Random House Audio, 2003, ISBN 9780739302958; Audible ASIN B00009OYYM) My first experience with Bill Bryson was 2010’s Home: A Short History of Private Life, and I knew it wouldn’t be my last. I also knew it wasn’t Bryson’s first […]