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All in Nonfiction
I feel genuinely better prepared to decide what kinds of things are personally worth my effort (and my guilt). The time I spent listening to this audiobook was time extremely well spent.
I’m on a mission to deepen my critical reading skills this year. Only a few months into that journey, it became clear that Playing in the Dark was a foundational piece of criticism that I needed to read ASAP if I was going to do the thing right.
This book is not only hopeful and optimistic, but also instructive and motivational in terms of what kinds of policies and proposals are worth fighting for here in the US.
This book is not what I had naively expected — my brain ignored the “essays” part of the title in favor of the “how to” part — but it is, without a doubt, excellent.
Trust Imani Perry to rewrite the rules on what it means to tell the history of an entire people. If this isn’t nominated for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, I will riot.
If you’re looking for someone to put very simply why what’s happening in Palestine is not “complicated,” this is it. Required reading.
I’m a non-English-major on a quest to learn more about literary theory so I can become a deeper reader and better reviewer. This was my first foray, but unfortunately it wasn’t a winner for me.
If you haven’t read On Tyranny, please do so as soon as possible. This is an extremely short book — it’s 1:47 on audio and pocket-sized in print — that is nothing short of required reading, especially right now.
This book is both sad and hopeful, scathing and uplifting. Brb, time to (finally) go read Abdurraqib’s entire backlist.
As a lover of all things fantasy and magical realism, obviously I had to pick this up. And the hype is so justified!
This book was an utter delight, indeed very cozy and interesting and a must-read for bookstore lovers everywhere.
This book is an incredible feat of anthropology and human connection. De León’s generous, tender focus on the smugglers he befriended shows us a side of the equation rarely considered and often dismissed.
I don’t know how to explain to you how important it is that you read this book.
I picked up How to Tell When We Will Die near the start of a period in which my brain wanted only nonfiction, and it only added fuel to the fire. What an incredibly smart, powerful, incisive essay collection.
If you’re a chronically busy, list-making, type-A, overachiever like me, please do yourself a favor and pick up Four Thousand Weeks. If you already did that three years ago, pick up Meditations for Mortals.
What If We Get It Right? is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and almost certainly the best audiobook specifically. I am going to be pushing this into people’s hands (or headphones) for years.
I downloaded this audiobook (thank you Penguin Audio!) because everyone I knew who’d read it was recommending it. And then when I was halfway through, it won the Kirkus Prize! So you don’t have to take my word for it when I say this book is totally worth reading.
I always itch for a good book of nature nonfiction in October. This year, as it had been on my TBR forever, I downloaded the audiobook of Entangled Life. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it, but don’t let that stop you from picking it up!
All in all, a lovely little book that will scratch the itch anytime I want to reread Braiding Sweetgrass but don’t have the time. This would make a great holiday gift for the RWK fan in your life!
Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the greatest writers of our generation, full stop. This is not his strongest book, but it is still very good and very worth your time (it’s also short!).
