Hello readers!
Non-Fiction November is now over, can you believe it? It’s been a wildly productive month in terms of reading (not so much in other areas, oops), so decided to put together all my reviews for NonFicNov reads, in case someone is looking for inspiration.
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness by William Styron
Categories: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Mental Health
First Publication Date: September 4, 1990
Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, especially for how cutthroat Jude was, and all the scheming and twists and betrayals were just really exciting to read. This final book, however, just felt like one long ode to how amazing Cardan is, how worthy of love and how secretly a good guy he was all along. There is not much going on at all for most of the book, and even what conflict is there was too quickly resolved, too neatly wrapped up. I did enjoy the book, just felt a bit disappointed by it. The audiobook was really good, though! Continue reading
Rating: ★★★★☆
Genres: Non-fiction, Humor, Science
I received a free eARC of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest opinion.
How to is the second book by Randall Munroe. The first one, What If?, answered absurd questions with science. This one answers normal questions with absurd science, which is absolutely hilarious. So if you’re considering moving and have to pack and move your things, Randall Munroe will give you several absurd ideas on how to do that! Much like the first one, this was a quick, great read and I have a really nice time.
The best thing about this book in comparison to the other one is that Katie Mack and Serena Williams made appearances in some chapters! That was really exciting. I also loved the space-related questions, although I suppose that’s because I love space science. As expected, some chapters are better than others, so I really enjoyed the one about how to throw a pool party, but was rather underwhelmed about the one on how to get a Christmas tree.
This reads easily despite being science-y, the language is accessible and fun, so I would say it works for readers who aren’t science geeks, too, but if you are a science geek, this book is quite a perfect fit.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Genres: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Humor
I picked this up as an audiobook a few months ago, and I think it’s the first humor book I listen to, which was an interesting experience – Jenny Lawson narrates it herself and she’s so funny. It was also quite weird – there is a lot of exaggeration in sound effect, with bells and singing and cows. I’m not a fan of absurd humor, including said bells and singing and cows, but it’s alright because the actual book content was good!
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is the first memoir of Jenny Lawson, and includes stories from her childhood, teen years and adulthood.
I liked Furiously Happy a lot more than this one, which is probably why this got 3 stars, but it definitely has the same hilarious, witty tone that I loved about Furiously Happy. I love that Jenny Lawson keeps it so real and honest, and while there is not much sensitivity in the way she talks about things, it can be pretty relatable, too. The parts she talked about being anxious in dinner parties and rambling embarrassing nonsense, that was such a highlight for me. She’s pretty candid about her experiences.
I recommend this if you want to get a good laugh and don’t mind Jenny rambling nonsense for most of the time.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Genres: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Humor
Furiously Happy is a collection of stories from Jenny Lawson’s life and experiences with mental illness. I’ve been wanting to read Furiously Happy since it came out, but somehow I never got to. When I saw it in the airport on my way to my vacation I bought it immediately – and have zero regrets.
This book was such a fun, light read and yet it had such deep emotion and many relatable moments. I loved it very, very much and it was perfect for the trip – the short chapters made it easy to read just a little every few days. Laughing about mental illness should absolutely be a trend, as it makes you feel so much less alone and weird. Jenny Lawson is hilarious.
Highly recommend this one!
Rating: ★★★★☆
Recommended: Yes
Genres: Non-fiction, Humor, Science
Add it to your TBR: Goodreads, Skoob
I don’t normally read non-fiction, which is a hole in my shelf I am trying to slowly fill. I’ve got a bit of prejudice towards non-fiction writing, which I think tends to be too dry for my taste, even if the story is wonderful, interesting and with the appeal of being real. But I am making an effort now to find the books that will prove me wrong! So, when I saw this one in a bookstore last year, I knew I had to have it (thank you, Birgit, for the gift!). Continue reading
Naty's Bookshelf 