My Year in Nonfiction (Nonfiction November 2023)

I am coming to this a week late, but what I can say, I do have to work for a living, and life happens. Anyhow, the prompt comes from the blog Based on a True Story. The prompt for this first post in the series is as follows: 

"Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions: What was your favorite nonfiction read of the 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?"

 I do read a lot of nonfiction. One, I just happen to enjoy the genre. Two, I enjoy learning about new to me topics, and nonfiction works for that. Three, as a librarian, reading nonfiction is another way I keep myself informed and actively learning. I usually write a big end of year reading report, and I include how many books in categories, including nonfiction, I read. I will still do that, and I will add the link to this post as an addition. Will I do this again next year? Maybe.

Let's start with the list. This list is current as of November 2, 2023. It is in order from the start of the year to the most recent book read. If I have posted the review on this blog, there will be a link to the review. I am excluding companion books to cartomancy decks. 

• The Little Book of Whiskey Cocktails. 
• Your Tarot Toolkit. 
• 2000 AD Encyclopedia. 
• The Daily Stoic. 
• Portable Magic. 
• Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death.
• All the Knowledge in the World. 
• Hotel Scarface. 
• LEGO Star Wars Ideas Book. 
• The Big Heist. 
• The Book Lover's Guide to London. 
• Zen Wisdom for the Anxious.
• Ninety Percent of Everything. 
• Nonverts. 
• The Big Book of Tarot Meanings. 
• Easy Tarot Combinations. 
• Doctoring the Devil. 
• The Exorcist Legacy. 
• Roots, Branches and Spirits. 
• Reading Novels During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Temples of Books. 
• Narcas. 
• Blood Money.
• Serial Killers of the 70s.
• The People's Hospital. 
• The Evil Eye. 
• How to Write Erotica.
• Making the List. 
• Profiles in Ignorance.
   

That is 29 books as of November 2, 2023. I still have the rest of November and December to go, so I am sure the list will grow a bit. 

From this list, I am not sure which one is the favorite. I have more than one I could consider a favorite including Your Tarot Toolkit, Easy Tarot Combinations, Doctoring the Devil, Blood Money, The People's Hospital, and How to Write Erotica. Out of six books, 3 are esoterica, two on health care and business, and a writing guide. Of those, at the moment, The People's Hospital and Blood Money are two that I have been recommending to people who may ask or for folks interested in topics related to health care, business, and socioeconomics. I read books in esoterica as part of my cartomancy and esoterica studies, a bit of my Great Work. 

I am not sure I can identify a topic I have not read enough. I do have some limitations. For one, I have a self-imposed moratorium on reading anything political/social issues/activist that I put in place after the 2016 election to avoid burnout. So as much as possible I avoid those kind of books, although I may break the moratorium for something interesting. However, I do manage to maintain the moratorium. Second, I also have a boycott against the publishers and their imprints suing Internet Archive (you can read my statement and details here). So after March 27 of this year, I no longer read nor review books from those publishers. While that does limit some of what I may want to read, there are plenty of non-asshole publishers including independent publishers I can select. Having said all that, when it comes to nonfiction, my interests can be fairly eclectic. I often enjoy what are often called micro-histories, those books that take a small item or subject and expand on its history. I also look for books in interesting and/or unique topics, topics not many people may read about or focus on. Blood Money, which is about the plasma industry, would an example. Overall, if it sounds interesting, I am likely to give it a try. 

I am not sure what I am hoping to get from doing the Nonfiction November blogging, but I am keeping an open mind to see what I can learn as a reader, reviewer, and librarian, and just also a bit for the fun of it. Plus, I get to see what other folks doing this series are reading.