Nonfiction November Book Recommendations 2022!

Posted On December 1, 2022

Hi Readers! Welcome to the last month of 2022! Even though it feels surreal that a whole year has gone by, December somehow makes up for it by just being ever so amazing. Before we jump into that, I wanted to celebrate the major feat I accomplished by reading 9 BOOKS across 2324 pages in November, of which 8 books were for Nonfiction November! How amazing is that?

Usually, I am never able to stick to it, so this time it’s even more celebratory! I would have loved to see a diverse mix of books in the nonfictions, but most of them are memoirs. Nevertheless, celebratory! Check them out and you may find your next favourite read in them!

~~NONFICTION BOOKS I LOVED~~

~~I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by JENNETTE MCCURDY~~

This is one of my favourite books of the entire year. It’s a memoir written by Jennette McCurdy which talks about her life as a famous child actor. This also included her relationship with her mother, who was basically a bully. Because of the mother, she had to go through so many body image challenges which led to anorexia, bulimia, drinking and what not. The writing style is incredibly effective and really highlighted for the readers how her naivety was abused by her mother. Given how much impactful the book was, I really wanted to write a review (I might still), but I’m not sure. You should watch out for the trigger warnings such as body shaming, child abuse, OCD, eating disorders, alcohol consumption and cancer. I have rated I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy at 5/5 stars!

~~HYPERBOLE AND A HALF by ALLIE BROSH~~

 I was happily surprised at liking this book so much. This book is a mix of text and graphic casually roaming around themes of seriousness and fun. Some topics like depression and thoughts and feelings are written in such a relatable manner giving valuable insights. And other chapters, involving dogs, are just outright hilarious. The best thing is anyone can read this book. There is no age limit on this. I have rated Hyperbole and A Half by Allie Brosh at 5/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~ATOMIC HABITS by JAMES CLEAR~~

Another book which turned out to be super useful. You know how I steer clear of self-help nonfiction. But, because of all the stellar reviews on this book, I wanted to read it. And, it did not disappoint. This book is almost scientific and gives you a very clear, concise ways in which you can form long lasting habits by starting small. It is a must read for everyone, no matter how collected or messy your life is. I have rated Atomic Habits by James Clear at 4/5 stars!

~~THE (0THER) F WORD: A CELEBRATION OF THE FAT AND FIERCE by ANGIE MANFREDI~~

This book is a collection of 30 stories in the form of prose, poems, illustrations and more. And, all of them revolve around body acceptance, fat acceptance, fat activism, fashion for fat people, representation of fat people in fiction, relational meaning between fat and health and so on. I enjoyed a few articles, but a few other felt repetitive. Overall, I thought that this book could have been a lot better. But, because it’s the first of a kind, I did get to learn. I have rated The (0ther) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce by Angie Manfredi at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~I CAME UPON A LIGHTHOUSE by SHANTANU NAIDU~~

I was not expecting to finish this book in November. I read it in 3 days and really enjoyed it. I keep seeing Shantanu Naidu on LinkedIn. His relationship with Mr. Ratan Tata had always somehow baffled me. Reading this book, I understood his journey, how his path crossed Mr. Tata’s and how they started working together. I wasn’t expecting a lot given how little I knew of the author. But I liked the simple writing style because it enriched the otherwise amazing life story. I have rated I Came Upon A Lighthouse by Shantanu Naidu at 4/5 stars.

~~NONFICTION BOOKS I DID NOT LOVE~~

~~SELFISH, SHALLOW AND SELF-ABSORBED by MEGHAN DAUM~~

I have never really ventured out of my reading genres like I did this month. I wanted people’s perspectives on topics that they are in the minority of. One was the book I mentioned above about fat acceptance, and this is the other one. In this one, sixteen writers have talked about their decision on not having kids. It was insightful, sure, but it also felt repetitive. I understood their perspective but it just wasn’t as impactful as I had imagined it to be. I have rated Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum at 3/5 stars!

~~EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE by DOLLY ALDERTON~~

I listened to this on Audible narrated by Dolly and it was extremely annoying. I just couldn’t listen to it for too long without getting a headache. This book talks about everything aside from love. I felt like the highlight of the book was the author partying, drinking, smoking, shagging and basically being a typical teenager in her late 20s. I gained nothing by reading this book. I have rated Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton at 2/5 stars.

You can read the full review here!

~~I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKI by BAEK SEHEE~~

I have been seeing this book everywhere and it is quite the Korean bestseller. I listened to this one on Audible too. It is a short book comprising of dialogues between the author and her psychiatrist. I understand that this is a memoir, but given the interesting title, I was expecting more. There is so much already done and written about this that everyone’s journeys are starting to blend in for me. I did not enjoy reading this. It could be because I had read several other memoirs before this. Or it could be because of the delivery of the audio book. But, overall, it was just okay. I have rated I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokboki By Baek Sehee at 2/5 stars.

~~THE ONLY FICTION BOOK I READ~~

~~SIMPLE PASSION by ANNIE ERNAUX~~

Annie Ernaux won the Nobel Prize in Literature this year. This made me want to read her books. I have seen some bookstagrammers read her books and have nothing but praise. I read Simple Passion, which is a 80-pages book talking about passion and romance and intimacy. It’s basically erotica flirting with a literary writing style. I am not saying I hated it, but I also didn’t love it. But, I did enjoy reading a new style of writing. I have rated Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux at 3.5/5 stars!

~~NOVEMBER READING STATS~~

So, that is all. I think I have read so many books after many months, so I am content. I have met my 2022 Reading Challenge. So, the month of December will be spent reading literally anything I want to or don’t want to. Happy Holidays!

Until next time,