Once again it is Nonfiction November, and I’m just scraping in to My Year in Non-fiction’, hosted by Julz Reads.
As for last year, I’m going to list my Year in Nonfiction with Australian books first… all links are to my reviews:
Australian non-fiction (in alphabetical author by title)
- Accidental Feminists, by Jane Caro
- Australian Foreign Affairs #4: Defending Australia, edited by Jonathan Pearlman
- Australian Foreign Affairs #5: Are We Asian Yet? edited by Jonathan Pearlman
- Australia’s First Naturalists, by Penny Olsen and Lynette Russell
- Blooms and Brushstrokes, A Floral History of Australian Art, by Penelope Curtin and Tansy Curtin
- City of Trees by Sophie Cunningham
- Convincing Ground, by Bruce Pascoe
- The Dismissal Dossier, by Jenny Hocking
- From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting, by Judith Brett
- Magic Little Meals, Making the Most of Homegrown Produce, by Lolo Houbein and Tori Arbon
- On Fairness, by Sally McManus (Little Books on Big Ideas)
- On Father, by John Birmingham (Little Books on Big Ideas)
- On Identity, by Stan Grant (Little Books on Big Ideas)
- On Patriotism, by Paul Daley (Little Books on Big Ideas)
- Our Mob Served, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories of war and defending Australia, edited by Allison Cadzow and Mary Anne Jebb
- Perth (New South City Series #8), by David Whish-Wilson
- The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, by Sisonke Msimang
- Sculptures of Melbourne, by Mark S Holsworth
- Through Ice and Fire, by Sarah Laverick
- Trigger Warnings, Political Correctness and the Rise of the Right, by Jeff Sparrow
- Welcome to Country, a Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia, by Marcia Langton (and other useful guide books)
Life Stories (in alphabetical order by title):
- Beyond Words, a Year with Kenneth Cook, by Jacqueline Kent
- Bright Swallow, by Vivian Bi
- The Dead Still Cry Out, the Story of a Combat Cameraman, by Helen Lewis
- (Further thoughts) Ever Yours, C. H. Spence, edited by Susan Magarey, with Barbara Wall, Mary Lyons and Maryan Beams
- The Grass Library, by David Brooks
- Growing Up African in Australia, edited by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan
- Hearing Maud, by Jessica White
- The Heart’s Ground, a Life of Anne Elder, by Julia Hamer
- Here we are, read us: women, disability and writing, edited by Trish Harris
- Heysen to Heysen: selected letters of Hans Heysen and Nora Heysen, edited by Catherine Speck
- Just Add Love, by Irris Makler
- Kathleen O’Connor of Paris, by Amanda Curtin
- The Kowloon Kid, a Hong Kong childhood, by Phil Brown
- Living in Hope, by Frank Byrne
- Miss Ex-Yugoslavia, by Sofija Stefanovic
- Ned and Katina, by Patricia Grace
- Nora Heysen, Light and Life, by Jane Hylton
- The Unknown Judith Wright, by Georgina Arnott
- We Are Here, Talking with Australia’s Oldest Holocaust Survivors, by Fiona Harari
And from elsewhere (in alphabetical order by title):
- The Bletchley Girls, by Tessa Dunlop
- The Book Thieves, by Anders Rydell, translated by Henning Koch
- El Greco, by Michael Scholz-Hänsel, (English edition) translated by John Gabriel
- “The First Successful Trip of an Airship” in Gleanings in Bee Culture, January 1, 1905 by A. I. (Amos) Root
- The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting, by Anne Trubek AND The Missing Ink, The Lost Art of Handwriting (And Why It Still Matters), by Philip Hensher
- The Little(r) Museums of Paris: An Illustrated Guide to the City’s Hidden Gems, by Emma Jacobs
- Made in Sweden, 25 Ideas that Created a Country, by Elisabeth Åsbrink, translated by the author
- The Ordeal of Bobby Cain, by George McMillan
- The Spice Islands Voyage, in Search of Wallace, by Tim Severin
- We Are Building Capitalism, Moscow in Transition, 1992-1997, by Robert Stephenson
What was your favourite nonfiction read of the year?
I can’t decide between The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, by Sisonke Msimang because it made me rethink the way we demonise women who don’t behave the way we expect them to; Accidental Feminists, by Jane Caro because it’s an homage to my generation and all the things we achieved for women; and Blooms and Brushstrokes, A Floral History of Australian Art, by Penelope Curtin and Tansy Curtin which is definitely my most drop-dead gorgeous coffee table book of the year.
Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year?
Nope. It was Politics, as usual, and Art, as usual, and history, as usual, especially Australia’s Black History. Gasp! Am I in a rut?
What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?
There were two:
- Hearing Maud, by Jessica White. A brilliant book that illuminates the world of people living with deafness. I’d like everyone to read this one.
- The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, by Sisonke Msimang. A most thought-provoking read, and I’d like a lot more people to read it too.
What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
I like looking over my year of books. Last year I surprised myself when I realised that I hadn’t read any of my favourite form of NF: literary biography. This year I’ve read these, and really enjoyed them:
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
Impressive list!
Mine is easy to make: one non fiction book for this year. Maybe two if I can read one this month.
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By: Emma on November 1, 2019
at 8:58 pm
Yes, but don’t forget you’ve had a crazy year at work.
I’m retired, so I’ve got lots of time to read:)
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By: Lisa Hill on November 1, 2019
at 10:11 pm
Sure.
It should get better in 2020.
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By: Emma on November 1, 2019
at 10:17 pm
Wow, what a list. As always most impressed with how much you manage to read. The non fiction writing I enjoy most is travel writing and more travel writing with the occasional memoir thrown in. Mr Penguin loves his politics but I am so over it I can’t bear it anymore. Enjoyed reading your list.
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By: TravellinPenguin on November 2, 2019
at 8:59 am
Yes, I love travel writing too, and have (as you can see) been neglecting it.
I am *slowly* making my way through HV Morton’s In the Steps of St Paul, which was written long before all the decades-long troubles in the Middle East, and I need to get on with it…
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By: Lisa Hill on November 2, 2019
at 10:10 am
You’re amazing Lisa – so many books, so much variety. I’ll take your recommendation and add Hearing Maud to my TBR list.
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By: Kate W on November 2, 2019
at 5:18 pm
Oh yes indeed Kate, a.k.a. Queen of Memoir, Hearing Maud is a book for you!
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By: Lisa Hill on November 2, 2019
at 5:20 pm
[…] Inspiration struck again as I scrolled down my list of what I’d read this year: […]
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By: Nonfiction November 2019: Fiction Nonfiction Book Pairings Link-Up | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on November 5, 2019
at 1:31 pm
[…] Inspiration struck again as I scrolled down my list of what I’d read this year: […]
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By: Nonfiction November 2019: Fiction Nonfiction Book Pairings | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on November 5, 2019
at 1:34 pm
[…] Inspiration struck again as I scrolled down my list of what I’d read this year: […]
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By: Nonfiction November 2019: Fiction Nonfiction Book Pairings | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on November 5, 2019
at 1:34 pm
[…] Hearing Maud by Jessica White look fascinating – ANZ LitLLovers […]
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By: Nonfiction November – New to My TBR | booksaremyfavouriteandbest on November 25, 2019
at 10:16 pm