I’m taking part in Nonfiction November which starts today and is hosted by Heather of Based on a True Story, Frances of Volatile Rune, Liz of Adventures in Reading, Running and Working from Home, Rebekah of She Seeks Nonfiction and Deb of Readerbuzz.

This week, Heather has posted the following questions for us to answer:

Week 1 – Your Year in Nonfiction:

What books have you read?
What were your favorites?
Is there a topic you want to read about more?
What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

I’m not someone who reads a huge amount of nonfiction, but this year I’ve read more of it than usual – seven books so far and I am in the middle of an eighth. Here are the links to my reviews:

1. Britain’s Greatest Private Detective by Nell Darby
2. That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton
3. The Crying of the Wind: Ireland by Ithell Colquhoun
4. Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie
5. Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain by Anne Glover
6. The Living Stones: Cornwall by Ithell Colquhoun
7. A History of England in 25 Poems by Catherine Clarke

These are all either history, true crime, memoirs or travel books, which isn’t very surprising as these are the topics I tend to always be drawn to when it comes to nonfiction. Of these seven books, my favourites are Christie’s Come, Tell Me How You Live, her account of accompanying her archaeologist husband on digs in Syria in the 1930s, and A History of England in 25 Poems, which I found fascinating (and much more of a history book than a poetry anthology).

I’m hoping that taking part in Nonfiction November will encourage me to read more nonfiction and find some new books and authors to add to my nonfiction TBR (which is much, much smaller than my fiction TBR).

Do you like to read nonfiction? Will you be joining in with Nonfiction November this year?

Here’s the final weekly topic for this year’s Nonfiction November:

Week 5 (11/25-11/29) New To My TBR: It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! (Deb)

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The Great Silence by Juliet Nicolson
(Lisa at Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)

The story of the period from 1918-1920, as people adjust to a world at peace following the end of the Great War.

Divine Might by Natalie Haynes
(Stephanie at Bookfever)

I’ve read some of Natalie Haynes’ fiction, but this non-fiction book tells the stories of several Greek goddesses including Hera, Demeter and the Furies.

Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans
(Margaret at BooksPlease)

A book exploring the lives of women at sea during the Golden Age of transatlantic travel.

Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson
(Lisa at Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)

A book about the experiences of the two million ‘surplus’ women faced with remaining spinsters due to the loss of so many men during the First World War.

Hunting the Falcon by John Guy
(Kay at What? Me Read?)

The subtitle Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe tells you what it’s about!

Victorian Britain Day by Day by Nicholas Travers
(Mallika at Literary Potpourri)

A collection of important events in Victorian history, arranged by the day of the year on which they occurred.

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Have you read any of these? Did you take part in Nonfiction November and if so, what did you add to your TBR this month?

Here’s this week’s topic for Nonfiction November:

Week 3 (11/11-11/15) Book Pairings: This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it’s a historical novel and the real history in a nonfiction version, or a memoir and a novel, or a fiction book you’ve read and you would like recommendations for background reading. Or two books on two different areas have chimed and have a link. You can be as creative as you like! (hosted by Liz at Adventures in Reading, Running and Working from Home).

The nonfiction title:

The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale

Because I’m currently reading Kate Summerscale’s new book, The Peepshow, I decided to focus on her previous book, The Haunting of Alma Fielding, which was published in 2020. Here’s how I described the book in my review:

Like Summerscale’s others, this is a non-fiction book based on a true story, in this case the story of an ordinary thirty-four-year-old woman, Alma Fielding, who becomes the centre of paranormal activity in her London home. The book follows Nandor Fodor of the International Institute for Psychical Research as he investigates Alma’s claims, desperately hoping that this time – after being disappointed by a long line of frauds – he has finally come across a genuine haunting.

At first, having witnessed for himself the smashed glasses, spinning teacups, moving furniture and broken eggs, Fodor is convinced that a poltergeist is at work in the Fielding household. The more he learns about Alma’s abilities, which include producing live animals out of thin air and transporting herself from one area of London to another, the more intrigued he becomes…until, eventually, he begins to have doubts. Is this a real paranormal phenomenon he is investigating or is Alma haunted by something very different?

The fiction titles:

I couldn’t decide on just one book to pair with the Kate Summerscale, so I’ve picked three of them:

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker is set in Victorian London and is the story of a fraudulent but successful medium who, like Alma Fielding, is able to ‘apport’ (transport by spiritual means) herself and other objects.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters also features a house – Hundreds Hall in Warwickshire – that appears to be haunted by a poltergeist. Is the ghost real or is there a more rational explanation?

In Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis, two sisters in 19th century Paris trick grieving victims out of their money by convincing them they are being haunted by departed family members – and then promising to lay the ghosts to rest.

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Have you read any of these books? What else would you pair with The Haunting of Alma Fielding?

November is always a very busy time in the book blogging calendar and one of the many reading events taking place is Nonfiction November – which actually begins today, while we’re still in October, because of the way the dates fall this year.

Nonfiction has never formed a big part of my reading, but I find that taking part in this event helps me to focus on the few nonfiction books I’ve read and the many I would like to read, so it’s still worth trying to join in, I think! Each week throughout November, one of the challenge hosts (there are five) will post a different topic for us to discuss. I doubt I’ll have time to post every week, but the first topic is an easy one:

Week 1 – Your Year in Nonfiction: Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
(Hosted by Heather of Based on a True Story)

I’ve read even less nonfiction than usual this year, which is disappointing, although in my defence I’ve also been reading Rebecca West’s very long travelogue, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, throughout the year in addition to the books listed below:

The Black Count by Tom Reiss – A biography of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, father of the French author Alexandre Dumas.

The Angel Makers by Patti McCracken – A book about a group of female serial killers in a Hungarian village who murdered over a hundred men between 1914 and 1929.

Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives by Alice Loxton – A fascinating look at eighteen historical figures, with a focus on how their first eighteen years shaped the rest of their lives.

Most of the nonfiction I tend to read is biography, history or true crime, so I haven’t been very adventurous this year! I enjoyed all of these books, though, particularly Eighteen and The Angel Makers.

This November I’m planning to read another true crime book, The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale.

Do you like to read nonfiction? Will you be joining in with Nonfiction November this year?