At the heart of it all, I’m a fan. A fan of books and bookstores. A fan of fiction and non-fiction. A fan of authors and publishers. And most of all I’m a fan of great conversations sparked by books. All that to say - I really need more bookshelves.
I’ve been a fan of Bob Manson’s ever since I stumbled across his fun site showing off all the sights around indie bookstores – inside and out. Bob has a wonderful spirit and sense of purpose helping shine a spotlight on all the cool independent bookstores that we never hear of.
I also like to keep up with Bob’s reading list as he seems to be a well read guy. I had no idea he was a retired teacher or was from Iowa. If you like indie bookshops then you will find a kindred spirit in this interview hosted by Dana Taylor.
It’s week three of Nonfiction November 2024! This week is hosted by Liz, who blogs at Adventures in reading, running and working from home. She’s a fun blogger I started keeping up with after a #NonficNov a few years ago.
This week’s prompt is:
Week 3 (11/11-11/15) Book Pairings: This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title.
This year, I’m picking a couple of news-related reads. How people consume and where they get their facts is super important in this social media-soaked era. It’s not very fun, I have to admit. So, I am pairing a relaxed read on how best to think about the news with a fun, classic newspaper book.
First up is my nonfiction pick , News: A User’s Manual, by Alain de Botton. I am a big fan of Alain de Botton and the way he tries to make intentional and philosphical thinking an everyday thing for normal folks like myself.
In News , he does this by breaking down the major types of news that distract or stress us all out. Whether it’s politics, Economics, or celebrity sleaze, his framework offers a clear way of surfing through each day’s headlines while showing impact it has on all of us as a whole.
And for the fiction side of this week’s bookish coin, I am offering up an oldie that was first published in 1938 in England. Evelyn Waugh’s Scoophas a list of quirky characters, an easy plot and is dripping in dry humor and satiric wit that you’d expect from Evelyn Waugh.
The story follows William Boot as a “sort of” reporter for the Daily Beast, which is a fictional daily newspaper where Boot is mistakenly identified for another well known writer with the same last name. Boot, with zero skill and full of dread, falls into a real “scoop” when he lands the story of a lifetime. I have to admit that the story didn’t end the way I thought it would, but it was good fun.
It’s Week Two of Nonfiction November #nonficnov, which is hosted on Volatile Rune. The prompt for this week is:
Choosing Nonfiction: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking.
I love these questions. It’s so easy to be fooled by a book’s packaging these days. Cookbooks and business books are the worst. Some of the coolest-looking books turn out to be lame. So I’m always looking for quality writing in the jacket copy and blurbs. Yeah yeah… I know… isn’t that all marketing speak and just authors blurbing for each other? Sometimes, yes. But if you find a book on a slice of a slice in a topic you like and the praise quotes are a mixed bag of learned folks, book folks, practitioners, etc., then there is a higher-than-average chance you are holding a good book.
As far as topics go, I love books about books and books where cultural ideas/trends, social science/history, and philosophy intersect. So I’m all over the map there! Oh, and books on maps are fun, too.
Covers absolutely influence me. I pulled a few favorite reads to see if I could figure out the ‘what’ and ‘why’ this is. These 15 books are grouped well into three categories.
I love fonts! Creative lettering goes a long way with me in creating a great nonfiction cover.
Also, I like nonfiction covers that work hard to have an iconic look. Not only are these next five books good reads, but the covers are unique and wouldn’t work well for any other book. The tilt-shift effect used on all of Sarah Vowell’s books is a fun, unique series look.
If you haven’t read Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” then I think you need to. Written pre-internet boom, it’s just as timely and accurate today. Again, so many conversations will be sparked by this book.
Lastly, I appreciate nonfiction books where it’s clear that the publisher took the time to create something that resonates with the reader or community around a topic. I absolutely think these next five are great examples. Whether it’s a book related to newspapers or the classic Gilded Age of book collecting, these all fit their readers well.
The classic read here is Nicholas Basbanes “A Gentle Madness”. It’s not a small book, but very well done and is one of the best deep dives out there into bibliomania and books about books.
Since the fall of Twitter I have struggled to find a place to share links and online articles that I find interesting. So I am now creating small ”link round up” posts and sharing here. Hope this ongoing series or posts surface some interesting news & thoughts for you.
Lots of attention was given to TikTok leveraging all the data they have collected in launching a new book imprint called 8th Note Press (which is also now printing books with Zando). It’s interesting that OverDrive (the library ebook lending platform) has also launched an imprint called Heights Press. It’s named after a place in Cleveland and will focus on kids’ titles. You can read OverDrive’s full press release here.
The Book Maven has a podcast called The Book Maven: A Literary Revue that is now six episodes deep. They’re 30 minutes long and touch on various topics and books. I’m still listening, but I’m on the fence on whether I’ll keep up. One I really like at the moment is Jeff O’Neal’s First Edition from BookRiot. He asks good questions and talks to folks spread throughout the publishing world. O’Neal really is best when he’s on his own, allowing him to chase any and every rabbit he wants.
With so many year-end and bestseller lists out there, I wanted to share one that I appreciate and keep up with throughout the year. It’s The Southern Indie Bestseller List, which is updated every Sunday with covers and books from the previous week. The info for this list is collected from independent booksellers from across the South. It’s an interesting look into what’s selling in the region.
