Nonfiction November 2017 Week 5: New to My To-Be-Read List

This final week of Nonfiction November 2017 is hosted by Lory at The Emerald City Book Review who asks us to look back on the month:

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!

Looking back, not only has Nonfiction November 2017 given me several interesting book suggestions, but it has also motivated me to put more nonfiction on my reading list for 2018. I only read three nonfiction books this past year and I’d like to increase that at least three-fold next year. In fact, I’ve started my planning for next year and I’ve got about ten nonfiction books on tap for 2018. Most of them are books from my TBR pile, which saw the addition of these four books this month:

Grocery: The Buying Selling of Food in America by Michael Ruhlman from JoAnn at Lakeside Musing

Grocery was the first book that really caught my attention this month, and I’m not really sure why. I think maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling a nudge to better advocate for those in poverty and this book may help me understand the forces behind food distribution.

The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 19th Century Chess-Playing Machine by Tom Standage from Katherine at The Writerly Reader

The Turk appeals to the gadget lover in me. I had no idea a machine like this existed, especially so many years before the technology revolution.

Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman from Katie at Doing Dewey

Life in Code also appeals to the tech-lover in me. I’ve been teaching Technology class to 5th-8th graders for over three years now, and I imagine this book would give me good information to share with my students. Each year I have my students participate in the Hour of Code, which is coming up next week, and I’d love to give them some inside information about the life of a coder, especially a woman coder.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson from Lory at The Emerald City Book Review

This is the book I most anticipate reading since so many people have recommended it. I put this on my TBR list last Nonfiction November, but still haven’t read it. I’m happy to say that I have purchased it and it is scheduled for next year. I’ll probably read it early in the year, along with Grocery, since my wife and I will be attending the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. in February, and I think they will put me in the right frame of mind before we go.

I look forward to getting back to more nonfiction reading next year and to participating in Nonfiction November once again. Thanks again to Katie at Doing Dewey, Julz at Julz Reads, Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves, Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, and Lory at Emerald City Book Review for hosting this year’s event.