Category Archives: Nonfiction

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

Posted on March 1, 2015 by

“What sorts of things do you read?” people ask me, when they find out that reading is almost my only hobby. “Almost anything,” I tell them. “All sorts. Horror, romance, literary fiction, mysteries, religion, biography, history, psychology, science writing. Well … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Religion | 1 Comment

Seabiscuit

Posted on February 26, 2015 by

Seabiscuit was the biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, getting more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But no one would have been able to predict it. He had short, crooked legs, a “sad tail,” and a pedigree that … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nonfiction | 16 Comments

From Heaven Lake

Posted on January 27, 2015 by

Vikram Seth is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of his novels, even the one written in verse (and am looking forward to A Suitable Girl, coming out in 2016, ya-hey!) I’ve read his biography of his great-aunt … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Nonfiction, Travel/ Exploration | 1 Comment

January Essays: The Deal Me in Challenge

Posted on January 25, 2015 by

As I mentioned earlier this month, I decided to make my way through The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate, by participating in the Deal Me in Challenge. I’ve assigned each essayist in the book a playing … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 3 Comments

The Glass Castle

Posted on January 17, 2015 by

Just recently, I read a post by Swistle, one of my favorite bloggers, who was giving her opinion of the film Boyhood. One of the things she said is that the movie made her very uncomfortable in several different ways. … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Nonfiction | 16 Comments

The Wilder Life

Posted on January 16, 2015 by

Wendy McClure knows the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder — something she calls Laura World — almost by heart. She (like a lot of us, maybe) remembers places she’s never been: the Big Woods of Wisconsin, the little … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's / YA Lit, Memoir, Nonfiction | 23 Comments

The Bush Was Blazing But Not Consumed

Posted on January 8, 2015 by

I’m taking a class at my church called Education for Ministry. It’s basically a four-year study of the Bible and church history. Each year, the program has a theme, and participants read something related to that theme. This year, our … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Religion | Leave a comment

Fictitious Dishes

Posted on January 7, 2015 by

Fictitious Dishes, by Dinah Fried, is a fairly small hardcover book that combines my two favorite things: books and food. And food in books! Fried has an extremely winning premise: she found descriptions of meals in great books, recreated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Nonfiction | 7 Comments

Silent Spring

Posted on January 6, 2015 by

When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, I’m not sure she could possibly have known what an impact it would have on her readership. She might have hoped that people would listen to her urgent, horrifying message about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Nonfiction | 24 Comments

The Journalist and the Murderer

Posted on December 20, 2014 by

A few nights ago, I rewatched the movie Almost Famous, a favorite that I hadn’t seen in years. The movie tells the story of William Miller, a teenage journalist who follows an up-and-coming band for months in order to write … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction | 21 Comments