Thursday, December 31, 2015

Non-Fiction TBR

I thought I would do a quick post about some of the nonfiction books I own and hope to read soon. I have owned quite a few of these for a very long time, so I really need to get to them in 2016. My nonfiction also seems to have a feminist theme which I'm quite excited for

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 
Summary from Goodreads:
In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want--husband, country home, successful career--but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and of what she found in their place. Following a divorce and a crushing depression, Gilbert set out to examine three different aspects of her nature, set against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. 

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Summary from Goodreads:
As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; JFK made it clear that platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was his favorite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived with a secret that needed to stay hidden from NASA. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, providing one another with support and friendship, coffee and cocktails.

As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragedy began to touch their lives-the wives continued to rally together, forming bonds that would withstand the test of time, and they have stayed friends for over half a century. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
Summary from Goodreads:
Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Summary from Goodreads:
Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi's living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.

Memoirs of a Beatnik by Diane Di Prima
Summary from Goodreads:
Long regarded as an underground classic for its gritty and unabashedly erotic portrayal of the Beat years, Memoirs of a Beatnik is a moving account of a powerful woman artist coming of age sensually and intellectually in a movement dominated by a small confederacy of men, many of whom she lived with and loved. Filled with anecdotes about her adventures in New York City, Diane di Prima's memoir shows her learning to "raise her rebellion into art," and making her way toward literary success.Memoirs of a Beatnik offers a fascinating narrative about the courage and triumphs of the imagination.

Leave me some recommendations for nonfiction! 


6 comments:

  1. I read The Astronaut's Wives Club and enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of the movie The Right Stuff and some of the same wives appear in the book. Good luck with your non-fic reading. It's an area that I keep meaning to do improve and then never seem to. LOL

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    1. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! It's a genre that I tend to buy or want to buy but then never get around to reading any of them. Hopefully I can read a few this year!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Great choices, Mallory! I got Reading Lolita in Tehran for Christmas and I'm hoping to read it soon, too. :) I keep meaning to pick up some Caitlin Moran, and I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic. ^_^

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    1. I have seen Big Magic everywhere which is what reminded me that I owned Eat, Pray, Love! I've heard lots of great things about Reading Lolita and Caitlin Moran so I have high hopes for both!
      Thanks for stopping by Jess!

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  3. These all look promising. I have set a goal myself to read more nonfiction. I look forward to your reviews.

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    1. Nonfiction is something I want to read more of this year too! I think these five will be a great start.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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