Three Non-Fiction Books I Read This Month and Loved

This January I have read more non-fiction than I sometimes read in a year. So far, I have also really enjoyed the books that I picked up. In addition to Designing Your Life, which I reviewed earlier, I would like to recommend the following three non-fiction reads:

1. Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori

This book was incredibly informative and fun. The author takes the reader on a journey around the globe and talks about the most iconic trees various regions of the world are famous for. Each story includes a brief narrative (a page to a page and half) and then a page or two of illustrations. His descriptions focus not only on botanical facts, but also relate anecdotes, historical and cultural factoids about various species and information about the effects the climate change has on certain trees. The illustrations in this book deserve a special mention. There are hundreds of them and they are gorgeous. I never thought I would enjoy a book about trees this much. 5 out of 5 stars.

2. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

In Everybody Lies the author sets out to show the reader what we can learn about ourselves from our casual internet searches. I found it funny, illuminating and incredibly interesting. I don't know how the content in this book holds up in terms of statistical validity or scientific methods of research, but it is definitely very engaging and peaks one's interest about big data. I highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in data science. I listened to this book on audio, and even though I enjoyed it, in hind sight, I think it would be better to read it on paper as the author mentions various graphs and charts that are in the book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

3. The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach

This is another non-fiction title that would appeal to a broader audience. It is written by two cognitive scientists who examine the so-called knowledge illusion: our perceived sense of understanding how the world works. They slowly layer by layer peal away that illusion demonstrating how little we understand the mechanics of most common place items (such as a zipper or a toilet) or the nuances of some of the most controversial sociopolitical issues of the day. This has also been quite illuminating and humbling. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You" by Dorothy Bryant

The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You is the book my Sci-Fi and Fantasy bookclub chose for the month of January. I'd never heard of the book or the writer and seeing as it was published in 1971 I was a bit apprehensive going in. Most of the western Sci-Fi books published in the 60s and 70s do not appeal to me for whatever reason. Not so with Dorothy Bryant's book. I absolutely loved it and definitely want to read more of her work.

It is hard to describe the plot of this book. It is much better to just read it. At only 220 pages it is compulsively readable, but also quite profound in its message. Our main character is a successful crime fiction writer who lives his life in utter dissipation until one day he kills the woman he sleeps with in a fit of anger. Determined to fool the police he flees the house in his car only to get into a horrible accident. And this is when the main story begins. Our nameless narrator wakes up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who speak the language he does not understand. So begins one of the most profound spiritual journeys I have ever read a fictional account of.

One of the main reasons I really like this book is because Bryant is not afraid to take her character on this journey of spiritual self-discovery. Modern authors tend to shun anything remotely religious in nature. Not so in this novel. Bryant's character goes through tremendous spiritual transformation and growth. The book also presents the reader with the view that all religions are basically only dim echos and feeble attempts at describing the universal Truth that is the foundation of all life and meaning. I highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars. I am definitely interested in reading more of Bryant's work.

"Race to the Sun" by Rebecca Roanhorse

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is a new middle grade novel in the Rick Riordan Presents series. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Race to the Sun is based on Navajo mythology and follows Nizhoni, a 12 year old girl who suddenly discovers she can see monsters... I really enjoyed this book. I read Roanhorse’s adult novels which are also based on Navajo mythology and liked those as well.

Overall, the book follows the Percy Jackson script: a group of youngsters discover that all the stories are true, ancient gods and mythological creatures do really exist, and it is up to them - the heroes of present day - to save the world. I think this book could be a nice introduction for kids into Native American myths, and perhaps some will want to research them in greater detail. I also thought the characters were very realistic and sounded and behaved their age. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life" by Bill Burnett and David J. Evans

This was my first non-fiction read of the year. Generally speaking, I like non-fiction that is clearly organized, well-written and has lots of real life examples. This book certainly fits the bill ... to a certain degree. Let me explain.

I did get a lot of useful practical information out of this book. For example, keeping a journal to record which activities energize or drain you throughout the day is certainly helpful.  This information can be used to restructure your day such that you minimize the latter; or if they cannot be avoided, you plan activities that excite you right before and after.

I also liked their design approach to thinking. For example, there are no failures. In prototyping, if something does not work right, you learn from it, adjust and keep going. Their call to incorporate spiritual practices, meditation, or prayer in your day as well as to follow your intuition/gut feeling are certainly great for centering thought and learning to stay in tune with yourself and your surroundings.

Where this book falls short is in examples. All of them are about well-educated, highly experienced, or otherwise extremely privileged people. Even the example in the very beginning about a recent graduate who did not know what to do with her degree in geology is still about a privileged person who could afford to stay with her parents while she figured out what to do next.

I also did not quite agree with the authors' statement that job descriptions and job applications are pretty much useless. As someone who both wrote multiple job descriptions and interviewed scores of people who applied online, I think they make a gross over generalization by focusing only on highly selective companies to which majority of people reaching for this book will not have access anyway (think Silicon valley and elite financial institutions).

Most mid-tier companies, non-profits, government agencies, hospitality industry firms etc. do hire "from the street" and do review applications and resumes. Many companies also offer internships. To say that most jobs are posted only internally or "wired" is absurd and can be quite demoralizing for readers. Let's face it, most highly privileged for whom this book appears to be written, have either already gotten a job "wired" for them, or have taken the authors' class at Stanford. The rest of us who do not have an Ivy League degree and a readily available professional network to tap into, do apply for jobs online or through a recruiting agency. It is these people with normal jobs who are probably picking up this book in search of practical ideas on how to make their lives better. There are also other populations completely overlooked by the authors such as retiring military, stay at home moms looking to re-enter the job market, immigrants, recent graduates with student loans, etc.

I think this book does have good approaches that can be applied to all. However, the authors failed to use the breadth of examples needed to demonstrate the universal applicability of their method. Moreover, the focus on only the highly privileged, dilutes the message and distracts the reader from the practicality of their recommendations. Because of these shortcomings, I gave this book 3 out 5 stars. As I mentioned earlier, I did get several very good tips for myself. I see online that the second book is about to be published called Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work. I do hope it will have a broader focus and appeal to the general public.

"Nameless Queen" by Rebecca McLaughlin

Nameless Queen is a new fast-paced YA fantasy set in a fictional city-state of Seriden. Our main character Coin belongs to the Nameless, the lowest of the three casts that exist in the city. As such, she has no name or home, and survives by thieving and running cons. The plot centers around the fact that one day, a crown tattoo mysteriously appears on her arm, which means that the King of Seriden named her his heir with his last breath.

Since Coin is "nameless," she is baffled by how someone could have known her name, and initially determines to keep the tattoo a secret. She is forced to reveal herself when her friend Hat gets captured by some Royal guards and is threatened to be executed. The rest of the book deals largely with resolving the fate of the royal crown and the mystery of Coin's tattoo.

The book focuses heavily on political machinations and revealing of Coin's past. Things move along fairly quickly, and the story stays engaging and interesting throughout. I liked the characters, the pacing and the plot overall. There is no romance in this book at all, which was frankly quite refreshing. Given the relatively short amount of time covered in the story and the complexity of the issues the main characters are faced with, there was no reason to throw romance into the mix.

I am not sure if McLaughlin is planning to write a sequel. The book reads as a standalone. All major plot lines are resolved and there is no need for another book. Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars: a face-paced adventure story with interesting plot lines and enjoyable characters.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com.

"The Map from Here to There" by Emery Lord

Emery Lord is known for writing cute YA contemporaries. I had never read anything by her so cannot comment on how this book compares to her other works. Also, after I finished the book, I realized that this is book 2 in a duology. However, I had no problem reading it as a standalone. Everything was well explained and I never felt that some information was missing.

Overall, this book was heart-warningly cute but also unexpectedly deep. Paige is a high school senior who wrestles with a lot of relatable questions: go for in-state tuition or try to apply to dream schools also? Try to stay close to your boyfriend or make decisions based on other factors? She also battles anxiety, grief and the overall sense of how uncertain one's future is. Who says that high school years are the most carefree? What about all the pressure to do well and get into a good school, on top of social anxiety, fitting in, first love, etc. I really enjoyed this book: both for the easy style and the poignant topics raised. Definitely recommend this. 5 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

Reading Goals for 2020

In 2020 I will try to keep my goals very simple, which will hopefully mean that they are achievable.

1. Read 100 books.
2. Read 12 classics.
3. Read 12 non-fiction books.
4. Read and review 10 ARCs.

In 2019, I followed a specific classics challenge where I needed to choose books based on pre-set criteria (a classic play, a classic by a female author, a very short classic, etc). Even though I successfully completed the challenge, I did sometimes have trouble with finding books in a specific category. So this year, I will keep my options wide open as long as I read about one classic a month, I will be happy.

The only goal I am a bit worried about is completing 12 non-fiction books. Those usually take me longer to read, but I have been really interested in non-fiction lately so will give it a shot.

Here is to another great reading year!