BW44: Non Fiction November

 

Happy Sunday! November is the month we celebrate the wonderful wide world of  Non Fiction which encompasses a broad range of categories - from biographies and memoirs,  creative nonfiction to fine arts, philosophy or psychology, history to science,  spirituality to religion, self help to health and fitness, cook books to crafts to name a few. 

Plus our author of the month is Margot Lee Shetterly who wrote Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.  My family read the book and watched the movie based on the book and both were educational and enlightening and prompted much conversation in our home. 

November 1st is also National Author's Day so show some appreciation for the authors who provided us with all our great reads. 

And the beginning of National Novel Writing Month in which writers attempt to write a 50,000 manuscript in the month of November. I've participated over the years and found it to be a fun, creative, and challenging way to write a rough draft. 

The Greatest Nonfiction Books

New Nonfiction To Read This Fall

23 in 2023: New Books on Art, Crafts, & Creativity

12 essential books on writing for National Novel Writing Month

This post brought to us by the letter I and industrious, imagination, improve, and illuminate. 

BW43: Robert Bridges - The Evening Darkens Over

 

The Evening Darkens Over

by

Robert Bridges

October 23, 1844 - April 21, 1930

The evening darkens over

After a day so bright

The windcapt waves discover

That wild will be the night.

There’s sound of distant thunder.

The latest sea-birds hover

Along the cliff’s sheer height;

As in the memory wander

Last flutterings of delight,

White wings lost on the white.

There’s not a ship in sight;

And as the sun goes under

Thick clouds conspire to cover

The moon that should rise yonder.

Thou art alone, fond lover.

Our post is sponsored this week by the letter J for just, judicious, and joy

BW42: 52 Books Bingo - Rogues

 

Happy Sunday! Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Rogue which matches up with our spooktactular theme.  From science fiction and fantasy to romance and regency novels, there are plenty of stories which include Rogues. 

Rogues come in all shapes and sizes: scoundrels, con artists, outlaws, or villains, lords, reformed bad guys, spies, detectives, and thieves such as Robin Hood.

Even assassin's such as Gin Bianco in Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series or Fitz in Robin Hobb's Far Seer Trilogy. 

Romance Novels with Rogue in the Title

Space Rogues: A series by John Wilker

Best Science Fiction Heist Books

Goodread's Assassins Thieves and Rogues books

Happy Reading!

Our post is brought to you by the letter K which stands for kingpins, keelhaul, and kilts. 

BW41: October Author of the month - Neil Peart

 

Happy Sunday!   Our October author of the month is Neil Peart.  Peart is best known as the drummer for the band Rush, but he was also a writer. 

He published several nonfiction books about his motorcycle explorations while healing from his wife and daughter's deaths, his physical and spiritual journeys through Africa, his musical inspirations, and travels off the beaten path travels while on tour.

The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa (1996), 

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (2002), 

Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times (2004), 

Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour by Motorcycle (2006).

Far and Away: A Prize Every Time (2011), 

Far and Near: On Days Like These (2014), 

Far and Wide: Bring that Horizon to Me! (2016)

 As a prolific reader, he also started Bubba's Book Club.  The book club ran from  2004 through 2011 in which he read, reviewed, and recommended books from Vikrim's Seth's An Equal Music to Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. 

He also collaborated with Kevin J. Anderson to write a steampunk fantasy trilogy based on Rush's album Clockwork Angels. 

Peart died from brain cancel on January 09, 2020. 

Join me in exploring with Neil Peart. 

BW40: October Spooktacular

 

Happy Sunday!  The first of October means it's time for our October Spooktacular! Once again, I have the Adam's Family theme song along with their snapping fingers, running through my mind while I write this. 

Everyone's definition of what is spooky is different. Some people can handle higher levels of outright horror to those who can barely handle the kid friendly ghost stories.  From all out horror to horror lite, from psychological thrillers to gothic, from the paranormal to the supernatural, there are stories for every level of spookiness. 

If you're like me, I can't stand horror books filled with blood and guts.  I prefer psychological thrillers, tales with nail biting, spine chilling suspense, creepy settings, and characters you certainly wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.  

I've grown to love psychological thrillers, scary supernatural fiction, and more, and have a library full of Dean Koontz, Ted Dekker, Bram and Dacre Stoker, Charles De Lint, Frank Peretti, and more.  

Currently on my nightstand for October are House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski,  The Last Man by Mary Shelley, Graham Moore's The Sherlockian, as well as several Dean Koontz's books including 77 Shadow Street, The House at the End of the World, and Fear Nothing.  No, I won't get to them all this month, but love having the choice. 

If you dig through the classic to the modern authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman,  Edgar Allan Poe, or Shirley Jackson's Bibliographies, to name a few, you'll find gems that are more psychological thriller or just plain scary, rather than outright blood and guts horror.  

If you haven't read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Bram Stoker's Dracula, now may be the time to dip your toes in. Put away all your preconceived notions and be prepared to be surprised, because the books are very different from the movies.  

Part of the fun is in the search and a quest for a scrumptious scary read, so leaving out the links. 

What is one of the spookiest or most thrilling book you have read?

This post is brought to you by the letter M and macabre, mad, mayhem and mundane.