It seems there has barely been time to wave a wistful farewell to the warm days of summer – and any holidays we were fortunate enough to take – before the days shorten, wardrobes acquire woolly vests and shops bulge with festive displays.  But take heart, before the onslaught of cards, giftwrap and overblown santas there is time to curl up with a hot chocolate and join the November literary challenges.  Nonfiction November has come round again. The challenge this year runs for five weeks from Monday, October 27th to Sunday 30th November.

How it works

Each Monday, our weekly host will post our topic prompt and include a linkup where you can link your posts, connect with other bloggers, and dive deeper by reading and sharing nonfiction book reviews. Schedule as follows:

  • Week 1
    • Dates: 10/27-11/2
    • Host: Heather
      • Heather is a veterinarian living in Ohio who blogs at Based on a True Story. She reads all genres but really loves nonfiction and fantasy.
    • Title: Your Year in Nonfiction
      • Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favorites? Have you had a favorite topic? Is there a topic you want to read about more? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
  • Week 2
    • Dates: 11/3-11/9
    • Host: Frances
      • Frances Spurrier is a poet, essayist and reviewer.  Her novel The Winchester Codex was published in 2024.  She lives in London with her husband and Suki the Golden Doodle.  Her blog can be found at volatilerune.blog  It covers books she happens to be reading – both fiction, non-fiction and poetry. She especially enjoys biographies of writers and artists. 
    • Title: Choosing Nonfiction
      • There are many topics to choose from when looking for a nonfiction book.  For example:  Biography, Autobiography, Memoire, Travel, Health, Politics, History, Religion and Spirituality, Science, Art, Medicine, Gardening, Food, Business, Education, Music.  Maybe use this week to  challenge yourself to pick a genre you wouldn’t normally read?  Or stick to what you usually like is also fine.  If you are a nonfiction genre newbie, did your choice encourage you to read more?
  • Week 3
    • Dates: 11/10-11/16
    • Host: Liz
      • Liz is an ex-librarian, a freelance editor and transcriber, a runner and a volunteer. She blogs about everything from social justice and geology nonfiction to YA romance and literary fiction at librofulltime.wordpress.com
    • Title: Fiction and Nonfiction Book Pairings
      • This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it’s a historical novel and the real history in a nonfiction version, or a memoir and a novel, or a fiction book you’ve read and you would like recommendations for background reading. Or maybe it’s just two books you feel have a link, whatever they might be. You can be as creative as you like!
  • Week 4
    • Dates: 11/17-11/23
    • Host: Rebekah
      • Rebekah is a designer, crafter, and cat parent living in Pittsburgh, where she writes book reviews and other leftist musings at She Seeks Nonfiction.
    • Title: Diverse Perspectives
      • Nonfiction books are one of the best tools for seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. They allow us to get an idea of the experiences of people of all different ages, races, genders, abilities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, or even just people with different opinions than ours. Is there a book you read this year from a diverse author, or a book that opened your eyes to a perspective that you hadn’t considered? How did it challenge you to think differently?
  • Week 5
    • Dates: 11/24-11/30
    • Host: Deb
      • Deb is a Texas librarian-for-life who loves to read nonfiction-that-reads-like-fiction, literary fiction, classics, and children’s picture books. Deb plays guitar, swims, draws, writes, thinks about happiness, and blogs at Readerbuzz,
    • Title: New to My TBR
      • 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!