Looking back at the nonfiction I read I can see that it falls mainly in certain categories.

Food

Coffeeland

Memoirs

History

But how do I actually choose what to read?

I’m a huge mood reader. The right book has to strike me at the right time. I can’t stick to a TBR list to save my life. If I buy a book? Forget it. That book is probably never getting read.

I like to browse the Libby app for my library and see what nonfiction they have in. I put a hold on anything they have that sounds good. Of course that means that everything is going to come at once. Hopefully, I get to read some of it before it goes back to the library.

I don’t use my Goodreads TBR as much as I used to. I’ll put books on there if I don’t have time to look them up on Libby or the Kindle Unlimited page right away but it more of a placeholder until I can do that.

What am I looking for?

  • I want to learn about something that catches my eye
  • I want the experience to be fun. I don’t have to have to slog through technical writing on my off time.
  • I really like books about very niche subjects. If I tell people (especially nonreaders) what my book is about, they tend to look at me oddly. A book about one guy trying to make maple syrup for a season? Perfect. A book following people rescuing turtles for a year? Right up my alley.

So what nonfiction am I actually reading this week?

I have two books in progress now.

I’ve been slowly reading this one. It is about women’s fight for equality in science research and teaching at MIT.

Pro:

  • It’s interesting and important history

Con:

  • It’s pretty dry reading so it is taking me forever to read because I can’t make myself just sit down for long periods of time and lose myself in it.

I just picked this up at a library used book sale. I’m trying to circumvent buying books and never reading them by reading it immediately. That got a little derailed by it getting moved out of the way of some house repairs. I swear I have no object permanence so I forgot about it for a few days when I didn’t see it where I left it but I remembered now. It fits the fun vibe and it is about cows. Cows are nice as long as I don’t have to doctor on them in the middle of the night anymore.