Nonfiction November 2022

Time has come for Nonfiction November. First week is hosted by Katie @ Doing Dewey We start week 1: (Oct 31-Nov 4) with a a few questions concerning our nonfiction reading during the year. 

My Year in Nonfiction

Here is what I have read so far this year: (no specific order). That is 21 NF books out of the 96 books I have read so far. 

Health and Life Style

Chatterjee, Dr Rangan - Feel Better in 5

Antiquity, History and Religion

Gilhus, Ingvild S, Thomassen, Einar - Antikens religioner 

Gardner, Laurence - The Magdalene Legacy

History

Harrison, Dick - Kalmarunionen, En nordisk stormakt föds

Harrison, Dick - Mordet på Gustav III

Blom, Tomas - Dackefejden, Det stora upproret 

Blom, Tomas - Sturemorden, ett blodigt maktspel

Håkansson, Håkan (Ed.) - Tycho Brahe och hans tid

Harrison Lindbergh, Katarina - Nordiska Gudasagor

Bengtsson, Ingvar - Kapet av Skåne

Laws,  Bill - Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History

Autobiographies

Bergstrand, Finn - Eftertankar

Malmsten, Bodil - Priset på vatten i Finistère

Biographies

Tullberg, Tomas - Sara Lisa von Linné 

Norrhem, Svante - Christina och Carl Piper, en biografi  

Wung-Sung, Jesper - Kvinna sedd bakifrån (Woman Seen From the Back)

Lagercrantz, Olof - Dikten om livet på den andra sidan, En bok om Emanuel Swedenborg

On Writing

Saunders, George - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

Ivesköld, Monica - Redigera framgångsRIKT

Malmsten, Bodil - Så gör jag, Konsten att skriva

Economy

Skopal, Eric - Hur mycket pengar behöver man egentligen) (How Much Money Do You Really Need?

What was your favourite nonfiction read of the year? 

It is difficult to choose only one, and I have to go for three, all of them about history. 

Kapet av Skåne by Ingvar Bengtsson - how Skåne (Scania) the southern province of Sweden and how it was conquered from the Danes (in the 17th century) who ruled the area for centuries. 

Tycho Brahe och hans tid by Håkan Håkansson (ed.) - Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer and one of the most important persons in the scientific world of Europe in the 16th century.  

Christina och Carl Piper, en biografi by Svante Norrhem - Carl Piper was a close adviser to the Swedish king Charles XII, ended up as prisoner of war in Moscow after the fatal loss at Poltava in 1709. He died there in 1716. His wife Christina handled most of their affairs while he was away and as a widow. She was a screwed business woman and bought land and properties, engaged in business and agriculture and became one of the richest persons in Sweden. She ruled like a queen, and maybe more so in her own family. A quite amazing woman. 

If I should add something outside the historical sphere, I would choose Eric Skopal's book about how much money one really needs. It is written following the rather popular trend on how to save money, leave simple and retire early. It is quite interesting and Skopal writes about different ways to save money, need less so you can work less. And of course, have a saving buffert (fonds, shares, obligations or whatever) if you really need in an emergency. 

Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? 

As usual it is history, but when I checked I see I have ventured into a few other areas. I will be more aware for 2023 and choose nonfiction from other areas as well. 

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

Not many of my closes friends read a lot, but I have recommended the economy book, also for my son.  I have also recommended Jesper Wung-Sung's book Woman Seen from the Back. A biography about Ida Ilstedt, wife of Danish painter William Hammershøi.  An amazing story about a woman who was mostly painted seen from the back, which is also a sort of summary of her life. She was the invisible woman who gave her whole life to art. 

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? 

To find inspiration from other readers. Reading reviews that engage you and make you want to read different nonfiction from your usual ones.  

A special thank you for the persons hosting this event.