Best New Nonfiction of 2008

While Mary M. is accumulating the Best New Fiction that we’ve all read this year, how about thinking about some Best New Nonfiction?

So, out with it!  What were your favorite nonfiction books of 2008?

Here are my two favorites so far:  

Under a Flaming Sky:  The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel James Brown.   Clearly written, well-reseached and beautifully personal story of the Hinckley fires.  It’s unbelievably absorbing. 

The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival by Stanley Alpert.  From the cover:  “On January 21, 1998, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan.  This is the story of what happened next . . .” Amazing memoir, unbelievably riveting and wonderfully written.  Impossible to put down.

Now you!  (Carol J.)

When the Story is True – part two

Speaking of non-fiction that reads like fiction, Carol Dahlquist, master book recommender, has a few new favorite non-fiction books to mention:  Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William P. Drennan, which is about the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin.  Another new nonfiction she recommends is Down the Nile: In a Fisherman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney.  PW says: “This is travel writing at its most enjoyable: the reader is taken on a great trip with an erudite travel companion soaking up scads of history, culture and literary knowledge, along with the scenery.”  And for a little more local interest, she recommends The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl, a “thoughtful and elegant” (LJ) memoir of Hampl’s growing up in Saint Paul, and her relationship to her parents, told from the bedside of her dying mother.

Inquiring minds want to know:  What great nonfiction have you been reading lately?  Any recommendations?  (CLJ)

When the Story is True – part one

Nonfiction Readers Advisory is kind of the new thing in readers advisory–a new book is out, and there’s an increased focus on narrative nonfiction in RA circles.  In fact, this posting title is stolen from a workshop conducted at PLA on Practicing Nonfiction Readers Advisory.   The handouts for the training give a pretty good look at the ins and outs of Nonfiction Readers Advisory, which includes the following popular subjects:  biography, cooking, essays, humor, immigrant experience, memoirs, politics, science, sprituality, sports, true crime, travel, and true adventure.  The handouts include sure bets for each category.  And don’t forget the popular micro-history books (such as ______: The _______ That changed the World).  If you’re looking for more ideas on Nonfiction Readers Advisory, check out Library Booklists and Bibliographies: Nonfiction, which has a great selection of lists including bios, micro-histories, and nonfiction that reads like fiction (the highest compliment!).

So Readers Advisory question for you:  How much nonfiction readers advisory are you doing?  Do you recommend nonfiction to fiction readers?  Do you have a particular nonfiction area of expertise your fellow coworkers should know about? (CLJ)