Books that prove life is better than fiction

Isn’t it amazing how life finds a way to be better / stranger / more astonishing than what we can imagine? There are those unbelievable stories. And there are those captivating chronicles of nature, history, and human behaviour. Cheers to Non-fiction November! 🥂

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

The touching memoir of a neurosurgeon diagnosed with stage IV cancer – the final months of a brilliant man faced with a heartbreaking fate. Kalinithi started writing the book after being diagnosed and, despite the unfortunate context, the story is less sad than expected.

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Educated by Tara Westover

A real story of will, family tangles, and radical beliefs . The memoir of Tara Westover is a story of courage, from fighting against the social context to bravely sharing her story to the wide world.

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Deep by James Nestor

Freediving, renegade science, and what the oceans tell us about ourselves. Bottom line: there’s a whole universe underwater waiting to be discovered … we as humans know peanuts about is actually happening in the underworld.

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The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

When I think about unbelievable memoirs, The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the first books that come to my mind. It was written by Anne, a Jewish girl from Amsterdam who hid in a small Annex with her family for 2 years, during WW2.

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The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

The Art of Gathering is a very educative book about how to transform any type of gathering into an engaging and memorable experience. Priya Parker gives lots of examples of interesting gatherings, from family dinners with a twist to global dinner parties – if you’re curious, google “Dîner en Blanc” 🙂

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Becoming by Michelle Obama

“Becoming” is a story of a strong, high-achieving woman, who supported a lot her husband while also fighting to maintain a balanced family life. This book increased my confidence that it is possible (and challenging) to have a successful career and a healthy family life.

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The Secret Lives of Colours by Kassia St Clair

The book is a historical exploration of the world of colours, telling the stories of 75 shades and hues. Expect to be amazed by the peculiar tales about colours that you might have not heard of before. For example, does woad, orchil, puce, cerulean, or heliotrope, sound familiar?

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Here it is – the whole stack of books inspired by Non-fiction November.

What are your favourite non-fiction books? Have you read non-fiction books in November this year?

If you would like to buy books or other (non)bookish things, please consider using one of these links: Amazon | Waterstones | Carturesti. Thank you!

‘Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

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Cover photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash