12/28/11

Favorite Non-Fiction of 2011


This is the final week of 2011. And because everyone is still swimming in wrapping paper and ribbon and new toys, I'm going to do my year in books. I read 94 books this year, but today I'm just going to focus on the non-fiction ones.

In 2011, I read 26 non-fiction books, which comprises 27% of my reading this year. Of those 26, 16 were of a spiritual nature. Only one was a re-read (and it does not count in the following favorite awards). So without further ado, I give you:
  • FAVORITE SPIRITUAL: The Supernatural Ways of Royalty, by Bill Johnson & Kris Vallotton
    • This is an honest, convicting, and empowering read about what life looks like as children of the King.
  • FAVORITE NON-SPIRITUAL: Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde, by Jeff Guinn
    • I couldn't put it down. Guinn captures the end of an era with a riveting story steeped in historical fact.
  • MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral -- And How It Changed the American West, by Jeff Guinn
    • Entertaining and addicting while chock-full of history, it made me want to write a western.
  • MOST ADDICTING: Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde, by Jeff Guinn
    • Once it starts, it never stops. You'll hold your breath, and you may just cry at the end.
  • MOST IMPACT ON MY WRITING: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life, by Donald Miller.
    • Technically a spiritual book, Don weaves the ins-and-outs of story structure into his narrative and reading writers will not leave disappointed.
The Complete List of Non-Fiction Books Read in 2011
(titles in bold were my favorites)
  1. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life (12/25)
  2. The Pursuit of God, by A. W. Tozer
  3. The Supernatural Ways of Royalty, by Bill Johnson & Kris Vallotton (10/27)
  4. Searching for God Knows What, by Donald Miller (9/25)
  5. Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde, by Jeff Guinn (9/5)
  6. Secrets, Lies, Gizmos, and Spies: A History of Spies and Espionage, by Janet Wyman Coleman (9/2) 
  7. The Girl Who Was On Fire: Our Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy, by Various Authors, edited by Leah Wilson (8/28)
  8. The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral -- And How It Changed the American West, by Jeff Guinn (8/27)
  9. Angels On Assignment, by Charles & Frances Hunter (8/19)
  10. When Heaven Meets Earth, by Bill Johnson (8/15)
  11. What On Earth Is Glory?, by Paul Manwaring
  12. Moral Revolution, by Kris & Jason Vallotton
  13. The Supernatural Power of Forgiveness, by Kris & Jason Vallotton
  14. The Call, by Rick Joyner (6/6) 
  15. Set-Apart Femininity, by Leslie Ludy (6/3)
  16. For Young Women Only, by Shaunti Feldman & Lisa Rice (5/18)
  17. Secrets to Imitating God, by Bill Johnson (5/10)
  18. Holy Bible, by God (4/25)*
  19. The Secret Life of the English Language: Buttering Parsnips, Twocking Chavs, by Martin H. Manser (4/21)
  20. 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published & 14 Reasons Why It Just Might, by Pat Walsh (3/29)*
  21. Emotional Purity: An Affair of the Heart, by Heather Arnel Paulsen 
  22. Overworld: The Life and Times of a Reluctant Spy, by Larry J. Kolb (3/13)
  23. Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English, by James Cochrane (2/10)
  24. Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words, by John Bemelmans Marciano (1/30)
  25. Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller (1/27)
  26. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis, by Alan Jacobs (1/20)

1 comment:

Stina said...

Geez, I've never heard of any of them. At least I recognize Suzanne Collins and C.S. Lewis. :)