the six best nonfiction books i've read this year

and what nonfiction book i am currently reading.

'Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read'. - Anne Bronte

Books are my lifeblood. With the exception of a key few moments in my life, I am always reading or about to start a new book or have just finished a book. There really is no other way of navigating my life as a tried-and-true bookworm, without a book in my hands. I am also one of those people who carry a book in their purse because you never know when there might be a minute or two to snatch in a few pages of reading.

I like to read two books at a time. Not at the same time mind you, but two books at the same time, one consisting of fiction, the other nonfiction. I like a good mix and prefer to read nonfiction more in the morning/early afternoon and fiction for the rest of the day into the night.

I thought I would share with you all, the six nonfiction books that I have enjoyed reading so far in 2024. I have read more than the six listed below, but some of the ones I have read this year were just okay or it was hard to get through and/or keep my attention and I really wanted to recommend ones that I thought just smashed it, beginning to end.

1. Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd

Did you know that

Ashlee Gadd

writes here on Substack? She writes about motherhood and creativity and her book Create Anyway was a blessing that I didn't even know that I needed. Sometimes as parents, we may feel that we can't access or pursue our creativity while being in the trenches of parenthood, but Ashlee's book shows that we can and that we should. I literally wrote pages and pages of notes from her book, it was so life-affirming for me, and I found her book such an encouragement for me at a time when I was questioning so much.

Some absolute gems from her book:

"Creativity is essential to our human flourishing, and therefore worth pursuing whether or not you receive payment or applause as a result".

"When we start to believe there's not enough room in the world for our talents and creative gifts, we can be tempted to stop creating altogether".

"We can talk all day about wanting to write, wanting to make a podcast, wanting to garden, but wanting to create is not enough. You have to want to do it, and, well, then you have to actually do it. I won't lie to you: this part is difficult".

"I believe we have no choice but to keep going, to step out into faith as mothers and artists, with hope tucked under our arms, compassion and love on display. I believe we have no choice but to create anyway".

2. Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food by Chris Van Tulleken

I can't remember what podcast I was listening to, but this book was recommended, and they were raving about how fantastic it was. It piqued my interest because I am trying to limit processed foods as so many of us are, and I was interested to hear what is really going on, not just in the food we eat, but in how it affects our bodies.

This book was so good! Super informative and not boring at all. Van Tulleken manages to inject humor as well as fact-based reasoning into his book that makes his arguments interesting and compelling. He even does an experiment on himself (he is a doctor, after all), where he only eats processed food for a month to literally test in real time how badly ultra processed food affects our bodies, and how harmful it is.

3. Mind Shift: It Doesn't Take a Genius to Think Like One by Erwin Raphael McManus

I loved this book so much, I wrote an entire post about one of the quotes in his book that really just made me sit up and take notice. I think it will resonate with you 😊

near-life experiences

Some other nuggets from this book:

"If your identity and self-worth are shaped more by what others think of you than by internal measures, you will live at the mercy of the opinion of others and never know your true self".

"Do it wrong. Do it bad. Do it raw. Keep doing it until you know what you are doing. Just never stop learning and growing. Let what you don't know be your competitive advantage. When the critics get into your head, make the mind shift: No one knows what they are doing. And neither do you".

4. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk

I kept seeing this book recommended in the past few years and it had been on my TBR forever and I felt like I was just avoiding it for some reason subconsciously, so I bit the bullet and requested it from my library and dove right in.

Wow. Just... wow.

If you have had traumatic experiences in your life or you are currently going through one, I cannot recommend this book enough. But please be forewarned, it is hard reading. The author goes into descriptive detail about others traumatic experiences, sometimes quite graphic in nature, that honestly makes you question humanity and how people can be so cruel to one another. That being said, he does an excellent job of showing how trauma is stored in our bodies and how long after the event, the trauma keeps replaying in our lives in ways that need to be brought out into the light and dealt with, as gently as possible. It is a bit unnerving I have to say, to see certain traits and/or characteristics described by trauma survivors and seeing yourself mirrored back.

The Body Keeps Score really helped me learn a bit more about myself and to change patterns of thinking that I thought were "keeping me safe" but were actually hindering me. While I will keep those specific things private and to myself, I think this book is an amazing resource if you feel like this particular reading material would be of interest to you.

5. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

I know this book has been out for a while now and I am probably the last person on Earth to read it, but I get the hype and understand why everyone enjoyed it. I especially liked his "1% better" rule and how it's the little, tiny changes, that add up in the long run.

6. How to Smile by Thich Nhat Hanh

This was the first book I had read from Hanh, and I found his writings very soothing. He just speaks truth in such a gentle and comforting way. He also has another book, You Are Here, which I also read this year and I enjoyed that one as well.

From Hanh:

"The flower does not try to become the sun; it already is the sun. It does not try to become a tulip; it already contains the quality of a tulip within. When you achieve this insight, you stop suffering. We suffer because we want to deny ourselves. We want to become something else, and so we never stop running".

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Okay, so what am I currently reading?

The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Survive and Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron. I quite literally just started it, so I don't have anything to say about it yet, but a YouTuber I follow recommended this book I think last year or something and it has been a longstanding guest on my TBR list, so I decided to give it a go. I have always been a deeply feeling person and I have written about that a bit here:

holding space for our feelings

I am interested in diving into this book and hearing what the author has to say about us sensitive souls ✨

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Please let me know in the comments if you have read any of these books or if you have any nonfiction reads to recommend. I'd love to hear from you!