RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off) discussion

Moving forward in the genre challenge, we have non-fiction genre for this month, a genre which is a bit unpopular among the hardcore fiction readers, but interesting and enlightening all the same.

If you are a dedicated non-fiction reader then we request you to please recommend some awesome books to our fiction-head members. Others, please feel free to ask for suggestions and recommendations. Reviews of books are greatly appreciated and we are okay with anyone posting relevant links too.

There are absolutely no limits so you can interpret this genre in its broader sense and include other similar genres and/or subgenres that you feel might have a wee bit of similarity with the main genre. You can also include books that are not particularly centred around the main genre but has its components or elements somewhere in the story.

The main intent of this challenge is to incorporate different kinds of books and genres in our normal reading routine to make the experience more fun and entertaining. Please do not lose yourself in the technicalities as we all know how literary genres can be confusing.
If you have any doubts or questions, then post them below and we'll be happy to answer/discuss them.

Here is the DEFINITION for this month's genre:

Non-Fiction: Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition. Note that reporting the beliefs of others in a nonfiction format is not necessarily an endorsement of the ultimate veracity of those beliefs, it is simply saying that it is true that people believe that (for such topics as mythology, religion). Non-fiction can also be written about fiction, giving information about these other works.



Here's a quick summary of the levels:

Level 1: Casual Reader: 1 book (easy)
Level 2: Frequent Reader: 2 books (moderate)
Level 3: Bookworm: 3 books (mildly strenuous)
Level 4: Bibliophile: 4 books (strenuous)
Level 5: Bookiopath: 5 books or more (challenging)

Please mention what type of books you'd be reading:

PB: Paperbacks
HB: Hardbacks
EB: E-Books
AB: Audio Books

Please feel free to announce your to-read books along with the level you are targeting for below. Though it is not necessary as you can announce your reads as and when you decide or read them.

PLEASE READ (especially new members):
1. You can read any number of books for the respective genre every month.
2. You can join the challenge at any stage (in any month.)
3. You can drop out of the challenge any time you like.
4. You can select different levels every month.
5. Use this discussion board to share your reads with other members of the group.
6. Please be active and don't hesitate to ask questions or recommend books.
7. You can couple this challenge with any other challenge here (or anywhere else.) We all do it and it makes it all the more fun

Here is a link to the Goodreads Genre page for Non-Fiction:

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/non-...

It might give you some ideas for books to read this month.

I'm going for level 3 for this challenge. Nonfiction is not my favorite genre and I only have a couple lined up for this challenge. if anyone has suggestions please let me know.

Fran wrote: "I'm going for level 3 for this challenge. Nonfiction is not my favorite genre and I only have a couple lined up for this challenge. if anyone has suggestions please let me know."

Fran,
I'm going to be focusing on biographies, autobiographies and memoirs. I like character-centric fiction, so I figure these would be more like that.

I've set a goal to read more of those this year, and there are a few I'm interested in, so I peruse the library shelves and see what treasures I can find :)

Hoping I can read more then last month. The first book I picked up this morning I disliked in the prologue and promptly thought “I dislike it already back to the library you go” Fingers crossed I find the next one more appealing.

On the positive side I did get a book of essays in the mail that I apparently won in a GR giveaway!

Beth,

The book of essays will definitely fit the challenge. Congratulations on the free book!

1) CRITS: A Student Manual by Terry Barrett. 4 stars. Thoughts about artistic critique in a classroom situation.

I have not been able to participate much this year because of school. THIS MIGHT BE MY MONTH! (I have been reading fiction, but just desperate for anything that will keep my attention. Choosing by genre hasn't been working for me, although I think I have managed to get one book in a month for this group.)

Adelaide wrote: "I have not been able to participate much this year because of school. THIS MIGHT BE MY MONTH! .."

Adelaide,

Any textbooks you read for school would fit this month's challenge. Hopefully you'll get a number of them in this month.

1. Bad Dog: A Love Story by Martin Kihn
3 stars.

2. The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone
4 stars

Dagny wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "2. The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone
4 stars"

Already! This might be a big month for you, Cheryl."

I am aiming for five books, and these two were available at my library. Two more are on hold, and I just started On Writing by Stephen King. Memoirs just seem appealing to me right now.

3. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
4 stars

Memoirs under 250 pages are quick reads and interesting. I never set out to read any of these this month, but I'm glad I did. I originally set out to read books focusing on history, but when I got those books from the library, they just seemed too heavy to me. I should know better than to make plans for a Genre Challenge. They rarely work out for me.

2) Capital Without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent by Brooke Harrington. 5 stars. Ethnographic study that details the history and methods of wealth management and its impact on wealth inequality. Sounds really dry, but Harington is a good writer and I found all of this very interesting.

4. Featherhood: A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie by Charlie Gilmour
3 stars

5. Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different by Chuck Palahniuk
4 stars

6. Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
4 stars

7. The Making of Alien by J. W. Rinzler
4 stars

wow Cheryl! Amazing! Which book has been your favorite this moth?

Fran wrote: "wow Cheryl! Amazing! Which book has been your favorite this moth?"

I liked Below Stairs. It's a memoir of a woman who had been a kitchen maid and cook in Edwardian England. The book was used by the producers of Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey in making those tv shows.

8. Catch the Sparrow: A Search for a Sister and the Truth of Her Murder by Rachel Rear
3 stars

1.The Economics of Prohibition. Definitely not light summer reading. Four stars, interesting, well researched but some readers might be put off because in many ways it reads like a dissertation.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "1.The Economics of Prohibition. Definitely not light summer reading. .."

Beth,

You and Adelaide impress me with the books read for this month's challenge! I'd be afraid to even attempt reading them.

Cheryl wrote: "You and Adelaide impress me with the books read for this month's challenge! I'd be a..."

It was slow going and next year I will try and pick something “less dense” if that makes sense. So much to absorb and process so I will definitely not hit my goal of 5 books this month. That being said it was worth the effort and in the future I will save economic books for winter reading, lol.

3) The Jello Salad Mystery by L. M. Zoller. 4 stars. A fun zine about the origins of Strawberry Pretzel Salad. (It's a jello salad. I hated those when I was a kid in the 70s. I like my jello without the add-ins.)

Adelaide wrote: "3) The Jello Salad Mystery by L. M. Zoller. 4 stars. A fun zine about the origins of Strawberry Pretzel Salad. (It's a jello salad. I hated those when I was a kid in the 70s. I like my jello withou..."

Adelaide,

The book sounds fun. The jello sounds awful, though!

Cheryl wrote: "Adelaide wrote: "
The book sounds fun. The jello sounds awful, though!
"

I concur!

I remember jello pretzel salad! I actually made it with the kids a couple years ago, it definitely was not something we've made again ;)

9. The Dog Lover Unit: Lessons in Courage from the World's K9 Cops by Rachel Rose
3 stars

Its nearly the end of the month and I haven't posted anything! So sorry guys. I've been busy reading ;)

1.) A Walk in the Woods (AB) - Bill Bryson
2.) Gift from the Sea (PB) - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
3.) On Juneteenth (HB) - Annette Gordon-Reed
4.) Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent (AB) - Isabel Wilkerson
5.) Same Houston & the Alamo Avengers (AB) - Brian Kilmeade
6.) Touched By the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie (AB) - Carly Simon

#2 Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions by Evan Puschak (pb) A much lighter read than my first NF this month. Interesting and several essays are filled with musings on books, science fiction and fantasy in all mediums. 4 stars

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "#2 Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions by Evan Puschak (pb) A much lighter read than my first NF this month. Interesting a..."

Beth,

You managed to get another book in before the month ended. Great job! I really need to read some essays to round out my book choices. You have inspired me!

Cheryl wrote: "〰️Beth〰️ You managed..."

I rarely read short works but another group started a new challenge this year to encourage readers to read poetry, short stories, essays , plays and epistolary works. I have managed two in each category and will attempt at least one more of each by years end.

Maybe we could add something like this to next years game month
if you think members would like that type of challenge. For example have a task to read one of the five types: a play, short story (or collection of), essays, poetry, or epistolary.

Beth,

Thank you for this idea! I actually keep a list of ideas for Game Month, so this “5 Types” challenge will definitely go on my list.