It’s the final week of Nonfiction November and the turn of Jaymi at OCBookgirl to be the host with a question about the books I’ve been tempted to get having read other bloggers’ posts. I could easily have added 20 or more titles to my wishlist but I’ve learned from past years, that they tend to sit unread on the shelves for a very long time.
So I’m being very modest with my choices with just three new books.
Peak: Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise by Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool. Recommended by Veronica at The ThousandBookProject as an inquiry into the question of whether it’s possible for someone to improve their skills in their chosen field (sport, hobby, work etc) or is a skill something you’re just born with. I;ve been curious about this ever since reading Know Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham which argued that companies/institutions/organisations get it wrong when they focus on improving weaknesses — they should instead get people to work on developing a natural talent into a defining strength.
Quilts In The Attic : Uncovering the Hidden Stories of the Quilts We Love by Karen Musgrave
I’ve never made a quilt though have been tempted several times. A novel I read earlier this year — Dangerous Women by Hope Adams — about the women who sewed a quilt while on a ship transporting them to Australia , got me thinking about the history of some of these items. Christopher at PluckedFromTheStacks suggested this wonderful book by Karen Musgrave which traces the social history of thirty quilts—some found in attics, others purchased at flea markets.
The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede
Earlier this year there was a fascinating article in the Sunday Times magazine about the tiny town of Gander in Newfoundland that on 9-11, unexpectedly found itself hosting the passengers and crews of thirty-eight jets. They’d been forced to land when USA airspace was shut down. I hadn’t realised there was a book on this topic until I saw it highlighted by Carol at ReadingLadies and it sounds a fascinating account of the kindness of the townspeople who welcomed thousands of strangers into their community and helped to feed and care for them.
Let’s see if I can manage to read all three of these before Non Fiction November 2022 rolls around.