Non-Fiction

Presidential Biographies

February 16, 2019 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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It is Presidents Day!!

We love biographies. A few years ago Grace challenged herself to read a book about every U.S. President. She has a ways to go on her challenge, but she has read quite a few so far.

We put together a list of her favorite Presidential biographies. You might not agree with the politics of every president, but there is always something to learn about things like leadership, hardship, war, community, and family.

Becoming a President takes hard work, determination, education, and the ability to connect in some way with the American people. No matter your view on politics, there is something to be learned about the journey each U.S. President takes to the White House.

We are sharing a few of our favorites. We would love to hear yours. Leave a comment letting us know your favorite book about a U.S. President or U.S. Presidents.

John Adams by David McCullough

William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins

George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade

George and Barbara Bush by Ellie LeBlond Sosa

Thomas Jefferson The Art of Power by John Meacham

Eisenhower In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith

American Lion by John Meacham

Riding with Reagan by John R. Barletta

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

41: A Portrait of my Father by George W. Bush

The Man Who Save the Union Ulysses Grant by H.W. Brands

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly

Books for Those That Love Biographies and Memoirs

December 11, 2018 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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Do you love reading biographies and memoirs? Or do you have someone on your gift list that enjoys them?

Our family loves reading nonfiction, especially biographies and memoirs. A good biography or memoir takes you into another person’s world and experiences. It takes you to a time and place that you would never be able to experience, except by reading it.

A really well written biography is hard to put down. It draws you in and makes you long to know more about the person.

Since we love biographies and memoirs, we put together a list of our favorites. Hopefully you will find a few to add to your to read list or give as a gifts to the readers in your life.

Dust Bowl Girls

Dust Bowl Girls will be one of my favorite books of 2018. One of the reasons that I love reading nonfiction is that I often learn about little known facts in history. This book is an example of that. I have lived in Oklahoma for 24 years, yet I knew nothing about this story of an Oklahoma women’s basketball team during the Dust Bowl.

The Queen of Katwe

History books, that discuss people that overcame difficult situations to accomplish something that seemed impossible, are some of my favorite books. The Queen of Katwe is about a girl, Phiona, from African poverty who became one of the best female chess players in the world. It is an inspiring story and a great read.

Educated

I am pretty sure that Educated will go on my list for favorite books of 2018. I always struggle to say that I enjoyed a non-fiction book like this that shares a tragic event or difficult life and childhood. Maybe saying I found the book very fascinating is a better way to describe it. Once I started this book, I had trouble putting it down.

Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can is a fun read. It was very hard for me to put down when I got into it. I laughed sometimes and was rather shocked other times. It is unimaginable what Frank Abagnale got away with on his crime spree.

Endurance Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage

Endurance technically might not be a biography, but I always think of it as one. My father in-law gave us this book years ago and it quickly became one of my favorite books. My husband and I have both read it and loved it. This is a true story but the writing and the descriptions in this book make it read like fiction. This is a true story of adventure, leadership, and endurance during the most difficult circumstances. This is one of my all time favorite books. I highly recommend it.

Bryson City Tales

Bryson City Tales was recommended to me by a reader, who thought I would enjoy it, and I did! I loved this book about small town life in the Smoky Mountains. If you have ever lived or owned a business in a small town, this is a must read.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

Nonfiction is my true love when it comes to reading. I almost always prefer real life over fiction, which is why I loved Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey so much. It is the true story of the Countess of Carnarvon and covers a lot of history during the same time frame that the show Downton Abbey covers. If you love Downton Abbey and other British stories, I think you will enjoy this one.

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle was one of my favorite books of 2016. But it is one of those books that I hesitated to say I enjoyed it. I did enjoy it, but it is a tough book. It covers some hard real life stuff. I think it is an important read and wish more people were this honest about their family’s story.

A Thousand Miles to Freedom

One of my girls gave me A Thousand Miles to Freedom for Christmas because she knows I love reading biographies and that I appreciate lesser known biographies. This book was just that. This is not a well known book, but it was a great read. Very few people escape North Korea. Even fewer escape and then turn their story into a book. What I loved about this book, is that it gives you a look into North Korea that is rare.

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me

A friend of mine let me borrow this book, and I read it in two days. It was that good! I have read a lot of books on WWII, but My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me is a totally different perspective of WWII than I have ever read. It is about a modern day woman, who finds out horrible things about her family’s Nazi past. I could not put this book down. The more I read her story the more fascinated with it I became.

Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy was one of my favorite books of 2016. It is a tough subject, but I think an important one that many people don’t want to talk about. It is real life stuff that is not easy to read at all. But this book is the reality of life for many people. This book takes place in the Appalachian mountain area of the country.

Irena’s Children

Irena’s Children was an interesting WWII story that had a truly amazing story. It was a little slow to get into, but once Germany invaded Poland, I could not stop reading it.

All Creatures Great and Small

Herriot’s tale, which he weaves in All Creatures Great and Small, is very entertaining. He shows that being a vet, especially in the 1930s, is not for everyone. He discuss his entrance into being a real vet and his interesting mentor. I love the stories that Herriot writes about.

Devil At My Heels

I enjoy autobiographies better than biographies, so I enjoyed reading Devil At My Heels because Louis Zamperini’s perspective on his life. He become a great runner and is known for that, but his World War II story is definitely amazing and worth reading about.

All the Pretty Things

I have read quite a few books by bloggers. All the Pretty Things is one of my favorites! This is a real life story. It is a tough read in so many ways. It is one of those books that will bring you to tears. Your heart will break for what Edie and her family has gone through. But this story is also a story of survival, hope, and God’s grace.

What is your favorite biography or memoir? We would love to hear what it is, so please leave a comment letting us know!

Books for Sports Fans

December 6, 2018 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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Have a sports fan in your life that also likes to read?

There are all kinds of books out there on sports and famous sports players. Our family has read many of them. Our favorites are always the inspirational stories. The stories of people that have grit and courage. The ones that overcome the odds to become who they are and what they did.

Because we love inspirational sports stories we put together a list of our favorite nonfiction sports stories. Some of these are about an individual and others are about a team, but they are tell a story of overcoming the odds and accomplishing something great.

Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man was such an amazing story that was well written. I think it will make one of Grace’s top books from 2018 because she had so much trouble putting it down once she started it. This is a true comeback story that encourages people to try. The book though also integrates boxing history and how bowing and its rules work. I learned so much and was also able to understand more of how people felt during the Depression and how so much of society loved boxing years ago.

Dust Bowl Girls

The Blind Side

Blind Side is Michael Oher’s amazing story and the family that helped him. I could hardly put this book down when I was reading it, and I was a little sad when I finished it. I feel that this book is well worth reading because of the story that is told.

Shoedog

Shoedog is the story of Nike. Nike is a popular shoe and sports company now, but it started with just an idea. I found this book to be very interesting. A great read for Nike fans or people that love business type books.

Pure Gold

I know that there are a lot of books out there about Eric Liddell, but to me Pure Gold one was a very well written one. I learned a lot about Eric Liddell and was encouraged by his story of faith and running. It was a book about running and missionary work, so I felt like this was a good biography in that it was able to cover a wide variety of Eric Liddell’s life.

Devil At My Heels

I enjoy autobiographies better than biographies, so I enjoyed reading Louis Zamperini’s perspective on his life in the book Devil At My Heels. He become a great runner and is known for that, but his World War II story is definitely amazing and worth reading about.

Unbroken

This is another book about Louis Zamperini. I have read a lot of WWII books and I think this is my favorite. In fact, if I had to make a list of my 10 favorite books of all time this would make the list. This book was a powerful story of survival, strength, and forgiveness. The story of Louis Zamperini is an amazing story, but what I really loved about this book is the powerful writing.

Running the Race

Running the Race is another book about Eric Liddell. Eric Liddell is a well known name in the sports world, especially the running world. The movie Chariots of Fire was based on his life.

The Boys In the Boat

The Boys in the Boat focuses on how Joe Rantz and other boys overcame the great Depression and rowed their boat to victory. This book spends a good section talking about Joe Rantz childhood and how he grew up during hard times on the West coast. It is an inspirational story and one of my favorite books.

Nonfiction Books for History Lovers

December 4, 2018 by Lynn 2 Comments

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Do you love reading nonfiction history type of books? Or do you have someone on your gift list that enjoys them?

We are not talking about the dry textbook type of history books. We are talking about well written nonfiction that is so good it reads like fiction. The kind of book that teaches you history in a way that you can’t stop reading about it.

Our family loves reading nonfiction history type of books. A good nonfiction books takes you to another world and place. It takes you to a time and place that you would never be able to experience, except by reading it.

A really well written nonfiction book is hard to put down. It draws you in and makes you long to know more about the person or event.

Since we love these type of books we put together a list of our favorite nonfiction history type of books. Hopefully you will find a few to add to your to read list or give as a gifts to the readers in your life.

The Boys In The Boat

I have no idea why it took me so long to read this book. My daughter The Boys in the Boat, several friends have read it, and readers have read it. Everyone that has read it told me it was a must read, but it took me forever to actually read it. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. I loved this book. It is well written and an inspiring story. This is a great book for anyone that loves history, sports, and biography type of books.

Killers of the Flower Moon

We recommend this book all the time. Three people in our family have read this book and all three loved it. Killers of the Flower Moon will go on my favorite books of 2018 list. If you haven’t read this, read it. The story is fascinating, and it is so well written that it is a hard book to put down. This would make a great gift for a history lover. It reads like fiction so it would be a great gift for someone that doesn’t read a lot of nonfiction, but would like to read more of it.

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers was one of Grace’s favorite books of 2016. She really enjoyed learning about the men from the famous picture of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima.

In the Heart of the Sea

In the Heart of the Sea made Grace’s top books list of 2017. It is also on her list of all time favorite books. She loved the insight and details about whaling. The story of Essex inspired the famous story Moby Dick.

Blood Moon

The book Blood Moon was a good book to learn about the Cherokee Indian history. This book made a few best of 2018 nonfiction history lists. Grace really enjoyed it and we have given it as gifts.

Alice’s Piano

Alice’s Piano was one of my favorite books of 2016. I have read a lot of WWII books and although this was similar to some I have read, it was also very different. This tells the story of a musician, which is a different view than I had ever read.

Forty Autumns

Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall will be one of my favorite books of the year. I loved this book. It is the real life story that follows a family through multiple generations that lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall. There are so many books written about WWII, but very few about life in communistic life in Eastern Europe following WWII.

Elephant Company

Elephant Company was one of my favorite books of 2015. It is half war book and half animal book. This is a look at a part of the world during WWII that very few people know about. We read a lot about Europe, Japan, and the Nazis, but this book takes us into the lives of those living in Burma during WWII.

What is your favorite nonfiction history type book? Share your favorites in the comments!

Five True Crime Books

October 1, 2018 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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It is no secret that we love nonfiction books. Books about history, war, memoirs, and biographies are some of our favorite books to read. But not all nonfiction reads the same.

Some nonfiction books are important and educational, but they read more like dry textbooks than fascinating stories. The best nonfiction books are the kind of nonfiction books that read like fiction.

Those kinds of books can be hard to find though. Turning real life into a story that reads like fiction is not an easy task. Few writers can accomplish it. It takes more than an interesting story to make a book. It takes writing that turns an interesting story into a story that comes to life and makes you feel part of the journey.

One of our favorite types of nonfiction books to read is true crime, but we like the page turning, I can’t believe this really happened, type of crime story.

If you love true crime stories or if you are looking for a nonfiction book that reads like fiction, here are some of our favorites.

Above Suspicion

Above Suspicion reads like fiction. This is such a well written book, and I am now wanting to read more by this author. This story kept me reading and enjoying it. The story is one that is hard to believe that it is true. I am still in shook that this is nonfiction book.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon is well written and has a fascinating story that is almost so bizarre that it sounds like fiction. But it is true. I not only found it interesting to learn about the Osage Indians, but I also liked reading about the FBI back in those days and how they figured out this case. I highly recommend this book for history lovers and those who love good mystery books because this is one.

Catch Me if You Can

It was very hard for me to put this down once I started it. I laughed sometimes and was rather shocked at other times. It is unimaginable what Frank Abagnale got away with on his crime spree. Catch Me if You Can is a fascinating true crime story.

Convicted

The authors of the book Convicted tell their life experiences and how those experiences changed them. It was very well written even though there were two story lines being told and the authors were able to connect the stories very well. It is amazing what faith and forgiveness can do.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist

I read The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist as part of my nonfiction book for every state challenge. It was an impulse purchase at Barnes and Noble, but I knew it would work perfectly for my Mississippi book. It was the perfect Mississippi book. This book was so fascinating, yet so sad. It is a story that is so hard to believe happened and yet it happened. Not only did it happen, it happened in recent history. This is not a long ago type of story. This is a “it happened in my generation” story.

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