Fall days are some of the best days to snuggle up with a stack of books and get into reading about your favorite things. For me, fiction books and novels are the stars of my fall books bucket-list, and the article from last reflects my favorite fall books (fiction edition). This recommendation list is for all those readers who dig cozy non-fiction with pumpkin spice or hot chocolate.
1. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
Everybody has their own wilderness that they have to pass through while on the path of their self-actualisation. For Brown, her struggle was getting connected with her community and not crumbling with insecurities in times when she had to stand alone. She has, in this book, described a guide of how she achieved her interconnection with her culture and community while following her heart at the same time. Her style of writing involves different inspiring perspectives, realistic description of internal struggles, and humor to keep the readers hooked. She deals with politics along with motivation. It is well-researched and well-written.
2. Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
With World War II setting, this book presents an untold story of the time. Almost 1100 American women worked together to decode messages from the German and Japanese military. It is a story about how these well-educated and qualified women recruited and trained secretively in code-breaking. In a time when women even with high levels of degrees were demotivated to have careers, the women were working with the Navy and Army. It gives homage to the lives and backstories of important figures among those thousands of women and presents in front of previously unknown female war-heroes. Mandy’s writing makes it interesting and thrilling to read some of the eureka moments in their journey of code-breaking.
If you are interested in reading historical non-fiction, and tales of feminine bravery this fall, this book is for you.
3. Thicker than Water: A Memoir by Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an Emmy-winning, SAG, and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director, producer, and organizer. Her journey of self-discovery starts after she receives a text message on a seemingly average afternoon. Through this book, Washington shines her lights on her struggles and traumas as a woman and in the acting world. She has been honest and humble in her memoir. She does not see herself as flawless, she shares most of her ups and downs, such as lack of connection with her family, tensions with her parents, issues like eating disorders, sexual abuse, self-esteem, etc. She has bravely opened up about herself, and her memoir inspires us to embark on the journey to find ourselves, and feel more in-touch with our most authentic self.
4. I Must be Dreaming by Roz Chast
The author Rosalind “Roz” Chast is an American cartoonist, grew up in Brooklyn, is the winner of the inaugural Kirkus Prize for Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? In this book, she has tried to explain her dreams, in a hilarious, and yet sometimes creepy manner. She has included studies and theories from Ancient Greek philosophers, Sigmund Freud, Jung, religious texts, neuroscientific findings etc. in her exploration of her “Dream-Theory Land”. She gives us insight on her creative-process, which is connected to her dreams. Her analysis of the subject is made more interesting and easy on the eyes by her amazing illustrations, and visual storytelling, such as loose-lined drawings, and misshapen figures to emphasize the oddity of dreams.
5. A Beautiful Mind: The biography of John Nash by Sylvia Nasar
John Nash is a Nobel prize-winner mathematician, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Sylvia Nasar initially wrote an article about his struggles, which is now this book, A Beautiful Mind. He started off with amazing mathematical brilliance in high school, where people would hurl problems at him, and he would leave them awe-struck by solving them accurately. It is a fascinating journey, through which we follow him, of his transitioning into a paranoid numerologist. His descension into madness adds a dramatic tension to the tale. It keeps readers engaged and the narrative of Nasar makes them want to learn more about math. This biography follows through the ups and downs of this genius man’s madness and achievements, and also gives glimpses into the world of important, and influential mathematics. If you are a fan of either mathematics or psychology or both, this biography is for you.