My Must-Read Nonfiction Recommendations: Books that Deepen Connections
{Nonfiction November Week 1}
Each November, I take a month to share the best of the nonfiction books I’ve been reading this year. I’m often surprised by the trends that emerge, and this year, one stands out: connecting within relationships.
My top nonfiction books reveal how vital our relationships are—both with ourselves and with others—to our life’s purpose. Relationships are where we find love, connection, and meaning. These 6 books below also happen to align with my One Word of the Year, Curiosity. Interactions between humans are definitely a curious and complex thing.
Top 3 Relationship Books
Here are my top 3 relationship-focused reads this year, each offering fresh insights on building stronger connections. I’ve learned so much from these, and I think you will, too.
1. How to Know a Person
The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
by David Brooks
If you like to really know a person, this is the book for you. Brooks is so engaging and practical in his advice to better see other people and to allow yourself to be more seen.
[Read my thoughts here on How to Know a Person at “Share 4 Somethings”]
2. Fight Right
How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection
by Julie Schwartz Gottman, John M. Gottman
This book is full of practical and insightful advice about how to have clearer and more productive discussions with your partner. The Gottmans have been doing scientific relationship research for years and years, and this book is fruit of that work. Very engaging.
One of the big takeaways for me is: stop assuming you can solve every disagreement. You can’t. Much of the time, simply understanding each other’s viewpoints is a win itself.
[Based on Fight Right, read “10 Myths (And Realities) About That Fight You Just Had With Your Partner”]
3. Forgive for Love
The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting Relationship
by Fred Luskin
Highly recommend! Like Luskin’s first book Forgive for Good, this one—Forgive for Love—also lays a practical foundation for holding space for differences between humans. This one is centered around the steady flow of grace that partners in a relationship need to extend to each other on a daily basis, not just about their large issues but the smaller ones, too.
Top 3 Memoirs
I also read several great memoirs that show how relationships work in individual lives. These 3 memoirs stand out as beautifully honest reflections on love, identity, and self-discovery.
1. Lovely One: A Memoir
by Ketanji Brown Jackson
As the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson knows about resiliency and relationships. This remarkable book traces her journey from a childhood shaped by educator parents to her historic role on the highest court in America. Her hope and integrity are so admirable to me.
2. Somehow
Thoughts on Love
by Anne Lamott
Oh, I love reading Anne Lamott books. Anne is wise, provocative, spiritual, funny. And honest. About herself and about her relationships. This book of essays and stories on love is as brilliant as her previous works. A must read.
3. Oath and Honor
A Memoir and a Warning
by Liz Cheney
Representative Liz Cheney goes into detail about gathering the facts around the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and about how the process affected her personal relationships. She writes even-handedly and cites multiple sources of credible witnesses leading up to the day, the day of, and the days following January 6.
Goals for Nonfiction November
What do I hope to get out of Nonfiction November this year? As usual, I want to find more exciting nonfiction books to read.
But as a bonus, I know I’ll also find new blogs to follow. I discovered some of my favorite blogs to follow through Nonfiction November series in the past.
So here’s to finding more treasures together again this year!
What nonfiction book would you recommend this year? Share in the comments.
Read more:
- 5 Ways to Get More from Nonfiction Books
- How One Small Habit Adds Up…And Reducing My Kindle Samples
- Do You Feel Guilty When You Read?
Link up about your year in nonfiction for Week 1 of Nonfiction November at Heather’s.
- 5 Questions to Lead to Your Next One Word of the Year (Start Now!)
- Her Long-Awaited Vote: Ms. E’s Journey to Representation
Definitely want to read Oath and Honor! Thank you for sharing, Lisa.
It’s a good book, Dianna! I think you’ll like it too.
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s book looks interesting. Thanks for sharing
I was very impressed with Ketanji Brown Jackson’s story as well as her writing. Of course you never know how much is written by ghost writers, but based on her academic career, she has obviously been a very good writer throughout her lifetime. Either way, she’s an incredible person and has a great story to share.
We have a couple of books we both read and loved. I’m adding the Liz Cheney book to my list.
It’s nice when we discover books we have in common with others! I’m heading over to your blog now to see what’s on your list…
I haven’t read anything by Anne Lamott in a while, but her Bird by Bird is an absolute favorite. Such a powerful writer whom I need to revisit.
Yes, Bird by Bird is one of my favorites too. It was probably the first Anne Lamott book I ever read; she hooked me from the beginning.
Great list! I didn’t know that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a book. That looks terrific!
Yes, her book came out just a few months ago! I happened to get it fairly quickly from the hold list at my library, but it would have been worth waiting for, had it taken even longer.
Hi, Lisa – I love how deeply you get into nonfiction. I haven’t yet read any of the titles that you recommended here. But I do have your recent recommendation of Good People on reserve at my local library! 😀
Oh good! I’m glad you have Good People on hold. I think you’ll love it.
Lovely One and Somehow both sound good!
I thoroughly enjoyed both of those books! They’re very different in style and tone, but both are insightful looks into two powerful and resilient women.
I’m really interested in the relationship books you’ve reviewed here! Thank you!
I also love Anne Lamott’s books, and somehow I hadn’t heard of Somehow before, so thank you again!
Glad you like Anne’s books too! I am always on the lookout for her next book. Somehow is her most current one; it was published in just April of this year.
I love your relationship book takeaways!
It’s always interesting to me to look back at which books have made an impression on me as the year goes on. These relationship books definitely have!
I love reading Anne Lamont, too! Great list!
There’s no one quite like Anne Lamott, right? 🙂 I’m glad you love her too, Lynn. She’s so brutally honest and authentic that I can’t help but enjoy her writings.
I really like your recommendations! Just added How to Know a Person to my tbr list. My daughter listened to Justice Jackson’s book last month and I’m hoping to listen to it, too. It’s been a long time since I read Anne LaMott…
I’m glad your daughter listened to Justice Jackson’s book. I alternated between reading it on my Kindle and listening to the audiobook. If I had to choose only one, I’d recommend the audiobook because it contained actual audio of some of her speeches!
Fight Right sounds good, learning how to deal with our conflicts has been such a learning process for me and my husband. We just sort of found our way by trial and error (mostly error) so it would be interesting to learn what’s come to light through research and comparison of multiple relationships.
I love Nonfiction November. Looking forward to more recommendations all month long, as my TBR expands further.
I think we all learn a lot through trial and error in our relationships. 🙂 Same here. I would like to re-read Fight Right again WITH my husband this time. It’s so full of good research and good suggestions.
I have not heard of any of these books. I like the idea of reading Forgive for Love.
Thank you for sharing this post on the Senior Salon Pit Stop Linky Party with us.
#linkyparty #seniorsalonpitstop #bloggersconnecting
Forgive for Love is actually an older book (first published in 2007), but I only discovered the author Fred Luskin and this book this year! It was so powerful. It is about forgiveness, of course, but it’s really so much more.
Great reads and recommendations. I’ve found a lot of the blogs I follow through Nonfiction November, too!
Thanks, Liz. I just wish I had lots more time to read more blogs this month of Nonfiction November. 🙂 It’s a tradeoff between reading blogs, writing blogs, and reading books.
Good topic–they look like useful books. Enjoy your reading!
“Useful” is an appropriate word to use for books I like to read. I don’t know that I’ve thought of it quite that way, but it’s true. Thanks, Lisa!
I love that you have a word for the year that guides you – curiosity is such an excellent choice! All off these books look fascinating!
It has been so nice to have Curiosity as my Word of the Year because it applies to almost everything. 🙂 I just visited your page and I see we have lots of interests in common with our books!
All of these books look so interesting. Your lists always make wish I were better at reading nonfiction!
I don’t remember when I first became fascinated with nonfiction books. It wasn’t anything intentional; I guess we’re just wired one way or another so no shame either way. 🙂 (I do still love reading novels too tho!)