📚 A November of Novellas & Non-Fiction! 🍂

First, for the second year in a row, I am pleased to announce that Cathy of 746Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck are co-hosting Novellas in November as a month-long challenge with four weekly prompts. Also new for this year Cathy and Rebecca will take it in turns to host a ‘buddy read’.

• 1–7 November: Contemporary fiction (Cathy)
  Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson – including a giveaway of a signed copy!

• 8–14 November: Short nonfiction (Rebecca)
  The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (free to download here from Project Gutenberg)

• 15–21 November: Literature in translation (Cathy)
  Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima

• 22–28 November: Short classics (Rebecca)
  Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (free to download here from Project Gutenberg)

I doubt I will find time or be organised enough to follow each week’s prompt, and definitely not the ‘buddy’ read, however having looked on my own shelves and in my Kindle’s to-be-read folder, here are the novellas I could possibly read:

• The Crusades: A Very Brief History by Mark Black
• The Falklands: A Very Brief History by Mark Black
• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
• History of the Christian Church in the First Century by Edward Burton
• Call for the Dead by John le Carré
• Anne, the Rose of Hever by Maureen Peters

Several of which would fit into the short classic or short non-fiction categories.

Talking of non-fiction, I am also pleased to announce the upcoming Nonfiction November 2021, a month-long reading event, hosted by Rennie, Katie, Veronica, Christopher and Jaymi. Here’s this year’s schedule and topics:

• 1-5 November: Your Year in Nonfiction (Rennie)
  Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favourite nonfiction read of the year? Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?
• 8-12 November: Book Pairing (Katie)
  This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.
• 15-19 November: Be The Expert/ Ask the Expert/ Become the Expert (Veronica)
  Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert), you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you have been dying to read (ask the expert), or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert).
• 22-26 November: Stranger Than Fiction (Christopher)
  This week we’re focusing on all the great nonfiction books that *almost* don’t seem real. A sports biography involving overcoming massive obstacles, a profile on a bizarre scam, a look into the natural wonders in our world—basically, if it makes your jaw drop, you can highlight it for this week’s topic.
• 29 November – 3 December: New to My TBR (Jaymi)
  It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book!

Again not sure I will be able to take part in five week’s topics, but I will definitely make time for a reflection on my non-fiction reading for this year, and I really like the sound of the new topic: Stranger Than Fiction, so I hope I will be able to squeeze that in too.

Are you planning to take part in either or both of these events? Any other reading plans for November? Please let me know in the comments below.