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I adore good narrative nonfiction, so picking only 3 is very difficult! So I‘m going to cheat. 😀

1. Tagged
2. “And the Band Played On”
3. “My Own Country: A Doctor‘s Story”
4. “The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl”
5. “Eleni”

@dabbe #ThreeListThursday

Ann Patchett‘s second is ok. She brings two semi-orphans from the far east Tennessee mountains to Memphis in far west TN, where they mix with a black not-quite deadbeat-dad who runs a bar on Beale Street. So she mixed black and white, rural conservative and inner city, youth and innocence with middle age, etc. And she stirs with something like meth. What comes out is entertaining but also has some stereotypes. Nothing particularly rewarding.

This was a re-read for me, prompted by its inclusion on the #AuldLangSpine list I got from @Amiable. I couldn‘t quite get it finished in January! When I read this the first time, even though I knew what would happen, I found myself hoping things would turn out differently on that Memphis balcony. I felt the same again. This is one of the best nonfiction books I‘ve ever read.⬇️

My current audio. (Although…I have covid again. Second time. So no commutes)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Background of James Earl Ray leading up to Martin Luther King‘s assassination and the hunt for him in the weeks after. I hadn‘t thought much about him one way or the other, but this was a really interesting read. I hadn‘t heard of this until seeing @Amiable post about it the other day.

For my NONFICTION brackets: October‘s pick was a superstar. This was what narrative nonfiction should be —an engrossing, well-researched, well-written book that reads like a thriller. It‘s going to be very difficult to top this book as Best of 2024.

Taft is the only adult AP book I need to read. Just back from her Wichita KS book tour stop and

IT. WAS. GREAT!!! ❤️ I am *SO* glad I went. I might even have met some new friends who might want to form a book club ✨💫🌟

Fantastic account of the manhunt for James Earl Ray after the assassination of MLK Jr. in 1968. I am very particular about awarding stars —this one gets all 5 of them. Sides creates a tension as Ray circles and stalks MLK, and then details the meticulous work done by the FBI to track him down. This is what narrative nonfiction should be. And it also completes my #Nonfiction2023 bingo card. Thanks for a great year, @Riveted_Reader_Melissa !

September #BookSpinBingo wrap up. I managed to tie September with February for my slowest reading months of 2023. Not sure what happened there. September seemed like it went by way too fast. Good news though is now I can count all the stories separately from my #DoubleSpin book for #Scarathlon 😈 #BatBrigade

September was a lovely month for gardening, sending off our monarchs, soccer, and READING. 📖
Loved so many of these titles pictured here.

7 bingos for #bookspinbingo 🦋