Sunday Salon: Non-Fiction November

As you might have noticed from my post last Tuesday, this month is Non-Fiction November. That initial post looked at my past non-fiction habits but it didn't cover what I hope to read this month. Of course, unlike several people participating, I am not devoting my entire month to reading non-fiction. I'm just trying to up the percentage and so far I've done that in spades, having finished 2 non-fiction works (Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan and Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg) to only 1 novel. Of course, I have 3 novels currently on the go and zero non-fiction titles though. So rather than slip back into my usual habits, I thought I'd create a list of books I am hoping to get to this month, keeping in mind there's not only Thanksgiving to host but our enormous Saturday after Thanksgiving party as well. Cooking for these eats up a good week's worth of spare time although I will certainly be current on all my podcasts! I do have other novels to read for review as well so my reading time is not all my own either.  I've committed to driving for a field trip and signed myself up for an intense 6 days a week exercise class in hopes of not gaining any weight this holiday season.  So I'll be rather busy outside of reading too.  In any case, in addition to the two already finished, I am hoping to sneak in at least 4 more non-fiction reads:

1. A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins
2. The Nurses by Alexandra Robbins
3. Are You Fully Charged by Tom Rath
4. If You Find This Letter by Hannah Brencher

If I find myself with any extra, unscheduled reading time, are there any other non-fiction books I absolutely *must* read?

My reading travels this week took me in some very different directions. I went to the Middle East (Syria) on an archaeological dig with a famous mystery writer and her archaeologist husband in the 1930s. I was in New York with a woman learning to love herself no matter what size she is and watching as a vigilant group murdered men who abused, raped, or exploited women. I moved from Sweden to the US as a young mother finally had her congenital heart disease diagnosed just in time to save her life. I am still at the medical clinic with a father hoping to have his son "resurrected." I am also still entrenched in upper class Britain between the wars with a family modeled after the Mitfords. And I have just returned home from a tour of duty with a woman who looks like she's holding it together but has terrible potential swimming just under the surface. Where have your bookish travels taken you this past week?