One of my goals in 2024 was to read more non-fiction books. In this post I want to share my thoughts of my favorite non-fiction books of this year with a few sentences about why I liked each of these. As well as links to my original review for each of these.
Top 6 Non-fiction Books I Read in 2024
ACT for Burnout by Debbie Sorensen
I saw this book on NetGalley early this year while I was dealing with burnout and requested it, wanting to read more about the topic. I found ACT for Burnout a very informative and helpful book. I really liked the accepting, understanding and encouraging tone of the book. And I appreciated how the author never blamed the individual for burnout and places the blame with cultural and systemic causes. I think reading this book while I was in burnout really helped, although it did mean I got through the book slower than I normally would have.
There are lots of different topics related to burnout and burnout recovery and I liked the variety of exercises and questions the author states. While not everything equally resonated with me, there were enough parts that did and I think almost anyone can find some points that work for them or resonate with them.
You can read my review for this book here.
The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now by Jeff Elkins
This is a very informative read about writing dialogue. And I really enjoyed reading it. The book is packed full of tips and information. It also has some good examples so you can really see the tips and advice in action. I also appreciated the summary and practical exercise ideas at the end of the chapters. I liked the author’s writing style and how he used the same dialogue scene multiple times to show different pieces of advice. I also liked how the tone was explanatory, but not forceful or saying you have to write something a certain way. I liked this open and accepting style. If you want to know more about writing dialogue, I would definitely recommend this book!
You can read my review for this book here.
Toxic Productivity by Israa Nasir
I felt like I got a lot out of this book. It made me think and evaluate my own thoughts regarding productivity and where some of my toxic thoughts came from. I liked the encouraging and inspiring tone of the book. I am glad I read it and might re-read in the future even. I thought the book was informative and had a lot of great information. It was structured in a way that made it easy to read.
You can read my review for this book here.
A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe
I really enjoyed this book and it’s just so pretty. It’s filled with drawings on every page and the book is so colorful and fun. The tone is positive and affirming and explains a bunch of autistic behaviors in easy to understand language. I really liked the tone and vibe of this book. I think this is a great book both for children and adults who want to know more about autism.
There wasn’t as much new information for me in this book as I’ve read so much about autism already, but I am still glad I picked up this book as the way the information was presented was just so well done and the colorful art on every page made it so fun to read. I liked the art style and how the art helped add to the points she was making or fit the topic. I definitely recommend this one!
You can read my review for this book here.
The Gift of Anxiety by Diante Fuchs
This book helped me think about anxiety in a different way and it was very helpful and informative. I like the way the author talks about emotions. There is some great information about anxiety and how to accept it and listen to it. It certainly resonated with me and I am glad I read it.
You can read my review for this book here.
The Joy Document by Jennifer McGaha
The Joy Document offers a deep and personal look into the author’s life. I liked how this book contains a lot of shorter essays that all depict a moment that made an impact on the author, made her feel or think. Not all of them are quite about joy in my opinion, but they all are about deep emotions, reflections and thoughts. It could feel quite heavy and impactful, but in a good way and I enjoyed the intense vibe. I feel like this is a book about those moments that really matter, the moments that shape us, moments that make us think and feel. I hadn’t read a non-fiction book like this before and I am glad I picked it up.
You can read my review for this book here.
I think I read a few nonfiction this year. Now I’m curious to go back and see how many I actually read. A Different Kind of Normal looks like a good one. Thanks for sharing!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2024/12/16/countdown-to-2025-day-16-turkey-dinner-eyes-too-big-for-your-belly-a-chunkster/
I didn’t realize you read nonfiction too. Did you check to see how many you read? A Different Kind of Normal was a great one and one of the rare books I got in physical format and was glad I did.
Great list. I hope your books next year are all good ones.
Thanks! I hope yours are good ones as well.
I wanted to read more non-fiction books this year and did, but your percentage for your total was higher. 🙂 You remind me to keep reading more non-fic for a good balance in my reading.
I hope to keep that goal going in 2025 and read more non-fiction, I should check how much my total amount of non-fiction books was this year.
The dialogue book sounds great for writers, especially with how it’s more suggestion/example than telling people they have to write a certain way. I don’t think I have the energy anymore for writing, but I am sort of curious about that book now!
I thought the dialogue book was a great one, I don’t write, but I like reading nonfiction books aimed at writers. I liked how after reading that book I had more insight in why some dialogue works so well.