Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2016: Tuesday's Reflection

Bookcase in Sunny Snug Decorated for Christmas

I love this time of year--the time of "Favorite Books" lists! 

Of course, it is fun to see if any of the books on a specific list are ones I would also rate as "favorites," but I also hope a list will lead me to an author or title unfamiliar or overlooked by me. Often someone else's list means I have a much longer "What I Want to Read in the Coming Year" list. 

This year my "favorites" list is divided into two posts. Today's post features nonfiction titles, and my post on Thursday, December 29 will list fiction titles. Note: While many year end lists highlight books published only in the past year, the books on my list have no such limitation.  

Here goes:

Category #1: Writing Books
Instead of reading books about writing this year, I actually wrote much more myself. Still here are three titles I recommend.
1.The Great Spring, Writing, Zen and This Zigzag Life, Natalie Goldberg. 
2. Why We Write About Ourselves, Twenty Memoirists on Why The Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature, edited by Meredith Moran. 
3. Writing Alone and With Others, Pat Schneider. 

Category #2: Spirituality Books
My top two favorites in this category are:
 * The Artist's Rule, Nurturing Your Creative Soul With Monastic Wisdom, Christine Valters Paintner. This book actually is located with my writing books--a good crossover book that feeds my writing soul, and one I will consult again at the beginning of this year.
* Word by Word, A Daily Spiritual Practice, Marilyn McEntyre
Others:
1. The Other Side of Chaos, Breaking Through When Life is Breaking Down, Margaret Self
2. Sanctuary, The Discovery of Wonder, Julie Leibrich
3. Desperately Seeking Spirituality, Meredith Gould
4. In God's Holy Light, Wisdom from the Desert Monastics, Joan Chittister
5. Accidental Saints, Finding God in All the Wrong People, Nadia Bolz-Weber
6. Gratitude, Oliver Sacks
7. When God Is Silent, Barbara Brown Taylor
8. Circle of Grace, A Book of Blessings for the Season, Jan Richardson
9. Becoming Wise, An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living, Krista Tippett

Category #3: Other
My favorite in this category was the biography, Elizabeth the Queen, The Life of a Monarch, Sally Bedell Smith. I read this after watching the Netflix series, "The Crown". Loved both.
1. The Only Street in Paris, Life on the Rue des Martyrs, Elaine Scolino
2. The Latehomecomer, A Hmong Family Memoir, Kai Kalia Yang
3. Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
4. Rez Life, David Treuer
5. Essays After Eighty, Donald Hall
6. Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race, Debby Irving
7. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis, J. D. Vance


An Invitation

What nonfiction books have you read this year that you recommend? I would love to know.