My Favourite Non Fiction Books of 2020

My penultimate video for the year… and some of my books of the year. The non fiction ones, fiction will go live tomorrow evening. I love doing (and watching) these videos and hope you enjoy them too. Let me know if any of these are going on your TBR’s, your thoughts if you have read them AND what your favourite non fiction books have been this year and why! #BooksOfTheYear #NonFiction #ReadingWrapUp #FavouriteBooksOfTheYear #NonFictionBooksOfTheYear
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Melanie and I Discuss I Am An Island • I Am An Island by Tams...
Melanie and I Discuss Life As A Unicorn • Life As A Unicorn by A...
Instalive with Natalie Haynes / cg5mjttawr1
Books Mentioned…
Hungry by Grace Dent uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9780008...
On The Red Hill by Mike Parker uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781786...
My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781786...
In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781788...
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781509...
Citizen by Claudia Rankine uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9780141...
I Am An Island by Tasmin Calidas uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9780857...
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781501...
How To Stay Sane in An Age of Division by Elif Shafak uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9781788...
Life As a Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi uk.bookshop.org/a/550/9780008...
Note - money from these links goes to myself AND, far more importantly, independent bookshops.
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[@novellenovels]

I think my name is why is one of my favourite non fiction books and I found it very hard hitting

[@juliewoan298]

Thanks for this Simon, a few more to add to my TBR...as did not read much non fiction in 2020...and FYI I loved Butterscotch Angel delight but still hate cold custard. I was lucky to have family members who made me a mini custard free trifle at Xmas so I did not miss out!

[@RichardFarley1976]

Always cold custard Simon. Love the sound of Pandora's Jar, will have add to TBR. Thanks Simon

[@lindafirth1562]

Hi Simon, Many thanks for giving us this. I don't usually read biographies but I'm now sold! x

[@SavidgeReads]

Awwww that’s lovely to hear Linda. You’ll have to let me know how you get on with them.

[@mradcaqbdb]

My Name is Why was my #4 book of 2019. Incredibly powerful. I haven’t sorted through my non-fiction books from this year yet (I did fiction first), but Life as a Unicorn is either at the top or super close to it. I thought it was a fantastic audiobook, and I’m very glad your book club with Melanie brought it to my attention. As a matter of fact, I just recommended it to someone on BookTube yesterday! You’ve sold me on Pandora’s Jar and I am an Island. I’ve already got How to Stay Sane and How We Fight For Our Lives and have to get to them soon! A great list!

[@SavidgeReads]

Thank you. I think it’s a super list... if I say so myself. Hahaha. Seriously though I think Life As A Unicorn is just phenomenal.

[@ivo009]

I don’t really read nonfiction, but I read the We Are Displaced autobiography By Malala Yousafzai when I was 8/9 or so... and I don’t think these nonfiction books sound right in words, but, I have read the Operation Ouch manual and Guinness World Records 2021... hopefully those count, lol! 😂 PS Have a wonderful New Year Simon, and a brilliant 2021! I can’t wait to see more videos! And, hopefully tonight I’ll get to stay up ‘till midnight!

[@gailhewitt1467]

Never really been a non fiction fan, but have bought I am an Island following the book club chat you and Melanie did about it. Waiting for Tom Allen's and Will Young's books to arrive so that's at least 3 for 2021. Love your round ups!! Oh - butterscotch Angel Delight is the best - no custard in this house.

[@SavidgeReads]

Butterscotch Angel Delight is everything. So pleased you’ll read Tamsin Calidas. I am so chuffed Melanie introduced us all to that book. Chris got Tom Allen and Will Young’s books from me for Christmas... so I can read them afterwards ha.

[@reading_with_k]

In The Dream House is my top favs of the year too. So powerful. And How We Fight For Our Lives? One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read

[@SavidgeReads]

They’re both brilliant aren’t they.

[@pierogi6549]

I wish i was disturbing in that sense 🤗 lol

[@georgiam4576]

In the Dream House was my book of the year, glad you also enjoyed it.

[@CharlieBrookReads]

The Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson was my fave. It's non fiction (obv!!) but it's told almost like fiction in terms of how well it portraits the people Isabel writes about .Which surprised me as I was worried it would be very fact heavy (which obv it's not).Life As A Unicorn I agree was utterly brilliant. Loved hearing about your faves and looking forward to tomorrow's one XXX

[@SavidgeReads]

Oooh I’ve not heard of The Warmth of Other Suns. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks Charlie.

[@LouiseReader]

Fabulous recommendations as ever. I think my favourite NF read this year was Laura Dockrill's memoir about post partum psychosis What Have I Done? The urgency of her narration of the audiobook is outstanding. Very honourable mention to Helen McDonald's Vesper Flights, and Dr Karl's Surfing Safari (popular science, made fun, he's an Australian legend). And Kitty Flanagan (Australian comedian) made me laugh out loud with 488 Rules for Life.

[@SavidgeReads]

I know that Tom of Tom Reads Things (one of my favs) is very keen to read the Laura Dockrill. Sounds like it’s quite the read. Vesper Flights I have on my shelves. The other two I’ll look up.

[@cindyhaiken5644]

Thanks for sharing these Simon. This year my favorite nonfiction reads were Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald, The Dragons, the Giant, the Women by Wayetu Moore and Square Haunting by Francesca Wade. I really want to read I Am an Island.

[@SavidgeReads]

I really want to read Vesper Flights as I loved H is for Hawk so much. I also loved Wayetu’s novel so would like to get to her non fiction too.

[@cindyhaiken5644]

@@SavidgeReads H Is For Hawk is one of my all-time favorite works of nonfiction, full stop. And for what it’s worth, I liked Wayetu’s memoir even more than her novel.

[@pierogi6549]

you are hilariously disturbing :D Instead of reading I am binge-watching all your videos. So glad to discover ur channel. All the best in 2021 Mr for you and your beloved ones!

[@SavidgeReads]

Disturbing?!?!? I don’t know if I want to be disturbing. Hahahaha.

[@braincabbage]

I loved Life as a Unicorn, I read it this year, too. In a similar vein, I also loved We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib and It's Not About the Burkha by a bunch of authors. Other nonfiction books I loved this year were: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker, Dead Girls by Selva Almada, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, Lonely City by Olivia Laing, Sex and Lies by Leila Slimani, Invisible No More by Andrea Ritchie, Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag and The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein.

[@SavidgeReads]

Oooh I’ll look up We Have Always Been Here and It’s Not About The Burkha. I loved The Five and The Trauma Cleaner, I must read more Laing. I really want to read Hidden Valley Road. I have it on my shelves.

[@dunkbiscuit]

Invisible Women has been in my list all year. 2021 for definite 😊

[@braincabbage]

@@SavidgeReads I'm sure you'll love We Have Always Been Here and It's not about the Burkha (the audiobook of the latter was great!), both have taught me a lot about Muslim identity and sexuality. So did Sex and Lies by Leila Slimani actually, that one is specific to Morocco rather than the West, one of those rare cases of translated nonfiction. Hidden Valley Road was so readable and fascinating, I hope you'll enjoy it!

[@braincabbage]

@@dunkbiscuit I hope you'll like it! I thought it was completely fascinating (yet somewhat infuriating), and so readable despite the amount of statistics that went into it

[@AthynVixen]

@@SavidgeReads Lonely City is excellent..

[@miaarndt9501]

Two of my favorite nonfiction books this year sort of go together - Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall and White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

I also enjoy cold custard on a hot pudding. Thank you for the video.

[@SavidgeReads]

Hahaha. It’s the best way.

[@anges_book_chatter]

My favourite nonfiction this year is Channel Miller - Know my name. It’s not a book you can say you enjoy, but it’s amazing and brave.

[@SavidgeReads]

I think that’s how I feel about a lot of my non fiction when it’s really good.

[@janethansen9612]

Just when I thought I had my wishlist for January 2021 sorted you come out with Elif Shafak's book which sounds exactly what I want and need at the moment. I also haven't had a good year with non fiction but enjoyed The Haunting of Alma Fielding and currently reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. Most of the non fiction I did read this year was around race.

[@SavidgeReads]

I had a good year in terms of what I read. But I just didn’t read as much. As audible, which I wish I didn’t use because Amazon but there we are, has a sale oh I’m tempted to buy twelve audio books so I have one a month to read plus my credit so I get even more read. Alan Carr just recommended I jump Alma Fielding up the TBR so thank you for being a second nudge in a day. lol.

[@UKLeonie]

Hoping to read more non fiction next year,my favourite was Lemn Sissay "My name is why" really good take on british adoption within working class environments.

[@kirstenlee7575]

I loved I am an Island and only discovered it through book club. I struggle to read non-fiction and want to read more so this was perfect as it read like a novel. Another non-fiction I’ve loved this year is Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou (not a new title I know, but new to me)

[@SavidgeReads]

So pleased you got to I Am An Island. I think non fiction is probably my favourite when it almost reads like fiction. Which sounds odd but is totally true.

[@CoynieReads]

"A Thousand Splendid Ships" haha, been there! I think I actually called it that instead of "A Thousand Ships" in my bookshelf tour 🙈

[@SavidgeReads]

Hahaha at least you didn’t say it on live tv.

[@CoynieReads]

@@SavidgeReads Haha, this is true! Easy slip to make though!

[@carissa1446]

My favorite this year was Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I just picked up In the Dream House today from the library.

[@SavidgeReads]

Oooh I’ll look that one up Carissa.

[@cloudbusting88]

I read My Name is Why earlier 2020 and I haven’t stopped thinking about Lemm. His adopted parents and what they did...😡 he is an amazing man!

[@Alfred_51]

Hungry was a brilliant read. A book about growing up, Food(including junk) family and love. A good and funny read!

[@SavidgeReads]

Yes it was. I also liked how she didn’t shame ‘junk’ food and in fact just celebrated all foods a ‘joy’ foods.

[@dunkbiscuit]

I think my favourites would be: I am an island, The Spy and the Traitor, and Chernobyl Prayer. I've read more, but those three really stand out for me. I didn't do great with non fiction this year, hoping to rectify that in 2021.

[@SavidgeReads]

I read soooo much non fiction in 2019. I think so much news affected my non fiction reading. I hope to read lots more next year.

[@jenny6904]

Really interesting choices. My favourite non-fiction book for 2020 - and the one I actually consider my book of the year - was Unnatural Causes, by Dr Richard Shepherd. It's a really honest and intimate look at forensic pathology from one of the UK's top forensic pathologists - he worked on Princess Diana's death, the Hillsborough Disaster, and the Stephen Lawrence murder to name just a few. It's also a look at PTSD as well and how the types of jobs that we do affect our mental health and our families over a long period of time.

[@SavidgeReads]

I have Unnatural Causes on my shelves. I will have to get to it in the not too distant future. He did an event at the library I used to work at in Liverpool.

[@Alfred_51]

I'm hetro-sexual but read it under it's original name Unicorn. A book to educate the reader.

[@quirkydee45]

To be fair, sometimes you do get books on people's radars early in the game, even if you havent read them yet. I first heard about Life As A Unicorn through your channel when you had an ARC, then preordered it myself, read it when it first came out and talked about it to friends (actually even recommended it before it even came out, putting it on other people's radars so those with religious and queer backgrounds could know of another book that might make them feel seen). I think I even commented back on it on one of your videos when you asked for the usual 'what have you read recently that you loved' closers at the end. All this before you eventually read (and loved it) yourself. Anyway, I'm not sure if i managed to phrase that in a way that mightnt read as smug (booooo lack of tone with faceless text), but just wanted to ease your concerns, that hey, even when you're not the first to read/shout about a book, you might be helping others get there (bc I hadnt heard of it other than from your channel.) :) Just shouting out intriguing books you're sent does its part. (and it sounds like you read it at the right time for *you*, so it all worked out in the end!)

[@SavidgeReads]

I had not thought of it like this. So thank you. I wasn’t massively worried, it’s just sometimes I wish I was better at being an early champion of favourites. But hey ho. So many books and all that. You’re comment has made me feel much better though. So thank you again.

[@bookietracey8670]

I listened to my name is why on audible in April and this book has stayed with me. It’s both beautiful and heartbreaking

[@SavidgeReads]

It’s an incredible book. And so moving on audio.

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

My favourite nonfiction books of 2020 are Humankind by Rutger Bergman 🤩 Say Nothing by Patrick Raden Keefe ☘️ Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd All That Remains by Professor Sue Black🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez The Erratics by Vicki Laveau Harvie 🇨🇦

[@SavidgeReads]

Oooh I’ve only read The Erratics on that list, which I loved, will have to look into the others. Actually I think I have All That Remains and Unnatural Causes.

[@katiecatbooks6397]

My top NF are These Truths, Becoming and Unfree Speech.

[@SavidgeReads]

I’ve read Becoming. Haven’t heard of the other two.

[@katiecatbooks6397]

@@SavidgeReads These Truths is a history of the US written by a woman and corrects a lot of falsehoods taught in schools. Although it's set up like a school book for adults, it reads easily and I've heard the audiobook compared to listening to a podcast. Unfree Speech is by and about Joshua Wong, a young man living in Hong Kong and an activist about the situation between Hong Kong and China. Between the ages of 14 and 22 he has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, spent time in prison and helped found a political party. Also responded personally to my review on insta which was a pleasant surprise.

[@Tutankhamun18Reads]

My favourite Non Fictions would be: Black and British by David Olusoga, Emporers of the Deep: the fascinating and misunderstood world of sharks and The weirdest people in the world: how the west became psychologically peculiar and particularly rich

[@SavidgeReads]

Sounds like a varied and interesting selection. Very eclectic.

[@ToriKo_]

Life as a unicorn

[@SavidgeReads]

Aha. You found the non fiction one. There’s a fiction one too.

[@ToriKo_]

@@SavidgeReads thank you! Yes I found them, and fell asleep to them which was nice, definitely interested in adding a few of these to my ‘want to read’ shelf in GR

[@JenniMReads]

Do you actually heat up custard? 🤯 Or just serve it at room temperature? No, seriously! We never do that in Finland, custard isn't even sold in tins as it is Britain but in cartons. In supermarkets they are situated in the dairy section, and you are supposed to keep it refrigerated, so obviously it is served cold.

[@SavidgeReads]

Lots of people make it from scratch which means heating and eat it when it’s cooled slightly. I like it cold. Out of a carton, which is becoming much more popular here.

[@JenniMReads]

@@SavidgeReads Well, it stands to reason that things might have changed in the last 20-odd years. That's how long it has been since my last visit to England. 😢

[@mpsensha]

I don't think I finished any non-fiction this year.

[@SavidgeReads]

Nothing wrong with that.