My Favorite Non-Fiction Reads of the Year

Books on Food, Crafting, and Slowing Down

Dec 20, 2024

I can usually map how my year has gone based on what non-fiction I’ve read, what topics have drawn me in, what I was trying to learn, find, etc. So looking at my top non-fiction this year, it seems I had a year of purposely slowing down and grounding myself—food, crafts, being online less, embracing slow productivity, etc.

Missed my top novels of the year? Find those here.

I’m good with those themes. Better than the years I was reading books with “how not to drown” themes. :)

So, what rose to the top?

*Note: This post gets long so if you can see the whole thing in your inbox, click through to read the rest online.

Favorite General Non-Fiction

Generations by Jean M. Twenge (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

This was a comprehensive look at the different generations. I found the topic fascinating, nostalgic at times, and also a bit depressing, particularly when she got into the parts about how social media has changed us. I particularly enjoyed learning about the generations before mine. (I’m Gen X but close enough to Millenial to be considered a Xennial, which has characteristics of both.) It’s heavy on stats, but she broke it up into topics within each generation so that it was easy to follow and stay engaged. I listened to this in audio, and I’d recommend it in that format. I think in print it would’ve been more of a slog. This was a 5-star read for me.

Favorite Tech Critique Reads

Yes, this is a niche topic, but it’s one I can’t seem to resist.

Filterworld by Kyle Chayka (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

Why do coffee shops in every country now look like the same Instagram photo? Kyle Chayka answers that question and more in Filterworld. He digs into our current online state and how algorithms are teaching us what to like (whether we realize it or not), which in turn, flattens the uniqueness of different places and different groups. I found this whole thing both fascinating and scary. It made me think about things like books—yes, there have always been bestsellers and trendy books, but if we’re on TikTok and Instagram and seeing the same type of book content over and over and the same books/authors, lots of other types of books are getting missed. Read this if you want to think about those things more deeply. This was also good on audio.

Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

This book was basically the history of the early internet and social media. Parts of it made me nostalgic for the early versions of the social internet. (I met my husband in an AOL chatroom, lol.) But much of it was straight-up scary. As the history is tracked, you can see the dominos falling to get us to where we are now. However, it’s a compelling listen and if you were around during those different eras, it makes you realize what an epic shift you’ve lived through.

Favorite Improve-Your-Life Books

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

I have to be careful with Burkeman’s books. They have a tendency to knock me on my butt. Four-Thousand Weeks rocked me when I read it. In a good way but also in a what-am-I-doing-with-my-life way. So, I braced myself for Meditations for Mortals.

Here’s a bit of the back cover copy: “How can we embrace our nonnegotiable limitations? Or make good decisions when there’s always too much to do? How do we shed the illusion that life will really begin as soon as we can “get on top of everything”? Reflecting on quotations drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help, Burkeman explores a combination of practical tools and daily shifts in perspective. The result is a life-enhancing and surprising challenge to much familiar advice—and a profound yet entertaining crash course in living more fully.”

Even though you’re supposed to read this daily, I raced through it. But I plan to go back and read it as intended over four weeks as well. I underlined a ton and because I’m a Gallup Strengths coach, I couldn’t help but notice how different sections almost talked directly at certain Strengths (personality characteristics.) So, if you want a shake-up, try Burkeman.

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

No one will be shocked by this pick. I’m a Cal Newport fan girl. I love his combo of wanting to get big things done in your life and career but doing it in a focused, sane way that avoids burnout. If you haven’t read anything by Newport, I’d say read Deep Work first. This is an extension of what he started in that book. Some of it is office-work focused, but I still got a lot from the concepts.

Favorite Memoirs

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

This is in the running for my fave of the year. Highly recommend you go with audio for this one since Ina narrates. I was already an Ina fan and own all of her cookbooks, but this just made me love her more.

This isn’t a fluffy food memoir, though there is a coziness to it because she is so warm. Her story is one of grit and determination, business acumen, love and friendship, and, of course, food. So many things! I expected this to be good, and it was even better than I was hoping. I wanted to hug it at the end.

Hooked by Sutton Foster (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

I loved Sutton Foster on Younger and when I saw she’d written her memoir through the lens of the crafts she’s done, I had to pick it up. I thought the framing device of the crafts was clever. She’d tell you about the craft she was making at the time of an event in her life and then go into the event. You get to go behind the scenes on Broadway and on the filming of the shows she’s done, so that was fun. She also had some challenging things to go through, so there are tough parts too. Once again, do this in audio if you can.

Speaking of crafts…

Favorite Crafty Books

I learned how to crochet this year, so I went through a phase of checking out ALL THE CRAFTING BOOKS at the library. I’m sorry if anyone else in my town wanted to learn crochet this summer. They would’ve been left without any how-to books. :)

Modern Crochet by Teresa Carter (Amazon | Bookshop.org)

I learned the basics of crochet with a Woobles kit and their helpful videos. But I learned how to make an actual scarf I could wear with Modern Crochet. I loved that this book had simple yet elegant designs that a beginner like me could tackle. I can’t wait to try my next one.

Knitting Yarns edited by Ann Hood (Amazon | Bookshop.org)

This is a collection of essays by writers and the role of knitting in their lives. If you’re looking for an audiobook that’s an easy listen and will keep you company while you do chores, this fits the bill. Cozy and relaxing.

Old-Fashioned on Purpose by Jill Winger (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

So this isn’t a crafting book, but it speaks to what crafts fall under—doing things by hand—so I'm putting it here because it’s my newsletter and I can do what I want. ;)

Winger covers a number of topics in this and not all apply to me, but what I took from it was how doing things by hand, the old-fashioned way, can have a lot of psychological benefits. Cooking a meal from scratch can be soothing. Working in your garden can be calming. Generally, she shares ways to be more grounded in the real world. I’ve worked hard this year to be online less and in the real world more and this helped me think more deeply about that.

I also liked that she didn’t bring religion into this because so many simple living books veer into that territory and that wasn’t what I was looking for.

Favorite Foodie Books

The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones (Amazon)

Before you read the new biography The Editor, which is about Judith Jones, the famed Knopf editor who discovered Julia Child (and had a star-studded list of other authors), maybe go directly to the source and read Judith’s story of working with famous cookbook authors. (I did a full review here if you’d like to know more.)

Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

I really enjoy Ruth Reichl’s writing. I reread her memoir/cookbook combo My Kitchen Year this year, in which she documents the year after Gourmet magazine (of which she was editor) closed down. But I realized that I’d never read her memoir about actually being the editor of Gourmet. Save Me the Plums documents that journey and gives an insider look at what it took to put the magazine together. I really liked this on audio.

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

The print copy of this book has been on my TBR shelf for literal years. It’s thick and intimidating. So finally I decided to check it out on audio from the library and give it a try that way. That worked! I made it through 15 hours in short order.

This documents Kingsolver’s year of her and her family trying to eat only food that she’s grown or that was grown within a 100-mile radius. I would say you need to be pretty interested in this topic to get through this because she goes pretty deep into the process and the societal implications. (And of course, the writing is beautiful because it’s Barbara Kingsolver.) But I enjoyed listening to this and it inspired me to try to do a little vegetable gardening myself. I grew two jalapeno peppers and three entire cherry tomatoes over the summer. I know. You’re impressed. ;) (I did have better luck with herbs at least.)

Favorite Books for Writers

1000 Words by Jami Attenberg (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

I love hearing writers talk about writing. Jami Attenberg asked over fifty writers to share their wisdom and pep talks for fellow writers and then compiled them. This is a book you can jump in and out of, reading an entry here and there. I did a lot of underlining.

Walking in This World by Julia Cameron (Amazon | Libro.fm | Bookshop.org)

When I need to remember that writing is about creativity first and business second, I go to Julia Cameron. I always feel better after reading one of her books, and this one was just what I needed at the time. It inspired this post on The Nourished Writer: Entering my Phoebe Buffay Era

The Art of Slow Writing by Louise DeSalvo (Amazon | Bookshop.org)

This was so much more than I expected it to be. I expected it to be a straightforward writing manual, but instead, it was essays about the slow-writing life, using lots of examples from famous writers (mostly of lit fic.) So much of what was talked about resonated with me and affirmed what I yearn for in my writing life, what feels natural, honestly. Writers now are under such pressure to produce quickly that sometimes we forget that art has always taken time. That’s a feature not a bug.

Whew! That was a long one. I hope you found something you want to add to your TBR for 2025.

What was your favorite non-fiction read this year? Did you see any themes emerge in your reading overall?