Read/Watch/Listen: Non-fiction November Edition

A foodie memoir, a cultish listen, and a woman I'm endlessly fascinated by

My reading year has been a weird one, but if there’s one clear theme that’s surfacing, it’s that 2024 has been the year of non-fiction for me.

I’ve always been an avid reader of non-fiction. Memoirs, how-tos, business books, true crime, cookbooks, books on writing, books on philosophy, books about books, books about TV shows…I’m pretty omnivorous. However, this year, my current tally comes out to 68% of the books I’ve read have been non-fiction—and that’s not even counting cookbooks, which I generally don’t record as “read” on my list. So, something’s going on.

Maybe it’s a concentration issue. Non-fiction is easier to consume on audio while I’m doing other things. Maybe it’s because some of the current fiction trends aren’t my personal jam (though, let’s not pretend that I don’t have a hoarder’s level amount of backlist books sitting on my shelves or on my Kindle that this wouldn’t apply to.) Maybe it’s just that I’m #1 Learner and #2 Input on the Clifton Strengths test, and I needed a big injection of Learner/Input fodder.

I don’t know. It’s not a problem per se and I’d like to find my way back to more fiction, but this turn in my reading happens to be good news for Non-Fiction November—I have recs for you!

Read

The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones

There’s a new book out, The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin, which I’m very excited about and has been on my wishlist since I heard about. However, I’ve had one of Judith Jones’ memoirs on my shelf for almost 2 years, and I didn’t want to jump into The Editor without first reading a firsthand account from the woman herself.

For those who don’t know, Judith Jones was the famed editor of Julia Child. However, she’s responsible for so many more books than that. For one, she plucked The Diary of Anne Frank from the slushpile and championed it when no one else wanted it. I mean, that alone could make a career. But then she went on to put Julia’s work out and followed that up with a long list of cookbook authors who introduced America to international cuisines and cooking from home that didn’t involve frozen dinners and cream of mushroom soup. It’s not an overstatement to say that she found the voices that changed how and what we eat here.

She wasn’t limited to cookbooks either. She also published Sylvia Plath, Anne Tyler, and John Updike. Her author list is a stunner.

I’m assuming the book The Editor will cover the whole of her career, including the fiction editing part. The Tenth Muse, however, hones in on her career working with cookbook authors as well as her own cooking journey as she learned from these titan authors.

This is solidly a food memoir and Judith’s tone is warm and inviting. Judith passed away at age 93 in 2017, but her voice is alive on the page. You can feel her enthusiasm for the projects she worked on, how much she loved working with the authors (though she was not afraid to take them to task as a good editor does), and you can see how these experiences shaped her own cooking journey.

I read half of this on a plane ride to Indianapolis to watch my kiddo compete in a national marching band competition and I finished the second half on the plane ride home. I was immediately sucked in and didn’t want to put it down. So if you love a food memoir or a story that shows how culture can be shaped by books, give this one a try. Then go watch Julie & Julia again (or the newer Max TV Show Julia) where Judith is a character.

Watch

Speaking of cookbook icons, I watched Martha, the new Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix this month, and I know many people have negative feelings about her, but y’all, my inner perfectionist, straight-A student, #3 Acheiver-strength self is just endlessly fascinated by Martha Stewart and her desire to do ALL the things PERFECTLY (and often pulling that sh*t off, lol.) The competence, man. It gets me right here.

I own almost every cookbook and home/organizing book she’s written. I’ll watch old reruns of her shows for comfort viewing. I know she is probably a nightmare to work for, but like, how many mogul CEOs aren’t? She just gets more flack for it because she’s a woman.

So, I fully enjoyed this documentary which covered her early years, her rise to fame, her “fall” with the stock scandal, and then her resurgence. I feel like the documentary was pretty even-handed, showing both admirable and not-so-admirable things about her. I’ve read that Martha wasn’t happy with the second half of it because it focused too much on the trial/jail time that was only 2 years of her long life, but I also understand why the filmmaker gave that screen time. It’s what a lot of people are interested in. (I was more interested in the other stuff, honestly.)

If Martha annoys you, this probably isn’t the documentary for you, but if you find her interesting and fascinating like I do, then give it a shot. It’s a good thing. ;)

Listen

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know I love a soapy teen show. Give me all the Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Buffy, Gossip Girl, The Summer I Turned Pretty you can. So of course I used to watch One Tree Hill.

I’d already listened to The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm by Hilarie Burton Morgan (who played Peyton on the show) back in March. I enjoyed that listen and gave it 4 stars. It was mostly a light and fluffy, easy listen.

However, I had no idea that one of the other stars, Bethany Joy Lenz, who played Haley, had an entirely different kind of memoir coming out. One with a cult! For those who haven’t watched the show or haven’t seen it in a while, Haley played the good girl/best friend character for lack of a better term. The not popular, smart, more buttoned-up girl in comparison to the other two “cool girl” female leads. Back when I watched it, she was who I identified with most because I know y’all will all be shocked to know I was the girl studying and not partying. (Still am, lol.)

But I had no idea that Bethany Joy Lenz had a whole dark thing going on in her life while she was filming that show. When living in Hollywood, before she was cast on One Tree Hill, she met a bible study group and was looking for a place to belong. Soon, she was sucked into what she realized too late was a cult. She even eventually marries the son of the leader and has a child with him.

This was a compelling listen but also tough. I’ve realized that something I find really hard to read/listen to is gaslighting in a story, particularly a true story. So many times when listening to this book, I wanted to jump back in time and save her, point out how these people were manipulating her young, impressionable mind. She was such a smart, funny, talented actress, and they drained her of confidence, making her feel dependent on them, trusting them with her finances and decisions. This book will make you angry on her behalf.

She narrates the audiobook herself and some of the One Tree Hill cast members have voice cameos in it. She also occasionally sings. So, if you’re going to check this one out, I’d recommend it in audio.

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Alright, I hope you found something in there to keep you entertained for Non-Fiction November!

I’ll be spending the rest of the month combing through my cookbooks to figure out the “perfect” meal to make for Thanksgiving. :)

Happy reading!

Roni

What good things have you been reading, watching, and listening to this month?

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