Happy National Library Week! Hope you’ve had a good one so far. This year we celebrated our right to read, honored library workers (thanks for that, btw), and been thankful for the support of our local government. If you haven’t had a chance to participate yet, I offer you one last opportunity. Here are five of my favorite nonfiction books to inspire you.

If you don’t know already, I am a musician. And when I found this book, it really spoke to me. Schleske is a violin maker and he compares the various processes of construction to different aspects of life. It is beautifully written and if it doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know anything that will. 

This is one of the first storm-related books I read and it remains one of my favorites to this day. It covers the 1900 Galveston hurricane, specifically looking at the life of the local meteorologist, Isaac Cline. You can’t go wrong with anything by Erik Larson. His latest, The Demon of Unrest, comes out at the end of April and takes a look at the Civil War.

I highly enjoy reading books about surfing. Why? I don’t know, but I always find them captivating. This was a great read about the search for new, big waves. There is always the race to see who can ride the biggest wave. Surfers discovered the fabled Cortes Bank out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s not easy to get to but it was delightful to read about. 

My other guilty pleasure when it comes to reading is books about climbing. I think because I never ever plan on doing it, I can vicariously enjoy someone else’s adventure - from the safety of my nice, warm, comfy couch. Mt. Everest had a rough year in 1996. Storms delayed expeditions and several climbers lost their lives in their attempt. Journalist John Krakauer happened to be on the mountain when one of the biggest events happened and he chronicles his story here. Block out some time for this one because once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.

I am a nerd. I’m proud of it and embrace that part of my personality. So you should not be shocked when I tell you to read a book about grammar. To be fair, this wasn’t really what I expected. I thought it would be more about grammar rules, but instead it was more about the intent behind grammar and how it can make us better people. It was great book that I very much enjoyed.

If you are reading this post, then it is highly likely that you are already fans of your local library. I would just like to say thank you for your patronage and support. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.

Happy National Library Week!
:) Amanda