RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off) discussion

June is here and the world is still struggling with Corona Virus, but at least some relief has been granted to many places and right now it is the best we could hope for! Soon half the year will be over... like real bookworms, we have all found solace in between the pages of our beloved books and read some really great books so far this year and I am sure everyone plans to read tons more in the coming months. Moving forward in the genre challenge, we have non-fiction genre for this month, a genre which is a bit unpopular among the hardcore fiction readers, but interesting and enlightening all the same.

If you are a dedicated non-fiction reader then we request you to please recommend some awesome books to our fiction-head members (which definitely includes me.) Others, please feel free to ask for suggestions and recommendations. Reviews of books are greatly appreciated and we are okay with anyone posting relevant links too.

There are absolutely no limits so you can interpret this genre in its broader sense and include other similar genres and/or subgenres that you feel might have a wee bit of similarity with the main genre. You can also include books that are not particularly centred around the main genre but has its components or elements somewhere in the story.

The main intent of this challenge is to incorporate different kinds of books and genres in our normal reading routine to make the experience more fun and entertaining. Please do not lose yourself in the technicalities as we all know how literary genres can be confusing.
If you have any doubts or questions, then post them below and we'll be happy to answer/discuss them.

Here is the DEFINITION for this month's genre:

Non-Fiction: Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition. Note that reporting the beliefs of others in a nonfiction format is not necessarily an endorsement of the ultimate veracity of those beliefs, it is simply saying that it is true that people believe that (for such topics as mythology, religion). Non-fiction can also be written about fiction, giving information about these other works.

Here's a quick summary of the levels:

Level 1: Casual Reader: 1 book (easy)
Level 2: Frequent Reader: 2 books (moderate)
Level 3: Bookworm: 3 books (mildly strenuous)
Level 4: Bibliophile: 4 books (strenuous)
Level 5: Bookiopath: 5 books or more (challenging)

Please mention what type of books you'd be reading:

PB: Paperbacks
HB: Hardbacks
EB: E-Books
AB: Audio Books

Please feel free to announce your to-read books along with the level you are targeting for below. Though it is not necessary as you can announce your reads as and when you decide or read them.

PLEASE READ (especially new members):
1. You can read any number of books for the respective genre every month.
2. You can join the challenge at any stage (in any month.)
3. You can drop out of the challenge any time you like.
4. You can select different levels every month.
5. Use this discussion board to share your reads with other members of the group.
6. Please be active and don't hesitate to ask questions or recommend books.
7. You can couple this challenge with any other challenge here (or anywhere else.) We all do it and it makes it all the more fun!

Be safe and keep reading!

These sound interesting, Dagny!

It always takes me a little longer to read non-fiction, so I might not make it to five books this month. I have two I just got from my library (hooray for curb-side pick-up!):

Me by Elton John

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

I also have a biography in my to-be-read pile:

Stanwyck by Axel Madsen

1.) Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain
3 and a half stars.

2.) Me by Elton John
2 and a half stars. I'm not a superfan of his, but can appreciate his music. This mostly was about his personal life, including celebrity friends, his addictions and tantrums, his love of outrageous fashion and shopping sprees - which didn't interest me that much. However, true fans of the man himself might love it. He's just "too much" for me.

3.) Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda
4 stars. Well-written Alan Alda autobiography with plenty of humor.

I'm reading three non-fiction books over the month. Two ebooks and one paperback.

1. The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79
2. Age of Conquests The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian
Reread
3. The Black Death: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Pandemic in Medieval Europe and Human History
Finished. Started because of covid. Not very good but got me interested to learn more about the topic.

1) Beastie Boys Book 4 stars. Fun look at their career.

#1 How Languages Saved Me: A Polish Story of Survival by Tadeusz Haska and Stefani Nauman - 4/5
A very emotional read about life in the post WW1 era.

#2 Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey - 4/5
A very interesting book about the morning rituals of most of the famous artists. This is such a well put-tother book that I'd recommend it to all the new artists because as entertaining as it is, it also very inspiring.

Dagny wrote: "Jeremiah wrote: "3. The Black Death: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Pandemic in Medieval Europe and Human History
Finished. Started because of covid. Not very good but got me interested to le..."

Cool. I will search the group.

4.) Sting-Ray Afternoons by Steve Rushin
4 stars. Sportswriter Steve Rushin's autobiography of growing up in the Midwest in the 1970s. Readers in their 50s can relate to many of his childhood memories. Lots of humor and plenty of 1970s nostalgia.

1. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer (HB)

I have requested several books/audio books for this challenge from the library, however, because of new library restrictions and limited transportation, I'm unsure how many I'll be able to complete prior to this challenge. I'll aim for level 2 and keep my fingers crossed.

Dagny wrote: "I got into our library today! Didn't get the one non-fiction (wanted series mysteries, lol) on my list though, so I'll probably end this month with the two I have already read plus one more that is..."

I'm happy for you, Dagny! My town's library is still curbside pick up, but there are 2 other libraries within a half hour drive that let you in the building. They both limit the number of people inside at one time, and no one can be there longer than an hour. Even so, it's so nice to just browse the shelves.

5.) Chain Saw Confidential: How We Made the World's Most Notorious Horror Movie by Gunnar Hansen
4 stars. A fun book for fans of this horror film, written by the actor who was the original Leatherface.

Hi guys, I have made changed the month's challenge so do make sure to read the description for it before posting your reads :)
Here's the link for the next month's challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2. Becoming - Michelle Obama (EB)

So, I finally was able to pick up a couple pre-requested books from the library. Unfortunately, I'm kind of in a reading slump, and having a hard time finding interest or motivation to read (or listen to anything :( ) Is anyone feeling similarly? So all that to say: here are my 2 books for this challenge:

1.) Mayflower (AB) - Nathaniel Philbrick
2.) One Light Still Shines: My Life Beyond the Shadow of
the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting (AB) - Marie Monville