Best of 2009: Nonfiction Favorites

It’s a phrase I hear from everyone in my own life circle: I’m broke and I can’t seem to get ahead. Are we a great big generation of college failures? I say no, and so does Draut. From the disproportionate wage to cost-of-living reality, to exorbitant college tuition fees & unregulated credit card fees; today’s 20 & 30 something’s are cultivated to fail. —Adrienne

Sontag’s journals are more fascinating than any biography. She is revealing yet elusive and coy, as if she knew we’d be reading her notes. Her personality presses through the pages, set down in poetic sentences, lists of books she must read and the thinkers she worshiped; yet her personal life is kept at a distance as if she were trying to study her own emotions at arm’s length. —Vernon

Wood’s concise book on writing can be read in an afternoon but studied for a lifetime. He may lean heavily on the realist and naturalist mode (and he makes his case for what these styles mean for the reader and writer), but Wood truly work together to create the essential dreams in fiction. Required reading for writers and students of literature. —Vernon

In today’s world it’s easy to feel lost and alone, even hopeless. For those times, Post Secret is an excellent remedy. Nothing makes you feel less alone than seeing your own secrets in a stranger’s words and visions, page after page. This year honor the true spirit of the holidays, and give the gift of a profound connection, because it’s something we all need. —Flannery

Rev Jen is an art star and an ordained reverend. She wears elf ears twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Rev Jen chronicles her two years working for Nerve.com, writing a column about her ‘sexperiments’, which are exactly what the word implies. Wildly eccentric, explicit and hilarious, Rev Jen’s work is perhaps not for the staunchly conservative. – josie

Okay, I’m not one for reading humor books, but when I picked this one up, I laughed my pants off. It’s a hilarious and spellbinding collection of people’s quirks, tics and superstitions. Example: “When eating chips I check each on to see which side has more flavor. Then I make sure that side ends up facedown to maximize my chip-eating pleasure.” —Clytia

Finally out in paperback, making it more affordable, this book is the quintessential Leibovitz. This book really encompasses her entire life and includes everything from her shots for professional jobs to her personal life and family, including the iconic Susan Sontag. If you own no other photography book than this, that is okay because this book is all you may ever need.—Saraphine

Kalman’s unique artistic style and sense of humor make this memoir/travelogue/art book an excellent, entertaining read. In addition, the more weighty philosophical questions and conundrums she encounters balance well with her often whimsical style. Overall, Kalman is simply wonderful, as is her thought provoking, beautiful book!—josie

Finally! The book all of us environmentally conscious knitters (and crocheters) have been waiting for is finally here and filled with projects I actually want to make! They give you great information about every fiber used for every project, sustainable cooperative yarn, and how using some of your finished projects can help the planet. Knit on!—Saraphine

Not only is Sarah Vowell extremely funny, she's very knowledgeable and informative. The Wordy Shipmates will change the way you look at pilgrims and immerse you in American history. Vowell's writing style is so conversational, you won't even notice the pages flying by--reading her writing is second only to listening to her in person. –Nici