Dear friends. I've done rather well with non-fiction this year. I signed up to read 10 books in Shelleyrae's Book'd Out 2026 challenge, and I've now read 27.
Shelleyrae had listed some categories she wanted to see featured. Unfortunately I didn't do quite so well here. Nonetheless I've had a good mix of genres.
The books I enjoyed the most are in the top row of the graphic above.
If any of my US or Antipodean friends are puzzled about my "non-fiction" , UK English describes "non-fiction" as hyphenated, and I'm a stickler.
If I had to choose just four favourite books from this year, it would be these. They each have a strong Nature, Wildlife and Ecology angle. If you want a joyful, uplifting book, you won't go wrong.
Three of these books are memoirs with a common angle of the writer becoming inspired by nature after a particular incident in their lives.
In the case of Chloe Dalton and her award winning book Raising Hare, it was rescuing a leveret from certain death. Dalton, a workaholic who travelled a lot for work, had no idea how to care for the helpless creature, and found very little online to guide her. A busy professional, she was determined to release it to the wild. She didn't name the hare or touch it unless absolutely necessary. Over time a bond developed, and although the hare spent more time with its own kind, it still returned to her. I love the descriptions of the hare drumming, its strange little noises, and how it would touch Dalton with its paw.
Discovering the world of the hare made Chloe Dalton became interested in ecology. She wants farmers and landowners to be more hare-aware. The hare population in the UK has plummeted. Ploughing, kills and maims hares. Hares are also losing their natural habit, the hedges and areas underneath at the edges of fields. She has also spearheaded a petition to try to get a cessation on the sport of shooting hares during their breeding season.
In The Apothecary by the Sea, Victoria Bennett turns to nature after moving to Orkney following a period of her life suffering from grief and loss. Initially she hides from the neighbours, afraid she will be shunned as an outsider. But gradually she starts to reach out, with a nearby resident allowing her to take over his derelict garden.
She starts to research the medicinal qualities of the island's plants and transforms her scrappy backyard garden into an abundant apothecary garden.
Meanwhile The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard is about the quest of a Danish woman to see every native species of butterfly in one year. She knew hardly anything about them and didn't realise how logistically difficult it would be. Some species can only be found in certain, very specific, locations for a limited time window. It's fascinating and very compelling.
I also loved The Penguin Guide to Penguins by Peter Fretwell and Lisa Fretwell. It's a book full of curious facts about these beloved birds. They all eat stones, all 18 different species. And they're not all black and white.
To find all my reviews this year visit my 2026 Books Page.
Non-Fiction in 2027?
I enjoyed the 2026 challenge and found it very easy once I started to look out for books on NetGalley, plus the reviews of other bloggers. I didn't go too far outside my comfort zone. You'll see some common threads among my choices.
I will happily sign up again for Shelleyrae's challenge next year, and make more of an effort to focus on any particular labels she might choose.
I'll also look forward to taking part in the November Non-Fiction Challenge, which is run by Heather at Based on a True Story. This post will go in the link-up but I haven't had time to prepare my reading for the other prompts.
Have my reviews over the year prompted you to read any of the non-fiction books? Do share in the comments.
Sharing this post with Heather at Based on a True Story, Shelleyrae at Bookd Out, Sunday Post with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer, Sunday Salon with Deb at Readerbuzz, It's Monday, What are you Reading with Kathryn at The Book Date
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