Tag: nonfiction writers

Nonfiction writers serve as the mainstay of most of my reading. I love fictioin but because my time for reading is limited, I generally choose reality over make-believe.

Historical nonfiction is my favorite genre, though I am also drawn to authors who explore their own lives in an effort to pass on valuable lessons they’ve learned. One of my favorites in this vein is Alexandra Stoddard, whose book Living a Beautiful Life I found in the mid-1980s when I was struggling to discover my own sense of self in my life. I learned so much from her about celebrating life every single day, as she proposes in this quote from her book:

“Creating daily rituals—making daily tasks into times of enrichment through planning and special personal details—is a way to live a richer, more satisfying life.” Sprinkled throughout the book are gracious line drawings by Pat Stewart and inspiring quotes. There are “Grace Notes” at the end of each chapter summing up the text, which make for grounding reminders when life becomes too hectic to spend time with the chapters themselves. After 25 years of use, my book remains one of the treasures in my bag of ticks for managing a fast-paced existence. I feature a wide array of books by nonfiction writers here on The Diary of an Improvateur; you can find which authors fascinate me the most by clicking on the tag.