Nonfiction November 2026: Nonfiction Journeys

Nonfiction November is hosted by Heather @ Based on a True Story, Frances @ Volatile Rune, Liz @ Adventures in Reading, Running and Working from Home and Deb @ Readerbuzz.

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Week 2 (November 9-15): Nonfiction Journeys 

This week choose a book that reflects a journey for its author/protagonist or for the reader or both. This can be a physical journey, an emotional, psychological or spiritual journey or a combination of these. Any nonfiction title that leaves it’s author/protagonist and/or reader in a different place at the end from the start point is good for this challenge. 

Hosted by Frances at Volatile Rune

Chill Out and Cheer Up:A Ten Step Guide by Grace Grossman

For this week's journey prompt, I've chosen Chill Out and Cheer Up by Grace Grossmann. It's about an emotional and psychological journey towards self-acceptance, personal growth and happiness, encouraging readers to rethink their mindset and what truly matters in life.

My Review

What do you think of this title? Would you read it?

Review: Inverting the Qin History by Arundhati Sharma

Title: Inverting the Qin History: The Archaeological Truth About Emperor Qin
Author: Arundhati Sharma
Publication: March 28, 2026 by Inpress International
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4/5★

This evidence-based, archaeologically verified historical nonfiction book dismantles centuries of myths and popular fictions surrounding Qin Shi Huang - the first emperor of China - using newly excavated Qin bamboo slips, imperial tomb archaeological reports, paleographic research, and peer-reviewed academic studies. For readers seeking accurate, trustworthy, and deeply researched history, this book corrects misleading narratives from A Step Back in Time and traditional historiography to reveal the real governance, legal system, and legacy of the Qin Dynasty.

Based on the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips, Liye Qin Bamboo Slips, Qin royal DNA analysis, and field excavations of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, Epang Palace, and the Qin Great Wall, author Arundhati Sharma - a scholarly writer with a master's degree in English Literature specializing in historical and mythic narrative - delivers a rigorously researched, high-authority reassessment of one of history's most misunderstood figures. Every claim is grounded in verifiable primary sources, archaeological evidence, and modern historical scholarship, ensuring full alignment with standards for educational and historical content.

Covering core historical controversies including Qin Shi Huang's lineage, the "failure to arrive on time means death" legal myth, the true meaning of "burning books and burying scholars," and the reality of Qin infrastructure projects, this book provides clear, factual, and unbiased analysis for students, educators, history enthusiasts, and general readers. Unlike sensationalized fiction or outdated moralizing histories, this work prioritizes factual accuracy, transparent sourcing, and archaeological truth - making it a trusted resource within categories of education, historical knowledge, and cultural literacy.

Whether you are seeking to unlearn false historical narratives, understand real Qin legal systems, explore China's foundational unification, or distinguish popular fiction from academic truth, Inverting the Qin History offers authoritative, accessible, and fact-checked insights. Edited by Warren H. Lau - a data-driven chief editor with a background in high-stakes analytical publishing - this book maintains strict standards of evidence, clarity, and reliability for readers who demand serious, credible history.

Discover how modern archaeology has overturned the "tyrant" stereotype, restored Qin Shi Huang's legacy as a state-building pioneer, and revealed the world's earliest modern bureaucratic-legal empire. This is not sensationalized storytelling - this is verified, expert-backed historical truth.

I know next to nothing about Chinese history but with this book my interest has been highly sparked. I had no idea there was so many misinformation about the first emperor of China who ruled from 221 BCE – 210 BCE. A lot of the misconceptions these days come from the wildly popular Chinese tv series A Step into the Past. But with this book Arundhati Sharma separates fact from fiction by looking at actual scientific research and archaeological findings.

I loved how the author combined archaeological evidence, ancient sources and modern scholarship to explore how the Qin state actually functioned as well as Qin Shi Huang himself. It was a very nuanced perspective on his rule and legacy. It also made me excited to learn more about Chinese history in general, as well as exploring the histories of other Asian countries.

Inverting the Qin History: The Archaeological Truth About Emperor Qin by Arundhati Sharma uses archaeological discoveries and modern research to challenge popular myths about Qin Shi Huang and offer a more accurate look at the first emperor of China and the Qin Dynasty. I really enjoyed how much research went into the book and how it encourages the reader to look beyond the traditional narratives surrounding such a complex historical figure.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Pluck by Jennifer Ackerman

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.
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Pluck: How the New Science of Female Birds Is Upending the Avian World by Jennifer Ackerman

Expected publication: April 20, 2027 by Penguin Press

From the New York Times bestselling author of What an Owl Knows, The Genius of Birds, and The Bird Way, a groundbreaking investigation into female birds

Recent studies on female birds are overturning much of what we thought we knew about birds. In the past, research focused almost exclusively on the male half of the class. But now that females are getting their time in the sun, they’re toppling all sorts of ideas about why birds are the way they are—why they look and sound and act the way they do, how they pick their mates and raise their young, how they move from place to place, and how they’re adapting to a changing world. Some female birds sing more than their male counterparts and outshine them in dazzling plumage. Others boast bodies twice as large as their mates and outdo them in aggression. Still others have entirely different migratory patterns from their male counterparts and are quicker to adapt to climate change.

Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about birds for more than twenty years, but she grew up with the conventional wisdom found in field guides and bird books that females were drab and passive. As scientists are now finding, nothing could be further from the truth. From ice-filled New Hampshire lakes to the deep recesses of the Amazonian jungles, female birds are capable of typical male behaviors like aggression, competition, complex song, and sexual assertiveness. They also have radicallydifferent ways of living and surviving than males, and wildly different skills, opportunities, and risks. The consequences of this are profound. It’s changing the way we think about birds, and how we plan for their protection.This remarkable new view of female birds will change how we see and experience all birds.

Whaaaat? A non-history book featured today? How unlike me! But I saw that Jennifer Ackerman is releasing a new book in 2027 and I really enjoyed her previous book What an Owl Knows so of course I'll have to read it as well. I'm sure it's going to be just as interesting!

The author's previous book:

What book are you awaiting today?