In my previous blogpost, I talked about my five favourite fiction books.
Now, in this blogpost, I shall be listing my five favourite non-fiction books in no particular order.
5. Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter by Louise Pentland
I've been a big fan of Louise Pentland's YouTube channel, SprinkleOfGlitr, for a long time now so I was really excited when she announced she was writing her first book. I was even more excited when I discovered that it was going to be a non-fiction lifestyle guide meant to help people of all ages and both genders. Of course, if you love Louise's YouTube channel, then I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy her book. It's full of interesting anecdotes from her life growing up, which are both humorous and emotional. She talks about her first dates and becoming a mother for the first time to her daughter, Darcy, who she refers to as 'Baby Glitter' on her channel. Louise covers a lot of topics, ranging from school & bullying to growing up and handling life. I can tell that Louise has put a lot of her heart and soul into this book and she should be proud of it. When I was reading this, it felt like Louise was speaking to me and telling me all her stories and giving me advice. I'd definitely recommend this to Louise's viewers and to people who are in need of advice and don't mind a sprinkle of glitter.
4. Storm In A C Cup by Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack has been one of my favourite presenters ever since she presented on CBBC several years ago. When I was about 8 or 9, I loved watching a show called TMi which she presented alongside Sam and Mark (CBBC's answer to Ant and Dec). This show was full of random games, exciting competitions and celebrity guests and it was one of the reasons I didn't mind getting up early on a Saturday morning. It was Caroline's personality that stood out to me, she was always up for a laugh and so funny. However, she eventually left the CBBC to present The Xtra Factor on ITV, which is the side show to singing competition, The X Factor. After The X Factor was finished, I would always switch to ITV2 and watch Caroline chat to the judges, contestants and the celebrity guests. She presented this show alongside, X Factor runner-up, Olly Murs. The two had great chemistry and always had a lot of fun together. Now, the two are currently the presenters of the main show and, in October, Caroline released her first book which was an autobiography. I love reading autobiographies as I'm always interested in their stories and how they started their career. Caroline doesn't hold back and opens up about her life growing up, how she got into presenting and her personal life. What I love most about Caroline, in this book, is that she's so honest and reveals her true feelings about certain periods in her life. For example, she talks about when she dated One Direction bandmember, Harry Styles, and the controversy the media created about the two. This is, by far, one of the best autobiographies I've read.
3) Love, Tanya by Tanya Burr
Tanya Burr is another one of my favourite YouTubers because she's always so sweet and positive in all of her videos. In 2014, Tanya announced that she was currently writing her first book and I couldn't be more excited. In February 2015, Tanya published her first book, Love, Tanya. She explained the reason why it was called 'Love, Tanya' was because it was like a love letter to her viewers and fans. She has described the book as being close to her heart and I can understand why. Like Louise's book, this contains short anecdotes from Tanya's life growing up whilst giving advice at the same time. She covers a wide range of topics: love; relationships; beauty; fashion; YouTube and she even includes some of her favourite baking recipes. There is definitely something for everyone here. What I also loved about this book is that it includes several different lists for her readers to write on. Even if you don't like Tanya's videos, you will probably still enjoy this book as there really is something for everyone. Tanya is a really optimistic person and this book clearly shows that. Definitely one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read.
2. All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher
I think that Carrie Hope Fletcher has to be one of the most positive YouTubers I've ever watched. In all of her videos, she always has a positive attitude and is always smiling, no matter what. Last April, she published her first book and I was so excited to read it. It certainly didn't disappoint. Like with Tanya's and Louise's books, All I Know Now contains stories from Carrie's life growing up whilst giving advice at the same time. However, Carrie began writing All I Know Now as a blog on Tumblr in 2013 so she's spent a really long time working on this. She never intended her blog to become a book until a publisher read her writing on Tumblr and gave her a book deal, which Carrie accepted. I was so happy for Carrie when she announced she was making All I Know Now into a book as I knew how much she wanted to be a writer and loved reading her blog. Before All I Know Now was published, I had a small idea of what it would be like, however, I think I underestimated how good it was going to be. Despite Carrie already having two other jobs, filming, editing and uploading YouTube videos and performing as Eponine in Les Miserables in London, she still managed to write and publish her first book. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to work three different jobs but Carrie succeeded. This is why she is one of the most inspirational people I know. Like I said earlier, it contains stories from Carrie's life but she also talks about the lessons she has learnt growing up. Of course, Carrie being a performer, the book is structured out like a play. The chapters are known as 'acts', for example, 'Act 1' focuses on 'How To Make Friends Without Vomiting On Their Shoes... and Other School Stories'. The book has a contents page, known as a 'Programme' so you don't have to read the book in chronological order. And, of course, like with every play, the book has a finale. This is where Carrie concludes her book and, if I'm honest, I did cry reading this part of the book. I felt like I had been on a journey with Carrie and she made me to become a better person. I owe most of my confidence to her. She's one of the reasons I can be myself. And, like with Tanya's book, you don't have to be a fan of Carrie's YouTube channel to read the book. It's aimed at everyone. There is no target audience. If you're in need of confidence boosting or looking for something to uplift your spirits, then I'd definitely recommend reading Carrie's book. She will bring your mood up within reading one page of her book.
1. Girl Stuff by Kaz Cooke
This book is probably the most underrated of the five on this list. Kaz Cooke isn't a YouTuber so she didn't have a huge audience to reach out to when she published this book. I first found this book in my school library when I was 14 and I became obsessed with it. So much so that I bought my own copy so I didn't have to borrow it from the library. It contained all the information I needed. Obviously, the target audience is teenage girls but I don't think this means that boy shouldn't read it too. If you're a boy and you want to understand girls better, then, go ahead, read this book. It has over 500 pages full of 'girl stuff' like the book implies. The book focuses on teenage girls going through puberty and are in need of some understanding with what's going on with their bodies. If you're currently going through puberty and you feel like you can't talk to your parents, teachers, friends or anyone else then I'd definitely recommend this book. Kaz Cooke talks about puberty in a mature way. She also covers a wide range of topics including: friends; body changes; shopping; clothes and make-up; spots; sizes; hair; embarrassment; what to eat; moods; smoking; handling love and heartbreak; exercise; guys; school stress; sex; beating bullies; your rights; drinking; cheering up; getting parents to take you seriously; why diets suck; drugs; earning money; confidence and being happy with your own true self. And that's less than half the topics she covers. If you relate to any of the aforementioned topics, please read this book. Thanks to Kaz's witty comments and hilarious cartoons, she makes this an enjoyable read instead of a boring encyclopedia. Most people are too embarrassed to talk about puberty, but, by reading Girl Stuff, I know there's no shame in what I feel or do. What I also liked about this book is that it contained comments from different girls of all ages talking about their experiences and opinions on things which really put some things into perspective for me. For example, I used to despise periods (and I still do) but a girl stated in the book that she doesn't mind having her period anymore as it proves that the body is functioning normally and that's really changed my opinion on periods. Like it says on the back on the book, Girl Stuff tells the truth and lets you make up your own mind. It will be your best friend through every change and challenge.
So those were my five favourite non-fiction books.
I'd definitely recommend them all.
However, you don't have to read them if you don't want to.
Thank you for reading my blogpost, it really does mean a lot.
Click here to read my five favourite fiction books.
❤
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