I love finding other resources for my books other than The ‘Zon and Barnes and Noble. One of my favorite sources for books when I’m online is Bookshop.org. Right now, you can get 15% off my specially curated list of 5-Star nonfiction reads. Check out my affiliate link below:

(Bookshop.org)

Some of the titles I’ve included in my curated list are:

• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio I saw the movie version of this book years ago with Julianne Moore as the lead. The book tells the story of the author’s mom, who would enter every contest known to man. Back in the day, she ended up winning TONS of free stuff, from groceries to toasters, TVs, and even cars! A truly incredible story of the mother of 10 children who always found a way to get what her family needed by entering and winning contests.
• Endurance by Scott Kelly (Click here for review) I saw the documentary A Year in Space with Scott Kelly on PBS years ago. I’ve always had a thing about the space program, and Kelly spent a year on the International Space Station. You may recognize him as the identical twin of Arizona’s Senator, Mark Kelly. Scott was allowed one book in his gear, and it was a book called Endurance.
• Endurance by Alfred Lansing (Click here for review) This is the book Scott Kelly took on the ISS. Even though it was written decades ago, it’s just as engaging as if it happened yesterday. I had seen a movie with Kenneth Branagh playing the part of Ernest Shackleton, so I was familiar with the story of the Endurance, but whoa! This book is so detailed and incredible that I revisit it once in a while.
• Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter I remember when Karen Carpenter died; it was the first time I’d ever heard of anorexia. This book was totally not approved by her brother Richard, which means we get a fuller portrait of the life of this incredible singer and musician.
• Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim Little House on the Prairie fans will bust a gut with this memoir from the actress that played Nellie Oleson on the 1970s TV show. I got to see her live at Heritage Hill when they used to have Laura Ingalls Wilder Days
• Roots by Alex Haley Have you ever seen Henry Louis Gates Jr’s Finding Your Roots on PBS? He was inspired to create his show from this historical non-fiction drama. The television miniseries and sequels that aired on 1970s television were groundbreaking and inspired generations to look to the past to find their families and their stories.
• The Gales of November (Click here for review) This is a newer release; it came out in 2025 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. This detailed account of the tragedy is a must for those of us who were too young to remember this event.
• The River of Doubt by Candace Millard I’ve read a lot about Theodore Roosevelt, but The River of Doubt is one of the most gripping real-life thrillers I’ve read. Roosevelt and company tried to map a tributary of the Amazon, and all hell broke loose. There was a murder, cannibals stalked them along the way, provisions lost, and Roosevelt wound up with an infection that almost killed him
• Founding Mothers The late ABC/NPR reporter Cokie Roberts was one of the first people I knew of to research and write about the WOMEN that helped found the United States.
• Ladies of Liberty Picks up where Founding Mothers stopped. Continues to amplify American women in history up to the Civil War
• A Night to Remember This is one of the most compelling narratives of the ill-fated Titanic sinking. Just like Endurance, it was written decades ago but still stands the test of time. The book inspired a major motion picture in the early 1950s and is still considered one of the best books on the subject.
• When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss (Click here for review) What can I say? Growing up in Green Bay, I heard all sorts of myths about Vince Lombardi. This book by Madison native David Maraniss is the most in-depth look at the Green Bay Packers coach that I’ve seen out there.

• (Bookshop.org)
• Discount Code:
  • BSO15
• Promotion:
  • 15% off the books featured in my 5-Star Reads Booklist (US-based only. Excludes Ebooks)
• Active:
  • March 16, 2026 – April 1, 2026

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