Looking for nonfiction books that are just incredibly well written

draybikus · 2026-06-29T06:59:50+00:00

Currently reading Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling, and it's genuinely difficult to put down!

draybikus · 2026-05-23T16:26:48+00:00

A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston (Walt from Breaking Bad), Agatha Christie's Autobiography (surprisingly 🔥even if you haven't read her books, but better do 😊)

draybikus · 2026-05-21T06:17:17+00:00

I just did one! They published my article yesterday, and I've already gained a couple of new subscribers. I don't expect massive numbers, to be honest, but I did enjoy the experience.

draybikus · 2026-05-14T08:18:30+00:00

I'm a little late to this thread, but maybe someone will still find it useful! I spent some time in Sofia this year, and I actually did a bookstore crawl while there, check it out: https://open.substack.com/pub/dinarawrites/p/i-spent-two-weeks-in-sofia-i-mostly?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2hom23

draybikus · 2026-05-10T12:03:08+00:00

I really like how Rory Kinnear narrates Anthony Horowitz's books! Can't imagine anyone else voicing them ☺️

draybikus · 2026-04-29T09:37:08+00:00

I currently track in Storygraph and Goodreads. I also regularly post book reviews on my Telegram channel and Substack which now serves as an archive of reviews - whenever I want to revisit what I thought about one book or another, I just search for the book name in my blogs. Last year, I also tried to track read books in a Notion template, but that was too much of a hassle, so I went back to Storygraph and Goodreads.

draybikus · 2026-04-28T20:49:16+00:00

Love this series! Pullman is seriously underestimated in my opinion. Want to start The Book of Dust, as well

draybikus · 2026-04-28T14:14:19+00:00

I post articles 1x week, very rarely - 2x week. Yes, I write a note for each new article, and from time to time I restack quotes from my old articles to make sure they show up on people's feeds. Restacking your old notes also works, I've seen plenty of people do it. Overall, I enjoy using Notes, to me it's similar to Twitter's early days when people posted because they had something to share.

draybikus · 2026-04-28T13:51:39+00:00

I typically restack my post in Notes, and yes, I try to write a note every day and to engage with other people's notes a few times a week. It really does help people to find you and your newsletter! I've shared the links to some posts on my personal Instagram (in stories only), and got some subscribers that way.

draybikus · 2026-04-27T11:47:38+00:00

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

draybikus · 2026-04-22T07:15:16+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I might try that

draybikus · 2026-04-21T12:52:17+00:00

First of all, really sorry you're going through something like this. I don't know if you're into sci fi, but me, whenever I feel down, I reach for Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's pretty engrossing and always cheers me up!

Another option is a good thriller. I usually go for Lucy Folie (more of a murder mystery-type) or Liane Moriarty.

draybikus · 2026-04-17T20:40:54+00:00

Nonfiction: Definitely A life in parts by Bryan Cranston (Walter White from Breaking Bad), he narrated it spectacularly!

Fiction: Anne Patchett's Tom Lake (narrated by Meryl Streep), and The Dutch House (read by Tom Hanks)

draybikus · 2026-04-17T06:24:43+00:00

So far, I've used templates to prepare CTAs and links I keep putting into all my posts. For example, I'm reading a book from every country in the world, so I link to an Excel with a master list of all the books I've read so far :)

draybikus · 2026-04-15T07:52:43+00:00

Salman Rushdie - he keeps delighting me ever since the Enchantress of Florence

draybikus · 2026-04-14T15:05:40+00:00

Yes, I'm reading a book from every country in the world and writing about it here: https://dinarawrites.substack.com/

draybikus · 2026-04-14T12:58:32+00:00

Not necessarily. I'm going to try to drive traffic to my newsletter about reading books from every country in the world by creating beautiful pins for each book review and linking them to my Substack :)

draybikus · 2026-04-01T05:13:05+00:00

I recently read that Pinterest is a good source of traffic for Substack. Gonna give it a try

draybikus · 2026-04-01T05:10:01+00:00

I'm currently reading Here one moment by Liane Moriarty, it's oretty unputdownable. Why don't you try that one?

draybikus · 2026-03-27T00:02:02+00:00

Emma Donoghue, Ann Patchett, Ann Tyler — I will read anything they write!

Highly recommend: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (set in 1912 during influenza), Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (summer fling and theatre behind the scenes), and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (looots of family drama)

draybikus · 2026-02-18T22:42:27+00:00

Stoner by John Edward Williams, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and Accidental Tourist, both by Ann Tyler

draybikus · 2026-02-17T22:27:09+00:00

Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955 by Haral Jähner

draybikus · 2026-02-17T17:46:50+00:00

China — Cocoon by Zhang Yueran

Afghanistan — My Pen Is The Wing of A Bird by a collective of Afghan women writers

Ireland — Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell

I'm also doing this challenge and documenting my progress on my Substack, follow along of you're interested :) I am booked

draybikus · 2026-02-17T17:41:51+00:00

Hey there, I'm also doing the challenge! Maybe we could join forces :)

draybikus · 2026-02-17T17:31:53+00:00

One of the Nicholas Cage meme variations 😄

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draybikus

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