Last week I offered up my favorite fiction titles from the past year. Here’s my list of nonfiction faves:

“Friendkeeping: A Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can’t Live Without” by Julie Klam (Riverhead Books, 224 pages, $25.95)

Julie Klam doesn’t take friends for granted. Tough times test friendships. In “Friendkeeping” Klam reflects on her enduring personal connections. These pages are strewn with nuggets of wisdom and witticism. In this warm hearted book she writes: “it’s important to remember that people can go off the deep end; it doesn’t mean they have to stay there. And when they come back, it’s nice to have a friend waiting with a warm towel.”

“Who I Am” by Pete Townshend (Harper, 538 pages, $32.50)

In his memoir The Who guitarist Pete Townshend addresses his personal demons. The rock opera “Tommy” was a fictional channel for his psychic angst. He numbed himself for years with drink, drugs, and infidelity. And he’s candid about the damage he has inflicted upon himself and others. One typical rock star recollection: He recounts how the Who’s drummer, the late Keith Moon, suddenly jumped off a balcony and into the pool at a hotel. When Townshend impulsively copied Moon’s move he almost missed the pool.

“Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick” by Paul Dickson (Walker, 434 pages, $28)

Bill Veeck was a visionary who changed the way that baseball is presented. In this biography baseball scribe Paul Dickson assembles evidence of a career that was entertaining and often hilarious. Veeck owned teams in Milwaukee, Saint Louis, Cleveland, and Chicago over the course of his long career. He was an energetic innovator. Veeck’s madcap promotions are legendary. He scrutinized the smallest details and devised amenities that attracted fans to the ballpark. He loved baseball. An enduring image: Veeck sitting up in the bleachers drinking beer with the fans and tamping out his cigarettes in the ashtray that was concealed inside his wooden leg.

”Several Short Sentences About Writing” by Verlyn Klinkenborg (Knopf, 205 pages, $22)

Verlyn Klinkenborg has been writing and thinking about writing for years. His observations are pithy and practical. Here’s an example: “Practicing noticing will also help you learn about patience and the nature of your mind.” Here’s another: “You can start anywhere and end anywhere. There is no single necessary order.” This book can liberate you if will allow yourself to be freed. First, forget every thing you have ever been taught about writing. Then read this book. You might be amazed.

“One for the Books” by Joe Queenan (Viking, 244 pages, $24.95)

Joe Queenan is a book guy. He reads constantly and has impeccable taste. In this memoir he recounts his long love affair with books. Queenan has a quick, punchy writing style akin to a welterweight boxer. Bing! Bap! Boom! You’re down for the count, stunned, and laughing about it. His book really spoke to this reviewer. If you love books, then you might enjoy this glimpse inside the mind of a great reader. Queenan’s is a marvelous obsession.

“By the Iowa Sea” by Joe Blair (Scribner, 280 pages, $24)

Here’s my sleeper: Joe Blair’s debut. In this memoir Blair describes a period in his life when he did some foolish things. The author is a blue collar guy, a family man. There were some issues. They have a son who is autistic. That can be difficult. Still, Blair had a wonderful life. Then he almost blew it. What an engulfing read. Remember the name; Joe Blair.