plain jane Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 If you've read a non-fiction book in the last while that had an impact on you or have an all time favorite-please share it here. I'm open to all kinds - personal finance, self help, homeschooling, relationships, history, parenting, sociology-you name it. If you thought it was great or it inspired you in some way, please tell me about it. :) I'm mostly looking to fill my audible.com wishlist and I've learned that I much prefer to listen to non-fiction while I am working/doing something else than fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Two that I really enjoyed in the past few years: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talkingby Susan Cain You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, also Seabiscuit The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy The Happiness Project by Gretchen...darn I've forgotten the last name. Wild by Cheryl Strayed The $64 Tomato by William Alexander Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I mostly read non-fiction. Here are a few favorites of mine in the past year: - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (probably the best book I've ever read!) - Night by Elie Weisel - Infidel - Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea - Seabiscuit (because I love Laura Hillenbrand's writing so much - this was a good book even though the subject wasn't initially that appealing to me) - The Boy on the Wooden Box (and bonus my almost 11 year old daughter was able to read and love it also) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Another vote for Quiet I also enjoyed: A Walk in the Woods and Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers by Stephanie Levin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Another vote for Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James Tabor Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford Visit Sunny Chernobyl by Andrew Blackwell Born to Run by Christopher McDougall The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs (or any of his books) Fatu-Hiva by Thor Heyerdahl The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner Into Africa By Martin Dugard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf. Also her book on the transit of Venus. Almost anything by John McPhee. He writes on a variety of subjects, all well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Guests of the Sheik Nothing to Envy Red Odyssey The Reindeer People Invisible China Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper China Road Everything is Broken Country Driving The Corpse Walker The Disappearing Spoon Garlic and Sapphires The Lost The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 97 Orchard Confederates in the Attic Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life Global Mom Logavina Street Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Sacks The Great Influenza Neurology Pearls Neurology Board Review, Case Files Puswhisperer (written by in infectious disease specialist) Polio, An American Story The Brain That Changes Itself The White Plague (history of tuberculosis) Never Cry Wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Food: Confections of a Closet Master Baker - Bullock-Prado, Gesine The American Frugal Housewife - Child, Lydia Maria Francis Lost Recipes - Cunningham, Marion The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen - Pepin, Jaques Make the Bread, Buy the Butter - Reese, Jennifer Money/Business/Economics The Home-Based Bookstore - Weber, Steve Plutocrats - Freeland, Chrystia How To Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any - Wecks, Erik Dogs/Animals Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals - Grandin, Temple Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog - Kerasote Pukka - Kerasote Pukka's Promise - Kerasote For the Love of a Dog - McConnell Control Unleashed - McDevitt The Other End of the Leash - McConnell Misc: Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality - Barondes, Samuel The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod - Beston, Henry Francona - Francona, Terry Switch - Heath The Year 1000 - Lacey Life Below Stairs - Maloney How Philosophy Can Save Your Life: 10 Ideas That Matter Most - McCarty Saying Goodbye - Rember, Julie Woman's Guide to Hunting - Zastrow Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Gladwell Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age - Kerasote Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years - Collins, Michael J. The Apostle: The Life of Paul - Pollock Is This Normal? : The Essential Guide to Middle Age and Beyond - Whyte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees I loved Women's Work and almost never find anyone else who's read it. Have you read any of her other books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I rarely read fiction. Usually I read biographies. One biography I read last year that I really enjoyed was "The lost Life of Eva Braun" by Angela Lambert. Yes, the subject matter is a little... er... different, but it was a very good read. Not terribly long, and unlike a lot of biographies, not dense with minutae. Another book I loved was "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. Fascinating book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Two I read this past year: Grey Matter Ask Me Why I Hurt The first is by a neurosurgeon who begun using prayer in treating his patients (in conjunction with surgery, of course) and the second is by a doctor who treated homeless people with a medical van. I loved both of these stories. The second one made me feel like I'm wasting my life, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Salvador by Joan Didion (I love this book and read it every few years) The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (I found this absolutely fascinating) Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (This is a "Love it or hate it" kind of book; while I would never make some of choices she made, it did open my eyes to some of the expectations I had for my kids--or lack thereof, actually!) :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Another book I loved was "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. Fascinating book! :iagree: Outliers really challenged a lot of my assumptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh, another great one was River of Doubt about Theodore Roosevelt's journey into the Amazon basin. I had no idea this was a part of Roosevelt's history. Fascinating story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (I found this absolutely fascinating) I loved that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Currently, I can only think of books about food. lol Kitchen Confidential Garlic and Sapphires The Nasty Bits Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Farm City ETA-- not about food: Helen Keller: The Story of My Life A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again Dreams from My Father SWB's history books What about David Sedaris books? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh I second Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Totally changed how I look a food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 My favorites from this year are: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland All We Know: Three Lives Blue Blood Goodbye to All That Just Kids by Patti Smith (really, really good) Empress of Fashion: Life of Diana Vreeland Savage Grace Does this Church Make Me Look Fat? I also read a bunch of books about learning disorders. My favorite was The Dyslexic Advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Memoirs and History: The Monster of Florence The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Into Thin Air Into the Wild Ruth Reichl's series of memoirs Madeleine L'Engle's series of memoirs My Life in France (Julia Child) Out of Africa Mountains Beyond Mountains The Soul of the New Machine (although dh is in computers) The Forest People A Primate's Memoir Wild Swans: 3 Women of China My Several Lives (Pearl S Buck) Honeymoon in Purdah The Endless Steppe Here is Where The Kitchen Counter Cooking School Baby Catcher The Poisoner's Handbook Other Stuff: Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed the World An Anthropologist on Mars Sand County Almanac The Essential Garden Workbook Botany in a Day Bread: a Baker's Book of Recipes and Techniques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I read an interesting history of cancer this last year (though it took some time to really get through) The Emperor of All Maladies: A biography of Cancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose (Lewis & Clark) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris Brave Companions Mornings on Horseback all by David McCullough - I love his stuff! Also wanted to share in the recommending of Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent - great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 A diverse few I read this year that stood out and made me remember them: Me: Stories of My Life by Katharine Hepburn (Could not put it down for some reason) The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin (Now sure why the link will not work, but Amazon has the description) The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine The Victrola Book of the Opera by Samuel Holland Rous (My copy has a copyright of 1929, but Amazon has reprints. This is a fascinating book with a synopsis of over 100 operas such at Aida, Carmen. La Boheme, Barber of Seville, etc. I have never been an opera fan, mainly because it was intimidating and I did not understand it. This helped me to feel a bit more cultured. I actually enjoyed reading this little by little while I was stuck waiting for the kids somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 So many.... it's mostly what I read! But one that I've re-read recently is Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I will try not to mention books already mentioned here and obvious classics. I tend to read mostly non-fiction. Recently I have read, A Mathematician's Apology by G. H. Hardy The Heart of Everything That Is (biography of Red Cloud) The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris I like Erik Larson's non-fiction. I like the one he did about salt. I think I have a few of his books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I've enjoyed a lot of nonfiction titles but for long-term impact, I'll say The Happiness Project. Gretchen Rubin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 For light-hearted fun, absolutely anything by Bill Bryson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 A Briefer History of Time --- Stephen Hawking Erma Bombeck ---- any of her books Bitch in a Bonnet ---- Robert Rodi Slim for Life ----- Jillian Michaels Eats, Shoots and Leaves ----- Lynne Truss Thirteen Days ----- Robert F. Kennedy Jen Lancaster ----- any of her books How We Believe ---- Michael Shermer I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This ---- Bob Newhart Silver Like Dust ---- Kimmi Grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Love all these recommendations! I've put a number of them on hold at the library. To add to the list: The iY Genereration Ready for Anything, David Allen (Organization Guru! David Allen is the best!) Hold On to Your Kids, Gordon Neufeld (I've heard of this but didn't want to read it because I didn't like the title. I finally picked it up after some one mentioned it here on the board - turns out to be the best book ever about children, parents, and adults.) Another vote for: Outliers (another book I found out about on this board.) You Are Not So Smart Happiness Project Power of Habit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I really enjoyed The Edible History of Humanity. I'm currently enjoying Math from Three to Seven: the Story of a Preschool Math Circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I saw many listed here that I love. Here are some I didn't see mentioned: Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide by Immaculee Ilibagiza Anything by Anne Lamott Walk on Water: The Miracle of Saving Children's Lives by Michael Ruhlman Stations of the Heart: Parting with a Son by Richard Lischner Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I read mostly non-fiction as well, so I'm subbing for some great ideas. Off the top of my head: Anything by Gladwell, I've read several and enjoyed them all so far Unbroken by Hillenbrand- I have Seabiscuit here as well but haven't read it yet Strength in What Remains- Kidder Happiness Project- Rubin Eat, Pray, Love- Gilbert Teaching books by Marva Collins and Esquith, very inspiring Why Women Need Fat- very interesting non-diet, diet book about the role of fat in the diet both on women's body and intake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 The Power of Positive Deviance by Jerry and Monique Sternin Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch Rachel and her Children by Jonathan Kozol Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn The Autobiography of Malcolm X Team of Rivals All of Robert Caro's books on LBJ, especially Master of the Senate. When the Body Says No by Dr. Gabor Mate. He was also the co-author of Hold onto Your Kids with Gordon Neufield and he wrote a great book on addiction called In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Anything by Anne Lamott Oh yes!!! How could I have forgotten? I'm not a big fan of her fiction, but I've loved every nonfiction book I've read by her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Agreeing with Anne Lamott (mostly older stuff as I haven't read her in a while), esp Operating Instructions. Celebration of Discipline by Foster Anything by Torey Hayden, esp One Child (her books are about her teaching experiences with ED kids--read like fiction but are "true") Schindler's Ark (he calls it fiction but it's true also) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Forgiving the Dead Man Walking by Debbie Morris The Ditchdiggers Daughter by Dr Yvonne Thornton An Innocent Man by John Grisham The Philadelphia Chromosome by Jessica Wapner The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist, by William Maples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 A few I've enjoyed that I haven't seen mentioned yet are: Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Dr-Journey-Migrant-Surgeon/dp/0520274563 This was an excellent book in more ways than one. I bought a couple of extra copies for our school (library and ESL classroom) as it's pretty inspirational. Open Lands: Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places http://www.amazon.com/Open-Lands-Travels-Through-Forbidden/dp/1883642019/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388889131&sr=1-1&keywords=Open+Lands This is older, but taught me a bit about Russia in a very interesting way. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze http://www.amazon.com/River-Town-Years-Yangtze-P-S/dp/0060855029/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388889218&sr=1-1&keywords=River+Town Same deal, but about China. I'm reading the second in this series, Oracle Bones, now. Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-You-Do-Dont-Run/dp/0762745657/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388889325&sr=1-1&keywords=whatever+you+do+don%27t+run This book is a LOT of fun to read - very quick - very interesting. He has two other books that are both good too (2nd is better than 3rd IMO), but his absolute best stories are here in his first book. I pretty much only read non-fiction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minuway Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 (I know some of these are repeats, consider them second votes :) Parenting Without Borders Christine Gross-Loh Quiet Susan Cain (this is super cheap on kindle right now) Happier at Home Gretchen Rubin The Read-Aloud Handbook Jim Trelease Dad is Fat Jim Gaffigan (this literally had me crying with laughter) In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto Michael Pollan An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules For Everyday Foodies Tyler Cowen The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism Kristine Barnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 That sounds uplifting. :laugh: It's fascinating and pretty funny. But yeah, it's also a bit demoralizing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 One of my all-time favorite books is 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I also loved A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabinfl Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Just finished The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, by Jon Gertner. It was an interesting look at the humble beginnings of some world-changing invetions & discoveries. Working on The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach Oh, yeah. This reminds me I really enjoyed Roach's book Packing for Mars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.