JustEm Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 What are you favorite non-fiction books? Any topic. I'm just looking for new to me books to read. And since it is almost my birthday I always like having books on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Killing Kennedy & Killing Lincoln by OReily Brainstorm by Daniel J Siegel The Noticer books by Andy Andrews Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Crisis in the Red Zone by Richard Preston Endurance by Alfred Lansing Into Thin Air by John Krakauer Never Get Angry Again by Daniel Lieberman Happy Birthday! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Isaac's Storm is a good one if you like weather disasters! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) Common Ground The Puritan Dilemma Growing a Business Business By The Book The Warmth of Other Suns Revolution From Within Faith That Engages The Culture The Feminine Mystique Thinner This Year (not diet book. More of a healthy exercise and diet book, very compelling, deep without being dry, weirdly helpful to me with repeated reading despite the fact that I have read quite a few books about this topic.) How Much is a Little Girl Worth? Ones that meant a lot to me but I'm not sure they would now: Fire with Fire Passages Mitten Strings For God Edited June 21, 2021 by Carol in Cal. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Some that I read or reread recently: Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan JacobsRethinking School by Susan Wise BauerKnow and Tell : The Art of Narration by Karen GlassThe Benedict Option by Rod DreherHow Then Shall We Live? by Francis SchaefferA History of the Jews by Paul Johnson 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) I'm a non-fiction lover. I wrote about my 12 all-time favorite non-fictions here w/ a tiny review on each. The fiction books are first, the non-fiction list is just down a bit. Great thread idea. Edited June 21, 2021 by Alicia64 Spelling!! :) 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Non-fiction I've enjoyed: Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character which is a compilation of two of Richard Feynman's earlier books -- "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?". The edition I've linked is wonderful because it includes a CD of Richard Feynman telling some great stories of his time at Los Alamos. Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman ~ this generated some interesting dinner table conversation. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard; this was a fascinating and gory story about a lesser known American president. Regards, Kareni 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 Anything by Sam Kean, but especially The Disappearing Spoon. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) Anything by Erik Larson or Bill Bryson. Edited June 22, 2021 by CAtoVA 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraBeth475 Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 4 minutes ago, CAtoVA said: Anything by Eric Larson or Bill Bryson. The Splendid and the Vile (about Churchill and the Blitz) was the first Eric Larson book I’ve read, and it was fantastic 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford1491 by Charles MannLost to the West by Lars BrownworthRomantic Outlaws by Charlotte GordonBorn a Crime by Trevor Noah (get the audio!!)Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel WilkersonEvicted by Matthew DesmondThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne FadimanThe Language Instinct by Steven PinkerKing Leopold's Ghost by Adam HochschildWhy Buddhism is True by Robert Wright (this is a misleading title - the book is not about Buddhism so much as modern brain science and theory of mind) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads With an Indian Elder by Kent Nerburn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Also: Journeys North Hillbilly Elegy Plain And Simple (Sue Bender) Eat, Pray, Love Janesville Evicted Wild Animal Vegetable Miracle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, and then it's fun to read the 'competing' books The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (remembered bc Matryoshka has it on her list, lol) Education-related: How Children Learn, The Well-Trained Mind, There Are No Shortcuts, Top of the Class, Summerhill (all for different reasons) The Silent Twins I read an appalling amount of true crime. The Anatomy of Motive, and other John Douglas books, bring up some of the whys of crime and let you feel superior for momentarily not reading trashy true crime written by non-former-FBI-agents. A Case for Solomon (Mcthenia and Cutright) is on the longer side, but is really an astounding story. There's the alleged crime itself, and then everything that happens related to it really shows, well, I don't want to put spoilers, so let's just say it shows many facets of human nature. Hail to the Chiefs by Barbara Holland, I love this book so much! Tales your teacher never told you about the presidents, goes through Reagan. Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey; I couldn't find my book so I'm not 100% that this is the same title, but basically letters and diaries of the women headed west. Fascinating and appalling and makes me love modern conveniences fervently. The Power of Habit Switch Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, doesn't have a ton of new information, but does put everything together and makes RK's level of struggle from the first clearer, and also the level of work that went into hiding it Radium Girls is an amazing book about the female factory workers who painted watches with glowing paint, way before OSHA existed. It's history, it's biography, it's psychology, it's amazing, go read it. I went through my initial list and bolded my extra-extra favorites. 8 hours ago, AmandaVT said: Isaac's Storm is a good one if you like weather disasters! Just downloaded from the library, thanks for the interesting rec! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I really enjoyed The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jun/26/hare-amber-eyes-de-waal I've been enjoying some nature writing too. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald is one https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/23/h-is-for-hawk-helen-macdonald-review 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa Louise Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Another vote for Helen MacDonald. Katherine May - Wintering and The Electricity of Every Living Thing. Far From the Tree - Andrew Solomon. Annie Dillard - A Writing Life and Teaching a Stone to Talk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 It's Not Fair :Learning to love the life you didn't chose by Melanie Dale. This book helped me get through my last few years after my now ex husband was arrested. It's Not Fair What Is a Girl Worth about the Larry Nassar abuse case.....she shows just how good abusers can be at hiding what they are doing. Braving the Wilderness by Been Brown one of my latest reads. I don't agree with her on everything, but some good things to chew on 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Pretty much anything by Temple Grandin, but my favorite is probably Animals Make Us Human. I’m sure I‘lol think of more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Blue Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Unbroken Shackleton Seabiscuit (Warning: Unbroken is super intense). All three are page turners. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Haven't read all the replies, but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is one of my favs. Into Thin Air is also great. More obscure: Snow Stars and Wild Honey. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) Brother Gardeners and others by Andrea Wulf Pretty much anything by John McPhee - he can make any topic interesting. Rising from the Plains is a recently-read favorite. A Crack in the Edge of the World and others by Simon Winchester Someone mentioned The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - read that many years ago, worth a reread The Hive by Bee Wilson - fun book about bees and beekeeping. She is a food writer and I like her writing in general though I have not read any of her other books yet. Years ago I read Family Life by Elisabeth Luard, and have been wanting to reread. I got rid of the book at some point, to my regret. Edited June 22, 2021 by marbel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I love The Reindeer People by Piers Vitebsky. Fifth Sun is a more recent book that was absolutely fascinating. Some other good ones are Destiny Disrupted, Hidden Valley Road, Unworthy Republic, A House Full of Females (and anything else by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich), Living in Historic Cairo, Vesper Flights, Caste, Apples of Uncommon Character, Jerusalem: The Biography, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, First Stop in the New World, The People’s Guide to Mexico, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Nothing to Envy, Logavina Street, An Everlasting Meal, The Corpse Walker, Still Alice, Confederates in the Attic, Country Driving (and anything else by Peter Hessler), Factory Girls, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Red Odyssey, Garlic and Sapphires (and anything else by Ruth Reichl), Half the Sky, Little Pink House, In an Antique Land, Left to Tell, When Everything Changed, Invisible China, China Road, Reading Lolita in Tehran, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, The Road from Coorain, Foreign Correspondence (and anything else by Geraldine Brooks), Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years (and anything else by Elizabeth Wayland Barber), Forbidden Journey (and anything else by Ella Maillart), Guests of the Sheik, Veiled Empire, From Heaven Lake, The Year of Magical Thinking, Bury Me Standing, Volcano Cowboys, Longitude, and A Fish Caught in Time. I hadn’t gone through my book lists in a while. Thanks for bringing this up. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Oh, if you are interested, even vaguely, in spies, then I recommend Ben Macintyre highly. I've read most of his, but Double Cross may be my favourite. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I prefer nonfiction to fiction. Here are some recent books I've read that I thought were good: Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova (one of my favorite authors) The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption Before Roe V. Wade Run, Don't Walk: The Curious and Chaotic Life of a Physical Therapist Inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachGal Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) I am trying to read Rene Girard's book Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. It's a difficult read for me but a few pages per day and I should be done . . . eventually. A summary that has helped is David Cayley's The Ideas of Rene Girard. I am also reading Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master by Bishop Robert Barron. Other nonfiction books I've liked: Benjamin Bikman's Why We Get Sick Eat to Beat Disase by William Li. I use it more as a reference. Richard Davidson's The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live - and How You Can Change Them Dan Goleman -- Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score Edited June 22, 2021 by BeachGal 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Everything by Bill Bryson Everything by Colin Woodard—especially American Nations (North American history) and the Lobster Coast (Maine history) Untamed, by Glennon Doyle Shortest Way Home and Trust, by Pete Buttigieg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 1 hour ago, BeachGal said: Benjamin Bikman's Why We Get Sick Richard Davidson's The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live - and How You Can Change Them Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score I have the first one at home to be read soon (borrowed from the library), second one is on my to-read list, and the third one I've read and thought was excellent. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I've read and agree with a lot of the suggestions. In addition I'll add: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. I always recommend this one. It's an important conversation for anyone who's dealing with an aging parent or anyone who hopes to grow old. Basically, it's for everyone. If you like chunky biographies try David McCullough or Ron Chernow. If you have any interest in the Romanovs, try Robert K Massie's Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, or all three. If you have any interest in Jane Austen's life there's Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of The FBI - a story most of us haven't heard but should know about 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 7 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Oh, if you are interested, even vaguely, in spies, then I recommend Ben Macintyre highly. I've read most of his, but Double Cross may be my favourite. The only book of his I read is The Spy and the Traitor. It was very good. I then recommended it to dh, who also loved it. I'll have to look at his other works. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Erik Larson is my favorite. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I thought of a few more. 🙂 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi There is no me without you by Melissa Faye Greene Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Tom Myers Gratitude in Motion by Colleen Kelly Alexander (memoir of a cyclist run over by a distracted driver and her against-all-odds survival) Thanks for asking the question! I've added a lot of books to my reading list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Random said: I thought of a few more. 🙂 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi There is no me without you by Melissa Faye Greene Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Tom Myers Gratitude in Motion by Colleen Kelly Alexander (memoir of a cyclist run over by a distracted driver and her against-all-odds survival) Thanks for asking the question! I've added a lot of books to my reading list. Over the Edge got passed through our entire family when we did a cross country road trip and visited. So tragic but you couldn’t put it down once you started. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said: I've read and agree with a lot of the suggestions. In addition I'll add: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. I always recommend this one. It's an important conversation for anyone who's dealing with an aging parent or anyone who hopes to grow old. Basically, it's for everyone. Yes to this. Hard topic but important one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 11 hours ago, Lady Florida. said: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. I always recommend this one. It's an important conversation for anyone who's dealing with an aging parent or anyone who hopes to grow old. Basically, it's for everyone. Great book and definitely an important one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
math teacher Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 I know Eric Larson has been mentioned already, but Devil in the White City is the latest I listened to of his, and it is really good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 thank you everyone! I have a lot of options and thankfully at least 2 weeks before dh will be shopping for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachGal Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 An older thread but I’ve been trying to read books lately that address what influences us to believe what we believe, how that occurs, and if we even have much control over it. I started with The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing by Joost Meerloo. He wrote it in the 1950s but his points are worth considering today, probably moreso considering how much the internet is part of our lives. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 The boys in the boat Endurance Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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