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Nonfiction books come in many flavors. I bet you can find a nonfiction book about any topic that interests you. Here are my favorite topics to read about + book recommendations.
My Favorite Topics
Ethically Ambiguous True Crime
Hopefully, we can all agree that serial killing is bad. (Can we agree on that? Can we agree on anything anymore?) Serial killers don't interest me very much, but I am interested in smaller crimes. I want to read about crimes where nobody dies, and the motives are complicated.
Self-Help That Actually Helps
I want to be a person whose life is changed by a self-help book. So far, it hasn't happened because I'm too stupid for philosophy and too cynical for inspirational quotes. Most self-help books make me roll my eyes. If I'm going to improve myself, I need the author to give me a straightforward to-do list.
How To Know A Person: The Art Of Seeing Others Deeply And Being Seen by David Brooks
Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
Death & What Comes Next
Corpses are stubborn. Most of them refuse to come back to life and tell us what happens after death. I think that's rude. We have to rely on books for our information about death.
Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End by Atul Gawande
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Critters
Plants and animals are my first love. I grew up in cattle ranch country. Fun fact: When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a large animal veterinarian. Then I saw a vet stick her entire arm up a cow's butt. I no longer wanted to be a veterinarian. The unfathomable depths of a cow's ass altered my life goals. I still like critters, though.
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us And A Grander View Of Life by Ed Yong
Really Cold Places
If animals are my first love, then the Polar regions are my second love. I have been obsessed with Polar exploration for as long as I can remember. You have to be very brave or very arrogant to go gallivanting off to an icy wasteland. I'm too squishy for that nonsense, but I do enjoy reading about it.
Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt For The Lost Franklin Expedition by Paul Watson
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
History, But Make It Dangerous & Creepy
I didn't do great in school, but I always liked history class. I think it's because I love a good story. Stories are even better when they're full of danger, mystery, and creepy stuff.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story Of The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg And The Secret History Of The Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin
Healthcare, But Make It Dangerous & Creepy
I'm an EMT, so obviously I'm interested in healthcare, but normal healthcare is so . . . normal. I want to know about the bizarre stuff! What are the weirdest things that humans have done to themselves?
Quackery: A Brief History Of The Worst Ways To Cure Everything by Lydia Kang & Nate Pedersen
Memoir, But Make It Funny
If I wrote a memoir, it would be funny. Nobody would read it because I'm not famous, but I promise it would be funny.
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Why Americans Do Stuff
I have spent my entire life in the US, and I'm constantly baffled by this place. Maybe books can help me understand. I doubt it, but it's worth a try.
Another Day In The Death Of America: A Chronicle Of Ten Short Lives by Gary Younge
Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City by Matthew Desmond
Do you have any book recommendations for me?
What's your favorite topic to read about?
I had to laugh at your reason for giving up on being a veterinarian. And I loved "Braiding Sweetgrass." I am currently fascinated by Simon Sebag Montefiore's "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar." Sadly, there seems too many parallels to what's happening here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing insight into your nonfiction selections, and your recommendations.
ReplyDeleteHappy Nonfiction November
Such good topics! I also find myself drawn to cold things, LOL!
ReplyDeleteSince you like creepy stuff, you might enjoy Gulp! Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, by Mary Roach. She's a science reporter who writes with humor. The book does get rather gruesome in parts as it deals with the grubbier and creepier aspects of digestion. But it's fascinating. I like to read about so many things, it's hard to pick a favorite, but I'll say maritime stories -- shipwrecks, rescues, tales of bravery at sea. I served in the U.S. Coast Guard and I like reading about the history of that service.
ReplyDelete