Nonfiction help

[indiana_j]

I need nonfiction recommendations.  I'm not normally a reader of nonfiction - fantasy and horror, with the occasional foray into mystery and, every once in a while, romance (I generally prefer my fiction to have romance in them but I'm not generally a fan of the romance novel, per say) - but I've read a few this year that I really liked.

Namely, Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook earlier this year (which I'd recommend reading, btw, it's really, really good and very well written) and currently The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, which is about a bottle of wine that sold for $156,000 - it's pretty good, if a bit dry at times.

I'd like to read more, especially since I'm getting a Kindle and won't necessarily have to have these in physical form, but I don't know what to get.  So I turn to you guys, with these things to be kept in mind:

* I really do like history and am not much of a science person.  However, that being said, as long as something is interesting and doesn't either make me feel stupid and / or make me feel like it's talking down to me, I can read.  Also, food related books (I have a book I'll be reading called The Foie Gras War) are a win.

* They have to be interesting.  The reason I generally prefer fiction to nonfiction is that the first is able to keep my attention and I have trouble doing so with nonfiction.  So, nonfiction that ... I don't know, feels like a good enough story to be fiction?

Areas of interest: food, history, science and any others that folks think I might be interested in.

Comments

[maureenans.livejournal.com]

I've been reading AFTERMATH: Cleaning up after CSI goes home by Gil Reavill.

if you want to know more about what happens after you die and whatnot...of course, that could just be me.

[indiana-j.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach? It's brilliant and I loved it, so this Reavill book sounds right up my alley. :D

[maureenans.livejournal.com]

I have it!

She also writes one called Bonk, which is all about sex!

(and Spook about ghosts, but I've not cared enough to get that one yet)

[indiana-j.livejournal.com]

I just looked her up since I kind of forgot about that book and the one about ghosts looks really good. I'm not a believer but I enjoy reading about the subject.

[jennabreen.livejournal.com]

Bonk is AWESOME.

[gollumgollum.livejournal.com]

Bonk was good but--surprisingly, given the subject matter--not as good as Stiff. The one she wrote about the space industry (uh, can't remember the title, which means it's probably Space) was better, i thought.

There's also a book called Salt that's not by Mary Roach, but it looks like a food/history thing, which would be right up your alley. (;

Ben stole all the rest of my suggestions, darn it!

[maureenans.livejournal.com]

oh! I forgot about the space one, I've read that too. Alas, it is not called Space, which is part of why it confuses me. It has given me a shitload of conversation topics with my 6 & 9yr old cousins (pun intended). They are space and poop obsessed. It's perfect.

I might need to check Salt out though, yes!