Nonfiction help
Dec. 20th, 2011 06:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indiana_jI 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.
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.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-21 01:21 am (UTC)The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst - yes, it's baseball, but you'd hardly notice it. ;) Lots of fun and a really great writing style. He's got Out of My League about playing for the Jays coming out in February.
And John Birmingham also writes amazing non-fiction. Leviathan is a brilliant history of Sydney, and Dopeland is about marijuana culture across Australia, both excellent reads.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-21 02:45 am (UTC)*grins* I'm now living with a baseball fan, so you know, those sound great. As long as it can keep my interest with good writing, I'll give it a shot.
Birmingham sounds awesome, too, thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-21 11:56 am (UTC)Also try Bill Bryden's A history of everything & Guns, germs & steel (forgotten the author!)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-22 12:21 pm (UTC)Guns, Germs & Steel was a favorite - I haven't read it in ages, maybe I should read it again.