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Please recommend a non-fiction book for someone who doesn’t read non-fiction books
- Thread starter Dalek
- Start date
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
If you don't know her, as a child and teen she played a bitchy girl on Little House on the Prairie, it's her autobiography, she tells some really interesting stories about her life, the book is at times hilarious and sometimes quite sad. It was a really good read.
Amazon.com: Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated: 9780061962158: Arngrim, Alison: Books
Amazon.com: Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated: 9780061962158: Arngrim, Alison: Books
www.amazon.com
If you don't know her, as a child and teen she played a bitchy girl on Little House on the Prairie, it's her autobiography, she tells some really interesting stories about her life, the book is at times hilarious and sometimes quite sad. It was a really good read.
"Devil in the White City"
Half of it is about one of the most gruesome and disturbing serial killers in American history, the other half is about the creation of the Chicago World's Fair. As crazy as it may sound, they are equally interesting.
Also 'The Pantomime Life of Joesph Grimaldi" is an insane gem that goes into 17th and 18th century British theatre and includes dogs dressed as battleships, a bear fighter turned palaeontologist, a father pretending to be dead to see which of his sons love him more, the world's first child star, and the origin of the modern clown.
Half of it is about one of the most gruesome and disturbing serial killers in American history, the other half is about the creation of the Chicago World's Fair. As crazy as it may sound, they are equally interesting.
Also 'The Pantomime Life of Joesph Grimaldi" is an insane gem that goes into 17th and 18th century British theatre and includes dogs dressed as battleships, a bear fighter turned palaeontologist, a father pretending to be dead to see which of his sons love him more, the world's first child star, and the origin of the modern clown.
my definition of a nonfiction page-turner may be unique i admit but,
www.merlinsheldrake.com
this book is good
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures — Merlin Sheldrake
"Entangled Life is a mercurial, revelatory, impassioned, urgent, astounding, and necessary read. It’s fearless in scope, analytically astute, and brimming with infectious joy." — Helen Macdonald
www.merlinsheldrake.com
this book is good
Interesting book about a number of things Dr. Feynman was involved with, including the creation of the atomic bomb.
A very interesting look into the irony of how many royals were terrified of being poisoned by their rivals... while proceeding to poison themselves in a variety of ways.
A travelogue by BRIAN BLESSED about his adventures in the Grand Tepuis of South America (think of the landscape the Pixar film 'UP' took place in).
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Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser
I read it around the time it was published in the mid-2000s and went through it in a few days. It might be a little dated by now, but I think it's still pretty relevant. It's on the truly nasty world of the fast food industry, a lot of stuff you probably already know/suspect.
I read it around the time it was published in the mid-2000s and went through it in a few days. It might be a little dated by now, but I think it's still pretty relevant. It's on the truly nasty world of the fast food industry, a lot of stuff you probably already know/suspect.
Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe by Craig Koslofsky
"Evening's Empire is a fascinating study of the myriad ways in which early modern people understood, experienced, and transformed the night. Using diaries, letters, and legal records together with representations of the night in early modern religion, literature and art, Craig Koslofsky opens up an entirely new perspective on early modern Europe. He shows how princes, courtiers, burghers and common people 'nocturnalized' political expression, the public sphere and the use of daily time. Fear of the night was now mingled with improved opportunities for labour and leisure: the modern night was beginning to assume its characteristic shape. Evening's Empire takes the evocative history of the night into early modern politics, culture and society, revealing its importance to key themes from witchcraft, piety, and gender to colonization, race, and the Enlightenment."
"Evening's Empire is a fascinating study of the myriad ways in which early modern people understood, experienced, and transformed the night. Using diaries, letters, and legal records together with representations of the night in early modern religion, literature and art, Craig Koslofsky opens up an entirely new perspective on early modern Europe. He shows how princes, courtiers, burghers and common people 'nocturnalized' political expression, the public sphere and the use of daily time. Fear of the night was now mingled with improved opportunities for labour and leisure: the modern night was beginning to assume its characteristic shape. Evening's Empire takes the evocative history of the night into early modern politics, culture and society, revealing its importance to key themes from witchcraft, piety, and gender to colonization, race, and the Enlightenment."
I'm the complete opposite lol. I get so wrapped up in non-fiction that I rarely read fiction. Anywho, on to my suggestion:
The Last Leonardo by Ben Lewis.
It's about the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, the Salvador Mundi, said to be by Leonardo Da Vinci. The book gives an in-depth history of the painting, from its purchase for a thousand bucks at an estate auction to several restorations, to its controversial inclusion among works known to be by Leonardo, to its record-breaking auction sale for over $400 million. It even goes deep on Leonardo and his workshop and several other Salvador Mundi paintings that might be by them. And (spoiler alert!) the book makes a persuasive case that the one in question is not actually by Leonardo.
The Last Leonardo by Ben Lewis.
It's about the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, the Salvador Mundi, said to be by Leonardo Da Vinci. The book gives an in-depth history of the painting, from its purchase for a thousand bucks at an estate auction to several restorations, to its controversial inclusion among works known to be by Leonardo, to its record-breaking auction sale for over $400 million. It even goes deep on Leonardo and his workshop and several other Salvador Mundi paintings that might be by them. And (spoiler alert!) the book makes a persuasive case that the one in question is not actually by Leonardo.
Came to post this. Reads like a novel, and gives a lot of cool information about the worlds fair, as well as Holmes.
edit: actually I can't remember if it reads like a novel, it's been over a decade since I've read it. But I remember it not being a dry read.
Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Devil in the White City is a great call because it feels like it could be almost fiction.
In terms of other good non-fiction books I've read in the past few years, 1776 by David McCollough was really interesting and I loved Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration by Bryan Caplan... it has a beautiful graphic novel presentation and is very persuasive on the benefits of increased immigration.
Devil in the White City is a great call because it feels like it could be almost fiction.
In terms of other good non-fiction books I've read in the past few years, 1776 by David McCollough was really interesting and I loved Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration by Bryan Caplan... it has a beautiful graphic novel presentation and is very persuasive on the benefits of increased immigration.
Command and Control by Eric Schlosser.
Great and pretty thrilling book about the illusions of safety we have about the world's nuclear arsenal and the safety controls around them. Goes into the history of the safety and fail safe mechanisms all the way back to WW2 to specific incidents that were insanely close to nuclear disaster.
Great and pretty thrilling book about the illusions of safety we have about the world's nuclear arsenal and the safety controls around them. Goes into the history of the safety and fail safe mechanisms all the way back to WW2 to specific incidents that were insanely close to nuclear disaster.
OP
OP
The Black Count by Tom Reiss. It's a biography about Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the father of famed french writer Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. He used many of his father's life and military exploits as inspiration for his stories.
Thomas-Alexandre's story is incredible, it's full of amazing triumphs and deep tragedy. It also gives a pretty eye-opening history lesson on how shockingly progressive France was towards people of color back in the 18th century before Napoleon came to power (he plays quite an important role in the story as well).
I won't spoil anything more in case you do end up reading, but I definitely recommend it.
Thomas-Alexandre's story is incredible, it's full of amazing triumphs and deep tragedy. It also gives a pretty eye-opening history lesson on how shockingly progressive France was towards people of color back in the 18th century before Napoleon came to power (he plays quite an important role in the story as well).
I won't spoil anything more in case you do end up reading, but I definitely recommend it.
For the Comic lovers there's the following:
Takes a look about JMS history and how he became a writer that has his fingers in a lot of things. Covers his time as not only as a kid and his life growing up but also diving head first into how he became a writer and his time on shows like Real Ghost Busters, Legend of Zelda, Murder She wrote, Babylon 5, to his time crafting Spider-man and writing for DC's Superman. It's an interesting dive into his history.
A great book about the man behind Batman and how his family basically FINALLY got his name credited on the book that he crafted along with Bob Kane. Bill deserves to be remembered.
Also from the same author Boys of Steel covering the history of Superman
Takes a look about JMS history and how he became a writer that has his fingers in a lot of things. Covers his time as not only as a kid and his life growing up but also diving head first into how he became a writer and his time on shows like Real Ghost Busters, Legend of Zelda, Murder She wrote, Babylon 5, to his time crafting Spider-man and writing for DC's Superman. It's an interesting dive into his history.
A great book about the man behind Batman and how his family basically FINALLY got his name credited on the book that he crafted along with Bob Kane. Bill deserves to be remembered.
Also from the same author Boys of Steel covering the history of Superman