Your top non-fiction of the past year

SeaBookGuy · 10-09-2010, 08:01 PM

A couple of years is fine, and I'd say 5 - 10 entries. I didn't want to clog up (hijack!) the other non-fiction thread.

Some of mine:

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- stories of six escapees' experiences as told to the author in interviews, great narrative format.

Bayshore Summer: Finding Eden in a Most Unlikely Place -- I'm not particularly interested in science and nature and was hooked!

Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter's Uncommon Year -- honest portrayal of one woman's experience.

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England -- excellent reference, focusing on the burden of women.

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food -- well-written combination of both the food, and Chinese immigrant experience.

Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible -- interesting, often funny, look at the entire Old Testament.

ficbot · 10-09-2010, 08:39 PM

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. A really interesting story about a woman whose cells became the first 'immortal' cells in medical research.

Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant. A woman resolves to live for one year doing absolutely everything Oprah says. A bit silly in parts, but she makes some really good observations.

Columbine by Dave Cullen. A really interesting look into the people and events surrounding the Columbine shooting.

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman. A fascinating book that scientifically examines how children learn. The chapter on learning race was a standout.

No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. Another book based on a blog, this one about a man who tries to love for an entire year making no impact on the environment. The parts where he gets all philosophical can be a bit tiresome, but the parts where he describes his learning process and lets us just watch him are very interesting.

SeaBookGuy · 10-09-2010, 08:46 PM

I read Living Oprah - not sure I thought it was recommend-able, but the author's point about Oprah's contradictory messages seemed like a good one.

GA Russell · 10-09-2010, 10:35 PM

I've read a number of Distributist books since the first of the year - works by GK Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc and AJ Penty.

No one stands out. I don't think they completely got their act together, but I found it all to be very interesting.

Thanks to Patricia, these were available from the MR Library.

And I should add the treatise that started it all, Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII, which Patricia also placed in the library.

DavidRM · 10-10-2010, 12:48 AM

These are the non-fiction I've enjoyed most in 2010:

Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success by Matthew Syed.

The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield.

You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto by Jaron Lanier.

A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present by Howard Zinn.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage.

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell.

-David

SeaBookGuy · 10-10-2010, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidRM

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage.

Thanks for the reminder -- my library has it as an Epub!

DavidRM · 10-10-2010, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Thanks for the reminder -- my library has it as an Epub!

Libraries with epubs? Hmm...I'll have to check if my local library has those.

-David

Angst · 10-11-2010, 06:26 PM

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

BenG · 10-13-2010, 11:04 AM

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

Darwin's Island: The Galapagos in the Garden of England by Steve Jones

JoelArnold · 10-20-2010, 01:37 PM

Well - I just read Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me this year. I guess I'm a little behind the times! (But this was a good book!)

kilohertz53 · 10-20-2010, 06:55 PM

I highly recommend:

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

foreverjuly · 10-21-2010, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angst

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

I loved this one too! And I'm going to say the very closely related:

Half the Sky by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Amazing, eye-opening book about the trials women face in developing countries.

Also,

The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. This book showed me the world I'm living in. Completely amazing.

Metal Mick · 10-21-2010, 06:45 PM

Hi all,

My favorite non-fiction book - and one I just bought a fresh copy of because I lost contact with the person who borrowed my other copy - is Roland Huntsford's The Last Place on Earth.

This details the race to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott.

An extraordinary work, thoroughly entertaining, and a real eye-opener for someone like me who thought of Scott as a hero, due to my initial upbringing in England.

Cheers,

HelenaJole · 10-23-2010, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- stories of six escapees' experiences as told to the author in interviews, great narrative format.

I read this a few weeks ago. It was just heartbreaking.

SeaBookGuy · 10-23-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilohertz53

I highly recommend:

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

My library just obtained that one as an Epub as well!

10-09-2010, 08:01 PM	#1
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	Your top non-fiction of the past year A couple of years is fine, and I'd say 5 - 10 entries. I didn't want to clog up (hijack!) the other non-fiction thread. Some of mine: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- stories of six escapees' experiences as told to the author in interviews, great narrative format. Bayshore Summer: Finding Eden in a Most Unlikely Place -- I'm not particularly interested in science and nature and was hooked! Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter's Uncommon Year -- honest portrayal of one woman's experience. Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England -- excellent reference, focusing on the burden of women. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food -- well-written combination of both the food, and Chinese immigrant experience. Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible -- interesting, often funny, look at the entire Old Testament.

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10-09-2010, 08:39 PM	#2
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. A really interesting story about a woman whose cells became the first 'immortal' cells in medical research. Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant. A woman resolves to live for one year doing absolutely everything Oprah says. A bit silly in parts, but she makes some really good observations. Columbine by Dave Cullen. A really interesting look into the people and events surrounding the Columbine shooting. Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman. A fascinating book that scientifically examines how children learn. The chapter on learning race was a standout. No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. Another book based on a blog, this one about a man who tries to love for an entire year making no impact on the environment. The parts where he gets all philosophical can be a bit tiresome, but the parts where he describes his learning process and lets us just watch him are very interesting.

10-09-2010, 08:46 PM	#3
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I read Living Oprah - not sure I thought it was recommend-able, but the author's point about Oprah's contradictory messages seemed like a good one.

10-09-2010, 10:35 PM	#4
GA Russell Ticats/Als, Riders/Lions Posts: 7,717 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I've read a number of Distributist books since the first of the year - works by GK Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc and AJ Penty. No one stands out. I don't think they completely got their act together, but I found it all to be very interesting. Thanks to Patricia, these were available from the MR Library. And I should add the treatise that started it all, Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII, which Patricia also placed in the library.

10-10-2010, 12:48 AM	#5
DavidRM Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 1007768 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Device: Kindle	These are the non-fiction I've enjoyed most in 2010: Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success by Matthew Syed. The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield. You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto by Jaron Lanier. A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present by Howard Zinn. A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell. -David

10-11-2010, 06:26 PM	#8
Angst Cannon Fodder Posts: 2,884 Karma: 52253556 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Probably a library Device: PRS-350, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite	Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

10-13-2010, 11:04 AM	#9
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power by Jeff Sharlet Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French Darwin's Island: The Galapagos in the Garden of England by Steve Jones

10-20-2010, 01:37 PM	#10
JoelArnold Fanatic Posts: 544 Karma: 1036914 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Savage, MN Device: Kindle 3	Well - I just read Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me this year. I guess I'm a little behind the times! (But this was a good book!)

10-20-2010, 06:55 PM	#11
kilohertz53 Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 671 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Harwichport, MA Device: Sony PRS-500, Sony PRS-350, Augen "The Book"	I highly recommend: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

10-21-2010, 06:45 PM	#13
Metal Mick Addict Posts: 253 Karma: 2383254 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: The Book, PB 302, IQ	Hi all, My favorite non-fiction book - and one I just bought a fresh copy of because I lost contact with the person who borrowed my other copy - is Roland Huntsford's The Last Place on Earth. This details the race to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott. An extraordinary work, thoroughly entertaining, and a real eye-opener for someone like me who thought of Scott as a hero, due to my initial upbringing in England. Cheers,