My birthday’s coming up at the end of the week. I have $45 in Amazon gift certificates from doing a few online surveys. Well written non-fiction is my favorite genre and I would like to treat myself with the moolah.
Allow me to spew a few authors in your direction, these people have written some entertaining books although I don’t have time to link for you right now…there’s a good chance you’ll already know them anyway:
I don’t read much non-fiction, but I recently enjoyed The Great Mortality by John Kelly. It’s about the Black Death. Witty, informative, and entertaining.
I’ll second the recommendations for Mary Roach and David Quammen, and add Stephen Jay Gould, in particular The Flamingo’s Smile: Reflections on Natural History.
Check out either or both of these Pulitzer prize winners (non-fiction):
A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan - the biography of American military advisor John Paul Vann is part of a textual counterpoint against the rhythm of the Vietnam War. Outstanding book.
Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb - this one’s for you if like history, biography, science, and politics all rolled into one. One of the best books I’ve ever read!
I thought it was okay, not great. The author was seriously hobbled by the lack of any real info on “the devil,” though the stuff on “the white city” was fascinating.
Anything by Richard Feynman. His more technical writings are great, too, if you’re inclined towards physics, but even if you’re not, his memoirs are a great read. The only title I can remember is Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman, but there are a few others as well.
I also really enjoyed The Devil in the White City, and didn’t feel it was hampered by the need for speculation about the “devil.” Well-paced, fascinating and detailed.
Not to mention David McCulloch’s books on the Brooklyn Bridge, The Pana Canal, the Johnstown Flood, and his bios od Teddy Roosevely, Harry Truman, John Adams, and the first year of the Revolution.
Or just about anything by Stephen Jay Gould. Or the hard-to-find-but-worth-it books by L. Sprague de Camp
Okay. I like well written non-fiction that has a good narrative quality. For example Bill Bryson’s books are just delicious. Allison’s Weir’s British histories are great stuff. A Civil Action was wonderful.
I like books that make you think about a subject in a different way. Little Girls in Pretty Boxes by Joan Ryan made me swear to never watch women’s gymnastics ever again. Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol changed my perception of public school funding. The Bitch in the House edited by Cathi Hanauer has great essays on what it means to be a modern women.
I like books that offer insights into other cultures or a new way of looking at my own. There are lots of great suggestions on this thread.