"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

TTT: Nonfiction books I recommend

Nonfiction books I recommend to readers who don't think they like reading nonfiction:

1. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson---Bryson is a master storyteller so his nonfiction reads like one big, gigantic story. You will be captivated by the events of the summer of 1927 viewing through his expert lens. Pick up any book by Bryson for a nonfiction treat.

2. Hot Zone by Richard Preston---with the re-emergence of ebola in Africa, this book, written in 1994, it will open your eyes to this horrible, devastating disease. It reads like a murder mystery.

3. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell---Vowell takes several vacations to visit the sights where US Presidents were assassinated. Along the way the readers learns interesting facts about the presidents, the assassins, and the politics of the day. Written in a very humorous style, it is a fun book to read.

4. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Stories of Those You Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan---Egan, a journalist for the New York Times, interviewed people who survived the Dust Bowl in the 1930s then put their stories together to give the reader an insider's view of what it was like in those days. Why can't high school history teachers make history so interesting?

5. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed---read this book quickly before the movie comes out starring Reese Witherspoon. It is about Cheryl Strayed's hike along the Pacific Coast Trail twenty years before the book was written. She was supremely unprepared for her hike yet she prevailed.

6. How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig---I am a huge fan of this book. If you have children, read this book. If you like Shakespeare, read this book. If you can read, read this book.

7. Fourth Down and Inches: Concussions and Footballs Make-or-Break Moment by Carla McClafferty---I read this book with horrified interest. Science has uncovered many details about the lasting effects of concussions on athletes of all types, not just football players. This book was written for teens and reads quickly.

8. Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand--- the story of Louis Zamperini, an American Olympic athlete who gets shot down over the Pacific by the Japanese. This is his story of survival and redemption. Hillenbrand is a tremendous writer. Her book Seabiscuit is also a must-read nonfiction book.

9. Bomb: The Race to Build---and Steal---the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin--- Written for teens this book is a fascinating look at the making of the atomic bomb.

10. Bossypants by Tina Fey---a memoir full of the humor one would expect from this comedian.

14 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful list! I definitely count myself among the people who don't really read nonfiction for fun. HOT ZONE is such an amazing book, though, and a definite favorite of mine. A perfect example! BOSSYPANTS is in my TBR as well so I'm definitely open to discovering more. Will check out these others for sure!

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  2. Wild is definitely on my list.. and I didn't even think to include Hot Zone! It was so good! I read it years and years ago! Great list! :)

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    1. I wouldn't have added Hot Zone since it was written so long ago except for the news out of Africa today about Ebola. What a terrifying disease.

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  3. I wouldn't recommend the Dust Bowl one(very repetitive and depressing), but would Egan's Big Burn. I would definitely add Erik Larsen to the list, especially his Devil in The White City. Of course, I would also recommend The Boys in the Boat. :)

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    1. I couldn't decide between The Big Burn or The Worst Hard Time. I think everything I have read by Egan is very good. I think Don has read everything he has written. I agree that Erik Larsen's Devil in the White City should be on my list. I considered adding The Boys in the Boat, too. It was long but very good.

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  4. I love non -fiction and have read most off of your list. I downloaded the Shakespeare one a few months ago after reading your review, but haven't read it yet. I would recommend The Warmth of Other Suns - it is long, but very good.

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    1. I hope you do read the Shakespeare book because you have young children. I haven't heard of The Warmth of Other Suns, I'm looking in to it right now.

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  5. So happy you chose nonfiction; I did, too! Lots of great choices on this list.

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  6. Hot Zone was a very good book! Interesting list. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I love non fiction, some of my all time favorite reads are actually non fiction although I haven't read a lot in some time. I need to look a few of these up on Goodreads, especially number 8 and 9, they sound very interesting.

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  8. I love non-fiction, but have only read one from your list: Unbroken. I think that I would be too scared to read Hot Zone, although it sound fascinating. I also want to read Wild before the movie comes out.

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  9. Another good one to recommend is At Home by Bill Bryson.

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  10. Assassination Vacation sounds interesting, but I can't say I've heard of any of these. My reading list keeps getting bigger and bigger from TTT. :)
    Here's my list, if you wanna check it out. :) I'm experimenting with doing them on YouTube now, please like and comment if you can :) http://youtu.be/dapaLyFe-N0?list=UUP4Ao6fj3mLXHqOSSxyqh8w

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  11. I really should read more nonfiction. Thanks for all these suggestions. How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare does sound intersesting, evern though I dont't have any kids :)

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