Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read Nonfiction

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone
Who Doesn't Read Nonfiction

My favorite nonfiction is nonfiction
that reads like fiction.

That said, here are some recommendations.



I know, I know, it sounds like a college textbook,
but trust me, it's amazing, it's brilliant, it's everything
you want in stories. And it's all true.


An Alphabet for Gourmets
How about a book about cooking?
And not just any old book about cooking,
but an M.F.K. Fisher book about cooking.
It's an alphabet of cooking, too,
which is always fun.


A fabulous recent nonfiction read is Unbroken.
Maybe you don't like history?
I dare you to try this book.
It will change your mind.


I can still remember reading this book
when it first came out.
Studs Terkel interviews people
who talk about their jobs.
Wonderful book.

I have to include a great nonfiction children's book, right?
How about Redwoods?
Author/illustrator Jason Chin
cleverly intrigues his readers with the majesty and mystery
of these big trees in this book.
It's amazing.


Travel books are one of my favorite sub-genres of nonfiction.
This is a crazy one.
A woman decides to take a trip down
one of the most dangerous rivers in Borneo.
It's a great read.


A Short History of Nearly Everything
Don't let the size of this book scare you off.
You won't care it's 560 pages once you start reading this enchanting book about science.
You will wish it was longer.


Once you read this story of the amazing Dr. Paul Farmer
and his work in Haiti, you will not be able to stop reading all-things-Tracy-Kidder.
Tracy Kidder is the kind of writer who could write a book about a paper clip and it would be a bestseller.


Because I know that many of us readers wish we could be writers,
I'll throw in this Anne Lamott book.
If you are so inclined, after you finish this one,
you might also love Traveling Mercies,
the story of how Lamott found God in the faces of some kind people
at tiny Presbyterian church in California.


I suppose you'd call this nonfiction.
But it doesn't matter what label you put on it...
it's a mesmerizing book
of reflections about the universe.
Every page is so beautiful
you want to tear it out and paste it on your walls.


Angela's Ashes
I have to include at least one memoir.
This one is an oldie, but a goodie.
You won't believe how awful McCourt's life was.
A moving story of one man's life.


This is one Top Ten list that I wish was a Top Hundred list.
I could go on and on about wonderful nonfiction out there.
Here's a quick list of other possibilities:

The Warmth of Other Suns
Bill Moyers' Genesis
Exuberance by Kay Redfield Jamison
The Last Shot by Darcy Frey
Bowling Alone by Robert B. Putnam
And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman
Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis....




Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for commenting on my TTT :)

    I haven't heard of any of these, except for the Bill Bryson one, since I don't really read non-fiction. I'll have to check them out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog. The reason why there is no non-fiction is because I don't read a lot of it. I can only think of 2 non-fiction books that I've ever liked, and finished. Several on your list sound good though (especially Shooting the BOH) that I may give non fiction another try!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unbroken sounds absolutely amazing! And I've seen loads of Bill Bryson books and never picked them up, I'll have to read one soon!

    Thanks for stopping by! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have heard wonderful things about Unbroken. I am going to have to read it soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for stopping by earlier, I love your list :) read Angela's Ashes many years ago and loved it. Working sounds amazing too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for stopping by earlier - I read Angela's Ashes many years ago and loved it. "Working" sounds superb too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I could definitely use more non-fiction in my life :-) I bookmarked your list - the books sound really intriguing. And a bonus is the young reader non-fiction books. I started reading them to my son and I also learn a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my TTT post. I'm not a non-fiction reader, though I have read and loved Angela's Ashes. You've made me curios about Unbroken. I used to read non-fiction historical books frequently, but moved on from them. Will definitely check that one out though.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for a great list! I love the sound of Unbroken!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have not read any of these but i have heard of them! great list! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm also a new follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes, Fiktshun, I suppose you'd have to change the name of your blog if you started reading too much nonfiction! ;->

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love Bill Bryson, have read nearly all his books but not the one you featured yet. Have heard some amazing things about Unbroken too

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've read the Bryson and the Lamott (a long time ago). I haven't read Unbroken, but I gave it as a present to a history buff friend last year and he loved it.
    I read mostly fiction, but do read nonfiction from time to time. Bryson is really perfect for learning different facts about so many topics!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've read the Bryson and the Lamott (a long time ago). I haven't read Unbroken, but I gave it as a present to a history buff friend last year and he loved it.
    I read mostly fiction, but do read nonfiction from time to time. Bryson is really perfect for learning different facts about so many topics!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've read the Bryson and the Lamott (a long time ago). I haven't read Unbroken, but I gave it as a present to a history buff friend last year and he loved it.
    I read mostly fiction, but do read nonfiction from time to time. Bryson is really perfect for learning different facts about so many topics!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm really looking forward to listening to Unbroken. I've been on my library queue FOREVER, and I'm up next.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Interesting collection. I started reading Angela's Ashes and couldn't get through it.
    Ann

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm in the hated Angela's Ashes camp. I really should read A Short History of Nearly Everything- I have all 3 versions.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great list. I also love Bryson and Anne Lamott is at the very top of my list, especially with her non-fiction. And I really enjoyed the Stephen Fatsis Word Freak as well. Another of my favorite non-fiction authors is William Goldman (author of The Princess Bride), though he hasn't come out with anything for awhile. Thanks for reminding me about travel books as a subgenre as well-- I tend to get stuck in memoirs, which can be a lot of fun.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I will have to look up Goldman as a nonfiction writer. Thank you for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you will leave a comment so I know you have visited. If you stop by my blog, I will always stop by yours.

Note: Disqus commenting is only available on the web version of the blog. Please switch to the web version if you are using a mobile device.