What Caught My Fancy This Week
This is going to be a rather short Salon post, I’ve got a bad case of writers block brought on by to much thesising this week (I did get the chapters in on time though so yay me!)
I have come to realise in the past few months that I really love non-fiction. I’ve always known that I loved fiction but I had more of a standoffish relationship with non-fiction. It was something I read when I wanted information. Not something I read for fun. But in the last few months the books I have enjoyed the most have been non-fiction. I have a bunch of non-fiction I want to read and found some more browsing blogs this week but I would like more suggestions. What non-fiction books have you loved in the past? Why?
So you have an idea of what I have liked in the past my favourites in the past year have been:
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
Freedom in Exile by The Dalai Lama
Reading
Tracks by Louise Erdrich. Just started today so don’t really have an opinion yet.
The Distance Between Us by Masha Hamilton. Also just started so I don’t really have an opinion. I’m reading this for the Spotlight Series which starts today! Check it out!
Reviewed
Only one book reviewed this week:
The Commitments by Roddy Doyle. Didn’t particular enjoy it but I do think it filled its function for what my teacher wanted.
I also finished Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery and will be reviewing next week. Really enjoyed it, possibly more now than when I read it as a teenager.
Copyright ©2010 Zee from Notes from the North.
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6 comments:
I admit I'm not a nonfic fan. I keep trying to be but it's not working out for me.
Not everyone is, and that is okay. Life is to short to read bad books :D
It took me a long while to realise I loved non-fiction too, but now I wonder how I ever lived without reading it regularly!
Looking forward to your thoughts on Anne of Avonlea :)
Congrats on finishing your thesis chapters!!
I used to only read fiction too, but now probably love them both, just in different ways. Bill Bryson is awesome. My husband read the "Short History of Nearly Everything" and loved it, and I read "Mother Tongue: The Story of the English Language" and also found it hilarious. If you like the Dalai Lama, you might find books by Krishnamurti or Thich Nhat Hanh of interest.
I'm now reading "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" by Kristof and WuDunn and it's astounding. So many personal stories combined with facts, data, and worldwide trends. It's brilliant and inspiring.
My hubby also just finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and raved about it. I haven't read it yet - I'm challenging myself to read books only by women authors for one year. But when that year is up, I'm definitely going to pick it up.
I am not sure what non-fiction I like. I've been reading Team of Rivals for MONTHS now, and I like it but it's taking me a long time. For me to read non-fiction quickly, I admit (sadly) that it has to be more popular history or science than the longer and more intense ones.
Though I can read Georgian English history books all day long :-)
I'm one of those that loves both fiction and non-fiction--what I'm reading just depends on what has caught my eye or what I'm seeking of late...
Thanks for the mention of Masha Hamilton, I've not read any of hers and after looking her up, I'm intrigued!
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