Non-fiction, anyone?

BigPooh5

BigPooh5

Pooh in Thailand
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Messages
135
Okay, I know it's Science Fiction and Fantasy World, but there is a forum for horror (paired with fantasy) and there's also a forum for general fiction. Why not one for non-fiction?

Although most books I read are SF, I also like the odd NF too; here's a few I've read recently and would highly recommend:

Chris Froome - The Climb (the autobiography of the 2013 and 2015 Tour de France winner)
Graham Bowley - No Way Down; Life and Death on K2 (the gritty and shocking story of the 2008 K2 disaster)
Rick Wakeman - Grumpy Old Rock Star and Other Wondrous Stories (anecdotes from life on the road)
Chris Welch - Peter Grant; The Man Who Led Zeppelin (biography of Zep's legendary manager)
 
Aside from Fantasy and horror, I tend to read a lot of photography, nature, and history books, interspersed with some auto/biographies.

Photographic wise I'll go for anything by Ross Hoddinott and Bryan Peterson.
I've not read a biographical book for a while, but I certainly enjoyed Dara O'Briain's book, Tickling the English.

I'd be quite interested in the K2 book you mentioned, actually.
 
Thanks for the reply Frog.
I've read O'Briain's book too. I am English, and I certainly was tickled. He writes with a dry humour and a sardonic wit. I especially enjoyed his comments on the Irish v. English education systems - somebody pointed out to him; ‘Dara, you’re a professional clown; your wife, who’s English, is a surgeon. Which education system did you say was better?’
 
A good non-fiction read is Nam by Mark Baker. If you like war related non-fiction.
 
I read quite a bit of non-fiction. I'm particularly into creative non-fiction and flash non-fiction. A bit of memoir bio kinds of things and a lot of science article reading both online and in print.

Let me start by pointing you to a few online pieces that truly rocked my world:

Leap by Brian Doyle
The Deck by Yusef Komunyakaa
Oklahoma Men by Sherrie Flick

I read The Year's Best Essays and Science anthologies each year and there are always good pieced in them.
 
I am a true crime fan.

Currently reading serial killers the methods and madness of monsters.
 
I like a Bio now and again, I'm looking forward to getting Burt Reynold's new book.
 
The true crime book Serial Killers The methods and the madness.

Not surprised while there are common traits persons agree that a serial killer has not all have the same traits along with definition.

Its highly disturbing that the youngest serial killer is a 11 year old girl in England that mutilated and murdered two boys on seperate occasions.
If you agree murdering on victims on seperate makes one a serial killer then she is the youngest.
 
I've been reading lots of memoirs--Claire McCaskill, Mary Wilson, Pat Benatar--but the one that I found most compelling was called Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll, by Joe Oestereich. It's a great read, and you can learn a LOT about the music industry. I highly recommend it.
 
I just finished American Prometheus, the Pulitzer-winning bio of Oppenheimer. He was such a fascinating guy, and his fingerprints are all over the world today.

Just started The Fly Trap, memoirs of a Swedish etymologist. Great writing that is captivating without dumbing down the science of the field.
 
In light of the 2016 edition of the Tour happening now, I've just finished Richard Moore's Slaying the Badger; LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France. It's about Greg LeMond's first of three victories in this toughest of all sporting encounters, and he's still the only American rider to win (following the UCI stripping Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis of their eight 'titles').
Bernard Hinault (the Badger of the title) promised to help LeMond win the 1986 Tour, following LeMond unselfishly helping Hinault to win the last of his five titles the previous year. There's plenty of drama here, with backstabbing, lying, treachery, ice cream and unfettered emotions. Well worth a read for any sports fans.
 
I go through phases of alternating my fiction with non fiction.

The highlights of 2016 so far:-

'The ISIS Apocalypse: The history, strategy and doomsday vision of the Islamic State' by Will McCants. Scholarly, excellent and brief history of Islamic State and its forerunner incarnations. The 'apocalypse' reference is to the strong current of apocalyptic belief that runs through the organisation and some senior leaders. The belief in Quranic apocalyptic verses coming to be has shaped, to some extent, the organisation's decision making at the highest levels.

'The rise of Islamic state' by Patrick Cockburn. Even briefer coverage of the rise of Islamic State and the months preceding its dynamite first year, when it captured an unprecedented swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria with almost no opposition. More journalistic in feel, and really scathing in respect of the corrupt and sectarian nature of the Iraqi regime which effectively created the conditions on the ground where Iraqi sunnis viewed Islamic State as preferably to Shia governance from Baghdad.

In a totally different vein:-

'Extreme Ownership' by Jocko Willink. Ex NAVY seal, leadership expert, host of a podcast (Jocko Podcast). A bit "American, f**k yeah" at times for a cynic like me, but nonetheless at lot of takeaway points for anyone who manages or leads people. An emphasis on taking personal responsibility, to an extreme extent, as the title suggests.
 
Busy with Lark Rise to Candleford, which has got absolutely zip in common with the TV series. A very illuminating insight into English village life that hadn't substantially changed since the Domesday Book. I found especially interesting the fact that since the villagers were obliged by their poverty to eat healthily and had plenty of fresh air, exercise and no mental hangups, they virtually never got sick. They were also clean, kind enough to their neighbours and were happy with very little. Rather different from the grubby, sullen and ignorant peasants of the typical Hollywood Mediaeval flic.
 
Yes, there are so many readers who are interested on even Non fiction, I would like to start reading "Soul over matter" soon.
 
I may have found the true crime Chicago Mob Book I was looking for.
Either it's The Mafia Court: Corruption in Chicago or When Corruption was King.
 
I love flash non-fiction.....in fact that is what got me (back) into writing flash-fiction a few years back.
If you are interested in (sometimes very creative) flash non-fiction here's three anthologies that are wonderful:

In Short
Short Takes
In Brief

Wonderful Stuff IMO!

and if you are interested in writing it the Rose Metal Press Field Guide to writing Flash Nonfiction is excellent. It includes wonderful examples in each chapter along with the writing essays, exercises and prompts.

and there are many other instructional books on creative non-fiction.
 
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Richard Dawkins - The Extended Selfish Gene
A 40th anniversary hardcover containing material from The Extended Phenotype not included in the 40th anniversary paperback of The Selfish Gene. This new hardcover is in larger size than the almost pocket sized 30th anniversary hardback. In fact, only about 1cm smaller in both width and heigth than a regular new release.

This arrived last week, but is not supposed to hit stores until 22 September. Amazon.de all of a sudden had stock, but still did not start fulfilling pre-orders. So I cancelled my pre-order since the price was still at its lowest point anyway and my new order immediately shipped. The other Amazons still have this at pre-order only. Weird.
 
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