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Original poster

What's a great book you've read on a topic outwith your interests?

30 replies

YesILikeItToo · 17/09/2019 14:00

There's something special about a really interesting book that's good just because the writer is good at writing about their area of expertise, not because it's full of things you wanted to know about. I've seen people try and find these books by asking questions like - what book in your area of study would you recommend to a layman? I thought I'd go the other way.

So - what have you read that was great even though you're not interested in the subject matter. I''ll offer these:

Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall Down, by J E Gordon. Learn the elements of engineering. I had no idea about any of this.

Playing Hard Ball by Ed Smith. First class cricketer compares his game to baseball. Insights into why anyone would care about either.

OP posts:
moobar · 18/09/2019 14:01

My name is doddie by doddie weir. No interest in rugby but a funny and often sad read. I got it for dh and started reading when flicking over it.

fishonabicycle · 18/09/2019 13:58

Erebus, Michael Palin - fascinating regardless of my total lack of interest in old boats!

TonTonMacoute · 18/09/2019 12:19

I have really enjoyed Yanis Varoufakis's two books on the EU. The first is a history of how it came about, And the Weak Suffer What They Must, and the second one is specifically about his negotiations with Brussels when he was finance minister, Adults in the Room.

Very readable and quite funny, he explains the complicated economic stuff, like international bond markets very clearly

Sadik · 17/09/2019 19:42

Good thread! I agree, Structures is an excellent book.

I'd add "Deep Sea & Foreign Going" by Rose George, about international shipping (who knew that could be an interesting topic Grin ),

"Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are" by Frans de Waal (DD's book - I usually can't get into biology type things at all) and

"Wilding" by Isabella Tree (I expected to hate this, only read it because my dad recommended it, and really loved it).

Cornishblues · 17/09/2019 14:18

That’s a nice question. I enjoyed ‘Do no harm’ by Henry Marsh about brain surgery and the NHS. ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ by Richard Dawkins about evolution was a revelation to me (though I didn’t enjoy a couple of his later books that I read more recently). Will keep racking my brains.