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Original poster

What was the last non fiction book you bought/ read/enjoyed?

172 replies

LemonAndAPear · 14/07/2022 19:03

I'm always looking for non fiction recommendations and I'd appreciate any suggestions. Even if you haven't read it yet I'd be interested to know what you've bought recently.

TIA

OP posts:
DisforDarkChocolate · 17/07/2022 14:59

I have just started Bob Mortimer's autobiography 'And Away', I have high expectations because I love Bob.

glamourousindierockandroll · 17/07/2022 13:33

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

All about the victims of Jack the Ripper and challenging the accepted narrative.

isthatwhatyoureallywanted · 17/07/2022 13:31

Can I just add, too, that I used to think my dad was really odd for only reading non-fiction since about his 40s but I'm realising that there is so much to learn about the world whereas there are only so many ways a rom com or crime book can go.

isthatwhatyoureallywanted · 17/07/2022 13:29

What a great thread.
My recommendation of recently published non-fiction books is In Control which is about the steps in an abusive relationship and absolutely eye opening
The non-fiction book which has stayed with me for years is Singled Out which is about the women who would have married all of the men who died in the First World War. Really haunting and makes me grateful every day to be alive in a time when a woman can be independent
One which has been most useful to me is Difficult Conversations. It's changed how I approach things with DH, the DC and also at work.

RedWreck · 17/07/2022 10:41

Pandemic 1918, all about the Spanish flu. Interesting to read how it was dealt with a century ago.

Belovedfool · 17/07/2022 10:34

Wonderland, a year of Britain's wildlife. Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss. This is my bedtime story - a little page dedicated to a seasonal natural wonder every single day.

Wild. Cheryl Strayed.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 17/07/2022 10:24

Drama Queen by Sara Gibbs. Each chapter title is a label she's been called.

How the girl guides won the war is an eye opener

HMSSophia · 17/07/2022 10:19

Oh yes. Love this thread.

dementedma · 17/07/2022 09:51

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. All about fungi and utterly mind blowing.

Titsflyingsouth · 17/07/2022 09:49

Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem. Fascinating!

Paperdove87 · 17/07/2022 08:38

The White Ship by Charles Spencer. It's about the kings just after the Norman conquest and a ship sinking. I knew very little about this period of history and found it fascinating- like a real life game of thrones!

Also The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghert about unseen bias against women. Great but also made me feel really angry! Some practical advice in it which I have already tried to use a bit.

And the beauty insider by Alison Young for skincare advice.

Vampirethriller · 17/07/2022 08:26

Passage Across the Mersey, it's a biography of Helen Forrester (Twopence to Cross the Mersey etc) by her son. I loved her memoirs so I thought it was very interesting.

SaintHelena · 17/07/2022 08:20

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari seems to be a free download from Epub.
I'm buying the kindle anyway for a more comfortable read.

HewasH2O · 16/07/2022 18:09

I removed FB & Insta, but couldn't pull myself away from MN after reading it.

thenightsky · 16/07/2022 17:45

And What do You Do?: What the Royal family don't want you to know. By Norman Baker.

Sheffieldissunny · 16/07/2022 17:40

Also fix the system not the women sounds like it'll be the next book on my feminist reading list

Sheffieldissunny · 16/07/2022 17:38

HewasH2O · 15/07/2022 22:38

Stolen Focus - why you can't pay attention by Johann Hari
Old Rage by Sheila Hancock
Fix the System Not the Women by Laura Bates. (In progress).

I know why I can't pay attention - MN!

lifesnotaspectatorsport · 16/07/2022 17:05

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

One of my favourite ever non-fiction books. It looks at why certain civilisations did 'better' than others - nothing to do with the people themselves but the resources they had to hand. You'll never look at history the same way.

RamblingEclectic · 16/07/2022 16:15

It's taking me a while to get through due to size and my lack of energy, but I'm finding Coward: Why we get anxious & what we can do about it by Tim Clare an interesting read.

thewalrus · 16/07/2022 15:31

I'm reading Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner at the moment. It's about her relationship with her mother, who died of cancer when she was 25, and about identity and food and grief and complexity. I'm halfway through and I think I'm going to think it's excellent.

Second/third the people who've mentioned Hungry by Grace Dent - one of my favourite books this year

thethoughtfox · 16/07/2022 09:11

Empire of Pain. Still on it. It's amazing. It's about the Sackler family who are responsible for the opioid crisis in America.

Whatabouterry · 16/07/2022 08:24

Really enjoyed English Pastoral by James Rebanks. Made me think a lot about food is produced in this country and how farming practices over the years have changed our landscape.

Am currently enjoying Africa is not a Country by Dipo Faloyin. I’m finding it thought provoking and I like the authors style of writing. My 15 year old DS recommended it to me - he also found it very readable.

rumred · 16/07/2022 08:11

The Hidden Life of Trees by
Peter Wohlleben
Brilliant, fascinating, depressing

Cherrypi · 16/07/2022 07:53

I've just finished stolen focus. Some interesting ideas but ultimately a bit disappointing. I'm currently reading Bleaker House by Nell Stevens. It's about a writer who wins a three month fellowship to write anywhere in the world and chooses Bleaker Island in the Falklands which is fairly isolated, hardly populated and not much there.

Boiledeggandtoast · 16/07/2022 07:10

I'd second A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor (waves to MegBusset from the 50 Books thread).