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Original poster

Well written and interesting non- fiction books

161 replies

BeverleyCleverley · 28/06/2025 20:20

I've got a decent pile of fiction books to work through but I like to have some non fiction books on the go too and I'd love some recommendations! Particularly stuff about current affairs/politics etc but I also love geography/history/science books and open to wider suggestions

OP posts:
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shash1982 · 11/12/2025 22:48

The radium girls by Kate Moore.

Harrowing, emotional but gripping and interesting.
It delves into the lives of the women and young girls who used to work at the radium factories in America and the lies told to them by corrupt healthcare professionals and people in authority and how they fought for justice.

dynamiccactus · 28/11/2025 21:07

Baltic by Oliver Moody and Goodbye to Russia by Sarah Rainsford.

And for something a little lighter, but very interesting, A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (the subtitle is "can we settle Mars, should we settle Mars and have we really thought this through")

Anotherdayattheforum · 26/11/2025 10:31

Want to add - Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert classic for overwhelmed mothers and simultaneously carers of aging parents who just want respite.

I would at best describe it as autofiction. Over the course of her adult gap year spent in equal parts in Italy- eat, India - pray, Indonesia - love, she recounts not one unpleasant incident. Unlikely, but great escapist reading, and maybe writing.

supersun23 · 04/11/2025 22:28

Bump

SydneyCarton · 15/09/2025 14:08

The mention of Margaret Forster (who I always mean to read more of) and My Life in Houses reminds me of Julie Myerson's Home: The Story of Everyone Who Ever Lived In Our House, which is a biography of her family home going back in time from the present day to when it was just a plot of land in Clapham, and trying to find all the people who lived in it. I was already interested in genealogy when I first read it, but it inspired to me to go census-hunting for addresses where I had lived rather than just for people.

LambriniBobInIsleworthISeesYa · 13/09/2025 22:29

Supper with the Crippens by David James Smith

EwwSprouts · 13/09/2025 22:08

The Heat of the Moment - Sabrina Cohen-Hatton autobiography from homeless to senior fire officer
Invisible Women is I think best dipped into rather than ploughed through.

Original poster
BeverleyCleverley · 12/09/2025 12:52

Love that this thread is still going! My wish list of books keeps growing Grin.

I am currently enjoying " a Short History of the World according to Sheep" by Sally Coulthard. It's fascinating and quite surprising too... I shall say no more Grin

OP posts:
MrsRadichio · 12/09/2025 12:08

I haven't read the full thread but some suggestions from me are The Ratline and East West Street by Philippe Sands. He writes really well and the books are both compelling, though obviously upsetting at times (about the Holocaust).

And on a different note I really enjoyed Margaret Foster's non fiction books: Hidden Lives (interesting social history about the role of women in the early part of 20th century) and My Life in Houses.

LibbyOTV · 11/09/2025 22:21

'We want real food' by Graham Harvey about modern food and agriculture.

supersun23 · 11/09/2025 19:23

Bump

MsSmartShoes · 09/09/2025 05:15

Prisoners of Geography- Tim Marshall is excellent.

Mudlarking - Lara Maiklem is really excellent.

sadmillenial · 09/09/2025 03:03

the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, by Steve Brusatte, was legit the best popular science book ive ever read

Leafy3 · 09/09/2025 00:53

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady is excellent

NomNomNominativeDeterminism · 09/09/2025 00:40

Kate Summerscale’s book The Peepshow : The murders at Rillington Place is great.

evtheria · 07/09/2025 21:45

City of Djinns (Dalrymple)
Stranger in the Forest (Hansen)
Travelers’ Tales: Food, A Taste of the Road
Longitude (Sobel)

prampushingdownthehighst · 07/09/2025 21:39

I have read several book mentioned here but have also seen many more that I would like to read, I keep it on my watch list
Many thanks for the OP and all the recommendations
Brilliant thread

Papyrophile · 07/09/2025 12:57

Placemarking, to find again and make a list!

supersun23 · 07/09/2025 11:47

Great ideas on here!

YouBelongWithMe · 10/08/2025 23:58

The History of the World in 100 Animals - Simon Barnes.

Tracks our relationship with nature through 100 species, each one having it's own short chapter. I loved it, and want to read the sister book 100 Objects.

BigSkies2022 · 10/08/2025 10:16

Currently reading TheHuman Tide by Paul Moreland , about the impact of demography on history and the interactions between modernisation, economic growth, military and colonial ambition, the shape of a democracy- all the big stuff! Very readable and informative- haven’t yet got to the policy implications for current governments yet, still in the historical overview sections. Another one inspired by a radio interview- Amol Rajan’s programme Radical featured the author a couple of weeks ago. BBC Sounds.

SkeletonBatsflyatnight · 10/08/2025 09:37

Tide by Hugh Aldersey-Williams. Beautifully written and really interesting.

Misknit · 09/08/2025 19:27

Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke won the Women's Prize for Non Fiction this year and is beautifully written. It interlaces the story of a child's heart transplant with the history of transplantation science. It's my book of the year so far.

Also from the longlist Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men is a great read.

trainedopossum · 09/08/2025 14:50

Joan Didion’s Blue Nights and The Year of Magical Thinking
Dennis Covington’s Salvation on Sand Mountain

WandaVon · 02/08/2025 20:06

Sex in History by Reay Tannahill. She’s a fabulous historian and this book is so compelling. She also wrote Flesh and Blood, about cannibalism, which is also really good. She has another about the history of food, but I haven’t read that yet.

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