If you read non-fiction, what do you read?

[NotPennysBoat]

Doing lots more reading at the moment for obvious reasons, and wondering if I could actually be using the time more productively to learn something and broaden my horizons!
So if you read non fiction, please share with me what you read! Genres and specific book recommendations welcome.

I've read a few books on Everest tragedies. I think one was called 'Into Thin Air'.

Also a book from hostages. ' An Evil Cradling'.

History of Britain.

Jason Fox SAS book.

Tudor books . Jane or Mary Boleyn are intetesting.

I also like historical fiction which tends to lead me to Goolge the subject.

I enjoy biographies of historical figures, particularly about interesting women.

I also read cook books just because I'm interested in food, gardening books, books on art history, sports biographies. Lots of things really.

I like social history books. Especially about WW2. Things like history of The Land Army or Evacuation of children. Juliet Gardner and Simon Garfield are two authors that spring to mind.
I used to read travel stuff like Bill Bryson.
Recently I read a book about the Titanic - Rough Guide to the Titanic.

The Tyrannosaur Chronicles

Stiff The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

The Royal Art of Poison

Tudor books: The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir
The fall of Anne Boleyn A Countdown
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Time Travellers Guides by Ian Mortimer

Murderous Contagion A Human History of Disease

I like a bit of gender politics. Have recently read Invisible Women (link to Waterstones reviews. About how male is the standard so women aren't properlybrepresented in data sets and the real life ramifications. For example, the "female" crash test dummies used in car tests are based on small men so don't take into account anatomical differences/ realities for women (organs in slightly different places, bone density differences, etc). It's a good read.

Alternate Health and dowsing books mainly

I like memoirs. Mary Karr is excellent.

I love history.
The Tudors - what a lively period that was. Look for authors Alison Weir, David Starkey, Dan Jones and for the definitive work on Anne Boleyn try Eric Ives.
The Kennedy’s
Richard iii - still an enigma.
Ancient Egyptians - particularly the 18th dynasty and Akhenaten, he is incredibly interesting. For Akhenaten, try authors Nicholas Reeves or Cyril Aldred.
I also enjoy genealogy so I’ve recently been reading about the industrial revolution and the Irish famine (some of my Irish ancestors came to England at the time).

I'm currently listening to Wild Swans by Jung Chang. I've read it before about 20 years ago but it's so interesting. I've learned loads about China.

This has become my favorite genre.
Bill Bass' books about setting up the forensic science facility in the US are fascinating.
I like offbeat biogs too.
Various guides to living in time periods eg Ruth Goodman's books.

History, biography, current events, (especially political), and memoirs

Right now I am re-reading "Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour" by Lynne Olson.

A few days ago I started rereading Antonia Frasier's biography of Charles II, but then, of course, I remembered that there is a plague in it. I don't want to read about plagues right now.

I really like to read biographies, have read a load of political ones.

I've just finished reading a really good book written by the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London(Chris Skaife). I watched the series about the Tower on TV and he was on it quite a bit. His book is a mixture of his life and about looking after the Ravens. It's a brilliant book.

Waking Up by Vicky Hamill. Life on a small 'humane' farm and the farmer's dawning realisation of the truth of what she was doing for a living - breeding and raising sentient individuals to send them off to the horrors of the slaughterhouse

Travel logs, memoirs, pop science, mostly. I struggle to read most fiction. So tedious.

Geopolitics & History- Robert Kaplan, George Friedman, Yuval Harari

Biology / Health / Science like Why We Sleep (Mathew Walker), anything by Ben Goldacre (Bad Pharma, Bad Science)

Personal development - Self help books re habits, getting organised, including Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (Susan Jeffers), Better Than Before (Gretchen Rubin).

Memoirs are good. Science stuff. Brene Brown book on vulnerability. Philippa Perry parenting book.

Social history and true crime mostly. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold is a study of the lives of the victims of Jack the Ripper; there’s some fascinating stuff. Virginia Nicholson has written a very good series of books on women’s social history starting from the unmarried post-WW1 generation in the 20s and 30s, then women’s war work, then the 50s housewives

1. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius. Rediscovering this and particularly enjoying it during lock down
2. A Cup of Sake beneath the Cherry Trees- poetry anthology by a Japanese monk. A few centuries old but very poignant.
3. Inglorious Empire- Shashi Tharoor. The nasty side of British Empire that is rarely seen in history books. Makes for uncomfortable reading.
4. The Etymologicon- Mark Forsyth about the origin of words. Utterly gripping whilst reading but I forget the stories behind the words minutes after I've put down the book. Not sure why...

I like biographies, Get Happy by Gerard Clarke is a great biography of Judy Garland.

And read The Radium Girls by Kate Moore - brilliant book but horrific.

I like reading non fiction about mental health, and would recommend The Heartland by Nathan Filer, The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes and Darkness Visible by William Styron.

I recently really enjoyed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, about working in a crematorium and the death industry, and highly recommend With The End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix.

I also like biographies and autobiographies, such as:
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
Educated by Tara Westover
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine

A Spy Among Friends, about the double agent Kim Philby, is a fascinating read.

Lots here to add to my list!

I am currently reading “A history of the world in 21 women” which is fascinating.

I like Maggie Hartleys books about her experiences as a foster carer - very eye opening.

You may like this one then @Tarahumara

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about the first woman who unknowingly donated cancer cells which changed the course of medical history.

Wilding is about the transformation of a farming estate in East Sussex.

Both fascinating books.

Wow - amazing response! So many to add to my list. Thanks for the inspiration!