what non-fiction are you reading now?

[NicknameTaken]

I just finished Lucy Worsley's If Walls Could Talk - great fun, very well-written and engaging. Next up is Tom Holland's In the Shadow of the Sword, about the origins of Islam.

Anyone else?

The 100 Objects That Changed The World - think it's called that but tbh I have hardly read any of it as it currently feels too much like hard work.

And a book about the Tower of London.

I've just read 'London Under' by Peter Akroyd, which was okay.

I found that I couldn't read 100 Objects all the way through. It was interesting to dip into but there's not exactly a narrative flow. It's pretty heavy, in all senses of the word.

it;s the sort of thing I usually ike to dip into to, but even the intro was pretty heavy going!

Trying again in English this time - It's the sort of thing I usually like to dip into...

I loved If Walls Could Talk.

I'm currently reading Blood & Roses by Helen Castor. It's about the ambitious Paston Family who lived during the War of the Roses and whose letters survived.

Iridescent Iran. I'm fascinated by the Middle East, the people and the culture. Enjoyable if that's your sort of thing.

Alison Weir's The Lady in the Tower

It's about Anne Boleyn and rather interesting (history geek!)

I really enjoyed Lady In The Tower. It was nice to have such a detailed history of Anne Boleyn's last few months and I did learn some new things.

The Von Trapp Familiy Singers - the true story behind the Sound of Music. It's quite interesting - the film is based only the first quarter of it.

The Isles. Bought for me by DH at Christmas, ostensibly from the DDs. It's slow going because it's too heavy to read comfortably while eating or in the bath...

Oh, and I love Alison Weir. have you read her book on Katherine Swynford?

It's on my shelf to attack next

Poledra, I wanted to like The Isles, but I thought it was pretty poor on Irish history. To mix up Daniel O'Connell, the great politician, with Daniel O'Donnell....words fail. I read it a couple of years ago, so maybe they changed it in later editions though.

Todays, have you read any Tim Mackintosh-Smith? I loved his book on Yemen.

Oh my god - it doesn't, does it? I'll let you know if they've changed it, as I'm still in mesolithic times I'd like to point out that, although I got it at Christmas, I only started reading it two weeks ago...

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones (not that impressed - too much 'Henry III was absolutely devastated and turned in his fury to...' emotional projecting) and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (interesting).

Poor Economics - a very interesting read on why aid does/doesn't work, and how the poorest people choose to spend the little money they have. Lots of case studies, and very readable for what could be a very dry subject.

Sounds good, exexpat. I might give it a shot. I worked in Africa for 3 years and read quite a few books about the failings of the aid system.

Jerusalem by Simon Sebag-Montefiore given to me by SIL who was his contemporary at Cambridge. It's excellent on all counts and although very thick I cannot recommend it highly enough!

^ wow! did she know him properly?

Reading a parallel study of Hitler and Stalin. Mind you, I haven't picked it up for about a week, I'm reading other stuff. Finished a Colette biography yesterday. Otherwise it's all fiction.

She didn't move in his circles but was aware of him thro' friends of friends...Not at same College though.

Your pregnancy week by week!

DW has the parallel study of Hitler and Stalin - think it's been on her 'to read' list since DS (11) was born!!! Are you enjoying it?

^ Seriously cool! about your SIL.

Yeah, but it'd be pretty hard to mess the subject up esp. if you've done research on one of them already. He gets right to the heart of everything- ties in everything- no surprises though. It is over 1,000 pages

Anyone else read Tom Holland, In the Shadow of the Sword? Really enjoyed it.

Currently reading Young Romantics, and I can totally picture Shelley's wife posting in Relationships. "My DH has just run off with a 16-year girl and her sister. I'm pregnant with our second DC. Now he is asking me to send him money. WWYD?"

Mary Boleyn - The mistress of Kings, by Alison Weir.