Why is there less traffic on non-fiction thread than on here?!

[tobee]

Just that really. Does it reflect what you read?

wiltingfast, I think we have quite similar tastes - have read and enjoyed most of your list there (Guns Germs and Steel is one of those books I recommend to everybody). Have you read Viv Albertine's autobiography? - I read it around the same time as Bedsit Disco Queen and thought it was also v. good.

I've eyed it up but have not actually read it yet. Have added it to my watch list now! You should come join us on the 50 books thread, more non fiction recommendations would be really appreciated :)

Just thought of another fantastic one, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - a history of efforts to treat cancer. Fantastically interesting. And really digestible despite it's mammoth size. He doesn't seem to have written anything else but he really should!

Krakatoa by Simon Winchester also another vg non fiction read.

I have to say I don't read much non-fiction, except for specific things that I'm interested in (crochet, quilting, gardening etc). I just don't find non-fiction as escapist as fiction. There have been a few things that I have really enjoyed, some because of the subject, like Freakanomics, and some because the writing is so absorbing, like Michael Pollan especially A Place of my Own. I never go onto the non-fiction topic looking for recommendations, I think because most readers there enjoy autobiographies and historical books and I almost never get all the way through that sort of book.

I might try and do that, wiltingfast, though I'm not very good at long threads - I tend to dip in and out of MN a bit too much.

Cote - totally agree. I vote for something big, historical and manly for the first discussion/giveaway.

Cote - totally agree. I vote for something big, historical and manly for the first discussion/giveaway.

Just to update you, we're starting our non-fiction bookclub choice in January and have already lined up some great books.

We're also going to be amalgamating the 'fiction' and 'non-fiction' discussion boards under the new title of 'what you're reading' We thought this reflects what you're talking about on both boards. Any thoughts?

Sounds good! I'm always on the look out for new books and authors and I don't really care whether they are fiction or non-fiction. Well-written and interesting would hit the spot every time. Agree with the PP who enjoyed Jared Diamond and Steven Pinker. Fiction-wise, more intelligent thrillers would be welcome... authors can't seem to write them fast enough.

Sounds good to me. Any hints on what you're likely to be including in the non-fiction bookclub?