What's a great book you've read on a topic outwith your interests?

[YesILikeItToo]

There's something special about a really interesting book that's good just because the writer is good at writing about their area of expertise, not because it's full of things you wanted to know about. I've seen people try and find these books by asking questions like - what book in your area of study would you recommend to a layman? I thought I'd go the other way.

So - what have you read that was great even though you're not interested in the subject matter. I''ll offer these:

Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall Down, by J E Gordon. Learn the elements of engineering. I had no idea about any of this.

Playing Hard Ball by Ed Smith. First class cricketer compares his game to baseball. Insights into why anyone would care about either.

That’s a nice question. I enjoyed ‘Do no harm’ by Henry Marsh about brain surgery and the NHS. ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ by Richard Dawkins about evolution was a revelation to me (though I didn’t enjoy a couple of his later books that I read more recently). Will keep racking my brains.

Good thread! I agree, Structures is an excellent book.

I'd add "Deep Sea & Foreign Going" by Rose George, about international shipping (who knew that could be an interesting topic ),

"Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are" by Frans de Waal (DD's book - I usually can't get into biology type things at all) and

"Wilding" by Isabella Tree (I expected to hate this, only read it because my dad recommended it, and really loved it).

I have really enjoyed Yanis Varoufakis's two books on the EU. The first is a history of how it came about, And the Weak Suffer What They Must, and the second one is specifically about his negotiations with Brussels when he was finance minister, Adults in the Room.

Very readable and quite funny, he explains the complicated economic stuff, like international bond markets very clearly

Erebus, Michael Palin - fascinating regardless of my total lack of interest in old boats!

My name is doddie by doddie weir. No interest in rugby but a funny and often sad read. I got it for dh and started reading when flicking over it.

' The Lighthouse Stevensons' by Bella Bathurst. I have no particular interest in lighthouses, but it's very well-written - and I learned a lot.

Thanks for these ideas. ("The Blind Watchmaker" is a good example - those first two books by Dawkins do seem special - to me they appear to be very highly crafted as texts.)

I've just been to literally look at my bookshelves to see if anything else jumps out, but not really.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - the investigation into the life story of the woman whose cells were (unknowingly) used in developing all cancer treatments. It's been years since I read it, but it's fascinating.

I must read the book about Henrietta Lacks. I worked with HeLa cells plenty of times back in my bioscience days and had no idea where the name came from.

I've just read 'The Prison Doctor' by Dr Amanda Brown and found it fascinating. I followed it with 'Strangeways: a prison officer's story'.

No intention of going to prison any time soon.

I’ve borrowed and reserved a few from this thread. I think the copy of ‘Blind Watchmaker’ I read quoted on the cover a review that said something like ‘the kind of writing that makes the reader feel like a genius’, which is such a wonderful compliment.

Simon Winchester writes non-fiction about all sorts of odd topics. I recall two in particular: one about the American-murderer-surgeon who was a significant contributor to the OED from Broadmoor, and another about the creation of the first geological map of the UK, but have enjoyed others too.

The Shepherd's Life (James Rebanks) is fascinating on the Lake District and Herdwick sheep.

I second TonTonMacoute's shout for Yanis Varoufakis. And I am off to Google the books on shipping and structures as I need something new.

@Sadik I am listening to Wilding on Audio book, thank you for the recommendation. I usually read/listen to crime novels so a complete change for me and I am really enjoying it.

Wilding was very interesting- I bought some bee and butterfly plants for the garden- my little contribution.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier is a lovely book if you are into sewing or art. It's a novel about a young Quaker woman who runs away to America and the whole story has the history and meaning (and methods) of the quilts that were such an important part of a Quaker woman's life intertwined with the plot.

Really beautiful.

Glad you're enjoying it FiveShelties

Simon Winchester writes non-fiction about all sorts of odd topics. I recall two in particular: one about the American-murderer-surgeon who was a significant contributor to the OED from Broadmoor, and another about the creation of the first geological map of the UK, but have enjoyed others too.

Yes, these are great. I particularly enjoyed The Surgeon of Crowthorne.

Time Song: Searching for Doggerland by Julia Blackburn. Although it's not so much that I was positively UNinterested in Doggerland – just that I didn't know anything about it. It's a quirky and lovely book with some beautiful illustrations.

Thanks for reminding me of the title @sadeyedladyofthelowlands63 .

Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomon is fascinating.

Not sure The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hess counts, but I got really immersed in the fictional game

Pillars of the Earth. Fascinating account of a cathedral being built.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. A book about ice hockey. I have ZERO knowledge of or interest in ice hockey. But I loved this book.

Gulp by Mary Roach. It's about the digestive system and I found it nearly unputdownable. DH says her other book Bonk (about sex) is equally good. NB don't read Gulp while you're eating.

You probably shouldn't read Bonk while you're...oh never mind