Non fiction recommendations

[lastqueenofscotland]

I appreciate non fiction links hugely to personal interests. But I thought it would be interesting to hear people’s favourite non fiction reads?
What is it and why?

I am reading The Choice by Edith Eger at the moment...only 5 pages in and I already have copied out several quotes from it.

My favourite book is "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson.
Probably down to having heard of it, and then very shortly afterwards, come across it in a charity shop, at a time when I was facing considerable personal challenges.

Bizarrely, I like golf books which deal with the mental game of golf I dont play and quite loathe it as a past-time).

I found 'The Way We Eat Now' by Bee Wilson absolutely brilliant. It was a meditative discussion on food without the polemics and scaremongering that often characterises other books in this area. Have been recommending to everyone!

Bill Bryson is great and covers so many different subjects!

If you’re interested in history or WW2, I really enjoyed A Life In Secrets by Sarah Helm, which is a biography of Vera Atkins, a key figure in SOE during WW2.

Peter Moore's travel books, he's absolutely hilarious.

Oooh so many, I love me some non fiction. These are all amazing reads which have stayed with me and I’ve never forgotten.

• I agree with the Choice by E Eger., Educated by Tara Westover. I enjoyed catching a serial killer about the Christopher Halliwell case.

Also war doctor, Adam Kay’s this is going to hurt and his recent one. Becoming by Michelle Obama. Loved the recent books about Chernobyl.
Oh I also read “she said” this week about the Weinstein sex scandal. Such an important book.

The Killers of the Family Moon, anything about 9/11 but in particular the woman who wasn’t there, the only plane in the sky and looming tower.

I loved mindhunter, BTK by John Douglas and also the stranger beside me.
What else.... oh this house of grief. A true story about an Australian case where some kids drowned in a reservoir. I’ve never forgotten that one.
So you can see, all non fiction, across a number of genres!

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick is an incredible narrative non-fiction about the horrors the people of North Korea have endured. Stasiland is another good one. Wild Swans also good if you like this type of thing - which I clearly do!

The Penguin Lessons. A fascinating read about how you can learn important lessons in life from unusual places if you are open minded.

I haven't read many, so I'm watching this thread with interest.

I loved Once I Was A Princess by Jacqueline Pascarl-Gillespie.

I'm reading Bill Bryson's new one 'The Body'. Very interesting so far - a little scary in places!

The Places in Between by Rory Stewart (politician). An account of his solo walk across Afghanistan, post 9/11. Really interesting.

Adam Kay’s diaries of his life as a junior doctor are hilarious, thought provoking and really raised my political awareness of the state of the NHS -This is Going to Hurt and *Twas the Nightshift before Christmas^.

I enjoyed The Radium Girls too, which really broughy home how much the world has changed in terms of working conditions, workers rights and sexism in the last century.

All that remains - Sue Black
She's a forensic anthropologist and her story is humble, passionate and very touching.

Similar topic but different was 'Unatural causes' by Dr Richard shepherd.

I also enjoyed Educated by Tara Westenover.

I've just finished War Doctor by David Nott which is harrowing. I have really enjoyed reading it though. His episode of desert Island discs is also worth a listen.

I must plough through The Radium Girls. I found it very clunky and hard to read so gave up a couple of chapters in.

Can Any Mother Help Me by Jenna Bailey - an early mumsnet in a way!
"In 1935, a young woman wrote a letter to Nursery World magazine, expressing her feelings of isolation and loneliness. Women from all over the country experiencing similar frustrations wrote back. To create an outlet for their abundant ideas and opinions they started a private magazine, The Cooperative Correspondence Club. The deep friendships formed through its pages ensured the magazine continued until 1990, fifty-five years after the first issue was put together."

I loved The Unfinished Palazzo by Judith Mackrell. It's the story of a palazzo in Venice, and I picked it up because I love Venice, then found myself immersed in the story of three incredible women who lived there over the years, ending with Peggy Guggenheim. It's outrageous and totally gripping.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. It's about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos who'd claimed to have invented a new way to test blood, and got billions of dollars in investment from lots of experienced VCs - and partnered with some huge US chains, but it turned out to be a huge fraud. It reads like a thriller but is a true story - totally fascinating.