Non-fiction recommendations?

[OhDear2200]

Morning wise MN readers.

I’ve just finished Michelle Obama’s book and Education (Tara Westover’s book - amazing if you’ve not read it).

It made me think that I need to read more non-fiction.

I’m open to anything, autobiographies, history, politics.

They just need to be easy to read, nothing too complicated or technical.

Oh would also be up for any poetry recommendations as I’ve I also have recently read Diary Of a somebody (which I know is fiction but has poetry in it).

Thanks!!!

Hi OhDear, some suggestions of books I've enjoyed:

• To Throw Away Unopened, by Viv Albertine
• The Consequences of Love, Gavanndra Hodge
• I Never Said I Loved You, by Rhik Samadder

Bill Bryson's books are good.. the travel ones but also the historical ones. At Home is fascinating.

I've just enjoyed reading Life at the Extremes which is about the extreme conditions on earth and how mankind and animals cope there- or dont.

The Oliver Sacks books are fascinating. They are about various brain disorders with intriguing symptoms.

And theres always Stiff. Which is about what happens to a cadaver when someone dies and donates their body to medical science.

Thanks @bibliomania they look good, similar to Education

@DrMadelineMaxwell

I like the sound of Stiff!

That’s what I’m looking for information about something I would never learn about in my day to day life.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn - I loved it!
Other ones I've enjoyed:
Things I Learned From Falling by Claire Nelson
The Wild Other by Clover Stroud
Broken Greek by Peter Paphides
The Diary of A Bookseller by Shaun Bythell (the 2 "sequels" are good too!)

If you want a left-field suggestion, one of my favourite books is The Ark of the Covenant, by Tudor Parfitt. It's a bit like a real-life Indiana Jones quest, excellent fun.

The Lost Ark of the Covenant even.

The Only Plane in the Sky. An oral history of 9/11.

I thought I'd struggle with it as it's made up of thousands of individually spoken sentences from people. Almost like a script. But it's very very good.

Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd.

Fantastic insight into autopsy, death and forensics.

'English Pastoral - An Inheritance' by James Rebanks

Well worth a read if you have any interest in food production, farming, countryside, climate change, etc.

I’m not a big non-fiction reader although I read fiction voraciously. However, I would really recommend:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed (and the subsequent film with Reese Witherspoon) about a woman whose life is so chaotic that she just decides to fuck it all and hike the Pacific Crest Trail with zero experience.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer about a young man who abandons his life for the Canadian wilderness.

Touching the Void - Joe Simpson - about a climbing expedition which goes terribly wrong.

The outrun by Amy Liptrot. It's about her move back to Orkney from London to recover from alcoholism.

Any of the Malcolm Gladwell books or any in those shelves in Waterstones!

Dead Aid is also great about the aid we give to developing countries.

I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou is a must.

For poetry the by far top seller of the past few years is Rupi Kaur. Also try Amanda Lovelace who is similar.

Jackie Kay's red dust road I've only heard great things about but is still on my to read list.

Jeanette Winterston's why be happy when you can be normal is excellent - it's the memoir version of oranges are not the only fruit.

'50 things that made the modern economy' by Tim Harford

A story of inventions that changed the world and made it what it is today. A book of a BBC radio series. If you don't fancy the book, the podcast is a good listen - on BBC Sounds.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. My birthday is coming up and I’ve asked for book vouchers.

@felulageller I loved Outrun and thanks for the poetry recommendations.

@macshoto that sounds interesting, I’m looking for anything that expands my knowledge!

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

The Only Plane in the Sky. An oral history of 9/11.

I thought I'd struggle with it as it's made up of thousands of individually spoken sentences from people. Almost like a script. But it's very very good.

I watched a documentary recently that was similar, people being interviewed, obviously it was heart wrenching but also a brilliant reflection of the human experience.

What is History, Now?, Suzannah Lipscomb and Helen Carr

A series of essays by historians asking questions about why we should/do study certain things and how we do them. Contents attached. They are very accessible and each one is not too long and comes with a useful further reading.

Can any mother help me, by Jenna Bailey.

It is the history of a correspondence club, set up by women in the 1930s and tells all about their lives across the decades. Absolutely fascinating social history.

I think I need to get to the library as this is potentially expensive!!!

Great recommendations