Non fiction recommendations please

[Bookworm3459]

Got back into books again recently and picked my old go to genre of historical fiction at first but realised I don't enjoy it like I used to.

I'm now reading more historical non fiction and biographies of politicians which I'm really enjoying. Currently reading a Churchill biography (not the one by Boris Johnson).

Any recommendations?

Wild swans by Jung Chang , three generations of Chinese women from foot binding to cultural revolution

the river kings Cat Jarman will change how you think about Vikings

Time travellers guide medieval England Ian Mortimer , what daily life would be like

Face of Battle John Keegan , Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme . Sobering history of warfare

Erebus Michael Palin , story of Artic exploration ship

Endurance, Shackleton incredible journey , Alfred Lansing amazing story of fortitude and determination

Femina janina Ramirez, forgotten history of medieval women

Ghost Rider by Neil Peart
Wavewalker by Suzanne Heywood

Black Diamonds

Definitely Wild Swans, and anything by Bill Bryson.

Entangled Life. Biography of fungi!

I’m generally not a big non-fiction reader but I’ve read a few great ones over the last couple of years
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker - a family in America, many of whom had schizophrenia and how research into them helped with scientific understanding and treatment of the illness
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe - looks at the murder of Jean McConville by the IRA during the troubles and used that to look at the wider context of the conflict
Empire of Pain also by Patrick Radden Keefe- the story of the Sackler family and their role in the opioid epidemic in the US
A Tomb with a View by Peter Ross- a look at graveyards in Britain and Ireland and some of the stories of their inhabitants. A fascinating social history recommended by someone on the 50 bookers thread
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
A great tale of human endeavour as a group of East Germans who have moved to the west try to build a tunnel under the Berlin Wall to help their families escape.
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley
After the death of his brother, Patrick quits his job at the New Yorker to work in the art museum where he learns about art and life from his fellow guards
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
The comedian’s autobiography which focuses on on her autism and how she deals with it. A fascinating and sometimes upsetting insight into the lack of help out there for many of our young people.

My current read is also fascinating- The Patient Assassin by Anita Anand which looks into Udham Singh who assassinated Sir Michael O’Dwyer for his role in the Armritsar Massacre.

My go-to recommendation is Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser. Bio of Laura Ingalls Wilder in historical geo-political context. Epic!

Anything by Ben Mcintyre
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (stories of life in North Korea)
The Past in Hiding by Mark Roseman

Magnificent Rebels by Andrea Wulf - about a group of philosophers and writers who came together in the small German town of Jena at the end of the 18th century. It includes Goethe and Schiller and the birth of Romanticism. I know that doesn't sound terribly exciting but it is beautifully written and really engaging.

I've read Millions Like Us (1940s) and How Was It For You (1960s) by Virginia Nicholson and thought they were brilliant. They are social histories of women's lives using biography, memoir, and oral history.

I reserved Wild Swans at the library this week, so glad to hear it being recommended. I'm planning on listening to it, rather than reading it. Has anyone heard the audiobook version?

If you're familiar with Shakespeare, there are a few books by James Shapiro. '1599' and '1605' are both about the historical events of the years in question, and how they influenced Shakespeare's plays. Another of his books, 'Contested Will', is about the conspiracy theories around Shakespeare's authorship. It's very good on how assumptions about writing have changed from the Renaissance to the present day.

Further to @DisplayPurposesOnly recommendations of Prairie Fires, about Laura Ingalls Wilder, I agree it is absolutely excellent. However, it may affect how you see her books. If you cherish the message of her Little House…books, you might be better off avoiding Prairie Fires.

I haven’t got it for my mum, for that reason.

I've just read a fascinating book called The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts.

Prairie Fires was marvellous! So was The Patient Assassin.

I recommend everything by David Grann, especially Killers of the Flower Moon.

Only a month late to the thread, but a second vote for Strong Female Character by Fern Brady and a shout out for Jean Sprackland's 'Strands' which is about a year of beach finds on one stretch of northern British beach. It's beautiful.