I’m going to try these by example so read this as Books Like \_\_\_\_ (some of these are media based please forgive me)
The Martian – has a lot of technical, and actually fairly accurate, Stem stuff, so I get to learn while I read, but there’s still a plot with emotional gravity(ha) and humor to keep from things getting bleak/stale
Dead Poets society/dark academia? – I like a lot of coming of age stuff (see also: The Outsiders) but it’s hard to find a really good read about the culture of private schools and things like etiquette and interpersonal politics, nearest thing I have found is historical romance where there’s all sorts of social mores to navigate. Also like that most Dark academia DOES in fact value study and education, it’s just that it critiques the uses of education to create injustice and imbalance
The Librarian/Warehouse 13/The Mummy – Whimsical, adventurous, great outfits, often archeology and a romantic subplot. Love me that sandy linen power couple vibe(also usually uplifting/has happy ending)
Memoirs, but poetic type, the best book I have for this is My Own Devices by Dessa – there’s not a lot of focus on particular events but rather emotions and life philosophies, I feel like Greenlights and Stephen King’s “On Writing” also fits into this category. Typically written by creatives but I’m open to scientists and journalists and very very open to anything related to plant-based careers which leads me to
Botany, Ecology and Homesteading Oh My! – gardening books and bushcraft and craft crafts, all great, one problem, VERY TECHNICAL I like these subjects and want to learn more but for the love of all my brain will melt if they keep being boring. This category might be more difficult for the other ones, but I’m desperate and open to wildcards (ooh also wool carding and textiles)
Interesting/funny books about careers I’ll probably never have – Corpus Juris Humorous: In Brief is my best example
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by BaconBurgerF5227
2 Comments
You might like “Full Body Burden” by Kristin Iverson (I may be butchering that spelling). It’s a memoir about her experience growing up outside the Rocky Flats nuclear plant in Colorado and contains a LOT of technical data about nuclear power and some pediatric cancers.
“Tom’s River” by Dan Fagen (again, probably butchering this spelling but can’t remember his name off the top of my head) is another one you might like, it also contains a lot of technical data about groundwater contamination and EPA Superfund sites, namely the two in New Jersey discussed heavily in the book. It also goes pretty deep into pediatric cancer clusters and the science of epidemiology. It’s fascinating albeit sobering.
Private schools:
* Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
* Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas
* I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
* A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee
* The Secret Place by Tana French