I recently read “Maybe you should talk to someone” and it really surprised me. Not only was it entertaining, but I also learnt more about people and even myself along the way. So I’m just keen to read more entertaining non-fiction. I used to think non-fiction was boring self-help books. That i would take a year to finish.
by Sweaty-Anteater1841
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Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old was witty and relatable! Perhaps you’ll like the humor in it.
I bought “Venomous: How Earth’s Deadliest Creatures Mastered Biochemistry” by Christie Wilcox for an Xmas gift, and I think everyone in my family has read and raves about it. I think the book’s with my brother-in-law’s brother-in-law now. It’s just a really well-researched book about venom. It’s like sitting in on a guest lecture by the coolest visiting scientist ever, who just understands her field and can explain it on approachable ways. It doesn’t fall into the pop science trap of over-emphasizing it’s importance, Wilcox is not trying to sell you shit, she just wants to tell you about cool shit.
“The Body: A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson is basically him listing cool factoids about the human body. I have some nitpicky opinions about some of his assertions, but the problem with biology is that there are just always hidden expectations in some mutant or a different species. You can only be so accurate without being dull.
Kelly and Zack Weinersmith are the couple being the online comic SMBC, and they’re smart as hell. Their most recent book is “A City On Mars” where they apply their knowledge and sass to realistically assess space colonization. They are much smarter than ol’ Musky, don’t worry. They have an older book, “Soonish” about emerging tech, which I personally think is worth reading. Some of the stuff they talk about has actually come to pass, which will mean some people find it outdated. Me, I think that makes it more fun!
Mary Roach is an author who specializes in researching weird, niche topics like corpse handling or battlefield tech. I do not, however, recommend her unless you already know a bit about the field she’s discussion. I think she might be pressured to come up with bigger themes than “isn’t this cool?” and I’ve seen her make some troubling statements as a result. Cool factoids, but, for instance, at one point in “The Fuzz” she makes the batshit argument that it’s immoral and anti-nature to exterminate invasive animals in order to preserve native biodiversity.
I’m currently having a lot of fun with “Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World” by David Van Reybrouck. It’s the most solid, engaging comprehensive history of a region that I’ve read in a long time. Just solid. Fucking. Writing. It’s kind of helping me think about current politics.