Hi guys, basically the title. Alot of nonfiction books including memoirs just feel like an info dump or written in a very boring way. I want some books that will get be hooked and actually interested. My goal is to build a reading habit in this genre and eventually get to higher level books.
It can be science, history, or memoirs. Just something fun to read so I can be more involved in this genre.
by Simple-Sector4023
7 Comments
Pulling my list, give me a second
Missoula by Jon Krakauer: investigative nonfiction that looks at rape cases in Missoula, MT and their connections to the college football team.
Erika Fatlands’ books (Sovietstan, High, and The Border): Very detailed travelogues about geopolitics, history, and culture of defined regions.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: kid travels alone into Alaskan interior. Lives up to the book’s hype.
The Lady and the Panda by Vicki Constantine: a biography of Ruth Harkness who brought the first panda to the United States. Also just a cool travel story about a woman redefining her societal role.
Billionaire Wilderness by Justine Farrell: a damning discussion of the ultra wealthy in Montana and Wyoming
Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond: a memoir by a child who grew up a fugitive. Absolutely bonkers story.
Bill Bryson’s travel books: My personal favorite was In a Sunburned Country which focused on Australia. A Long Walk is about the Appalachian trail and also spectacular.
Tracks by Robyn Davidson: a memoir about a woman who travels across Australia’s interior alone.
Grace by Grace Coddington: memoir about the life of a director of vogue. Not super into fashion, but loved this read.
The Blue Bear by Lynn Schooler: the story of one man’s pursuit of the maybe real glacier bear in Alaska.
Among Grizzlies by Timothy Treadwell: a wild first hand account of living with grizzlies by a very misguided-named-environmentalist-after-he-died guy. Pretty controversial in ecological/environmental circles.
The Crane Wife by CJ Houser: a collection of essays about growing up in your 30s.
Any books by Mary Roach: she covers a variety of topics from cadavers (my favorite) to sex to life on mars to the afterlife to wildlife laws and they are all good.
The Agronauts by Maggie Nelson: a memoir about queer family-making
Any books by bell hooks: all have to do with relationships, the meaning of love, and philosophies regarding community, but in a really profound non-cheesy way.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: a memoir by a safari guide
Undress Me In the Temple of Heaven: Appears to be a lighthearted travel memoir about two girls frolicking through South East Asia. Ends up analyzing what psychotic breaks can look like abroad.
Pickets and Dead Men by Bree Lowen: memoir of former Mt. Rainier climbing ranger.
As You Wish by Cary Elwes (if you like the movie Princess Bride)
The Blue Wonder by Frauke Bagusche // Shark by Paul De Gelder (if you wanna learn more about the ocean)
What About Men? by Caitlin Moran (very enlightening and funny book written by female comedian/feminist about why men reject certain feminist ideals even tho they would greatly benefit from them as well)
Celebrity Nation by Landon Y Jones (very interesting book about the rise of celebrity culture)
Titanic Survivor by Violet Jessop (an older memoir so the wording can be a bit advanced but it’s well worth it in my opinion. Not only did Violet survive the Titanic, she also survived both the Britannic and the Olympic)
*This is your mind on plants* by Michael Pollan
– [Bird by Bird](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6aedad6f-3f8e-4fc0-94ce-4cc74be14d61) by Anne Lamott
– [How the Internet Happened](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/5a3e1adf-6e50-4dc6-9dca-140e3fcadc81) by Brian McCullough
– [I, Asimov: A Memoir](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/287853f8-86d0-45b9-9d20-daff67043eaa) by Isaac Asimov
Mary Roach writes fun books. Try Gulp, Bonk or Packing for Mars.
Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait.
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. It’s quite short and a mind-blowing story about a perpetually broke guy who lived with his mom and is the most prolific art thief in history. He and his girlfriend stole at least a billion dollars worth of pieces through the 1990s-2000s. The audio version was good for getting all the names of people and places across Europe.