Nonfiction can be tricky, but when it’s good, it’s amazing.
Below are my top recommendations for nonfiction reads (in alphabetical order by author, ’cause that’s how nonfic rolls.)
The Diving Bell & The Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death, Jean-Dominique Bauby
Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, Diablo Cody
Abraham: Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, Bruce Feiler
Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe’s America, Andrew Ferguson
The Know-it-All: One Man’s Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, A.J. Jacobs
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott
Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy, Melissa Milgrom
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession, Susan Orlean
A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern Day Slavery, E. Benjamin Skinner
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Mary Roach
Cleopatra: A Life, Stacy Schiff (reviewed here)
Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants, Robert Sullivan
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, James Swanson
Assassination Vacation, Sarah Vowell
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Captain America, and the New Face of American War, Evan Wright
* * * * * * * *
(This post goes out to Shayla Dvorak, who asked me for recommendations for her nonfiction book group. Thanks for opening the wormhole into my brain.)
As always, happy reading!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I didn’t notice Mary Roach had a new one! Cool!
Bonk, you mean? There’s one newer than that: Packing for Mars.
I’d like to suggest one for you to read… I’m in the middle of it right now, and I think it’s excellent. It’s called Truth & Beauty: A Friendship, and it’s by Ann Patchett.
Yes! It’s been on my list for years. I don’t own it, but I’m always looking for it in used bookstores…