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Tresset

I rarely read books due to childhood issues with a ludicrously bad reading program that my middle school had. When I do 'read' books it is usually field guides of some sort.

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Tresset

Those are the best kind!

procco

I really liked Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City" which is kind of two stories that happened at the same time. Half the book is about the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago, and how it really shaped the city (a lot of the structures built for it became the lakefront museum campus). The other half is about the serial killer Dr. H H Holmes and his murder castle he built on the Southside. The parts of the book about Holmes were interesting, but I was really more into the Worlds Fair parts. I've been living in Chicago for close to 20 years now and absolutely adore this city. Learning about how it started to become what it is now is pretty fascinating to me.

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wubble

I was always an advanced reader in school, I think it was because my dad gave me decent books to read instead of the drivel that gets forced on most people at school. I don't read as much as I should these days but when I get my hands on a good book I usually finish it off within a day or two. I don't normally read fully non fiction (aside from text books) but I often read books that are fiction but have a strong scientific backbone.

Ravenslight

Speaking of good animal books. I just read a very good one about Ravens. Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich. He lived with and raised them. Very interesting and insightful.

iKrivetko

I really enjoy biographies of all kinds.

Coutelier

I think when something is forced on you, you naturally tend to like it less, not so much that the books themselves are really that bad. I've reread some of the books I was forced to read in school years later, and found I sometimes do enjoy them a lot more.

As for non-fiction... I do read. Lately I've been reading '59 Seconds' by Richard Wiseman. It's a kind of self-help book about changing your life, but unlike a lot of other self-help titles, it's all based on things that have been found by actual peer-reviewed research so it's a fascinating read even if you're not really looking to change anything about yourself.

Tresset

Coutelier said:

I think when something is forced on you, you naturally tend to like it less, not so much that the books themselves are really that bad.

This. And the fact that I am a very slow reader. If anyone really wants to hear me rant about that horrible reading program I mentioned earlier, then let me know.

Heindrich

So this might be a bit weird, but I used to like "reading" my school atlas book, with political, geographic, climate, economic etc maps of the world. It had nothing to do with my school work, I just found it fascinating. The world is a lot more mountainous than most people probably think, and Africa is HUGE. I also liked to imagine what it would be like to have lived in one of the most remote places in the world, like a random island in the Pacific with where the nearest airport might be a few days boat ride away, or a waystation in the vastness of the Gobi Desert, where you are days' drive from the nearest towns.

I am also a history geek and read an academic book on the First World War even though I was not studying it at the time.

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Coutelier

typo_tilly said:

That's fun! ^_^ I read a book on injury, disease, and doctors' experiences during WWI and II. There's a bigger one I want to read! :u

Looking at world maps is so much fun.
Africa is bigger land-wise than North America. ^_^ (Including Arctic waters, I'm not sure. *-))

The world map most of us are used to seeing, while it maintains the right shape of the continents, distorts the actual sizes somewhat. Greenland looks like it's half the size of Africa, when in fact it's no where close. It's a problem with projecting something 3-Dimensional, the globe, onto a 2-Dimensional surface. The bits to the north and the south tend to be enlarged.

Also, I'll read anything about dinosaurs.

kcwise

I've always enjoyed reading game manuals, as well as D&D manuals even though I almost never get the chance to play the pen and paper version of the game. It's odd, really. Not sure if they count as non-fiction exactly, though.

I want to pick up The Interstellar Age by Jim Bell Dutton. I heard a radio interview with the author the other day and it sounds interesting. It's about the Voyager mission and the two little craft which are still drifting out into the cosmos.

dunbar

A dictionary (preferably the Shorter Oxford). I love looking up words that I haven't come across before and invariably become side-tracked by other words that I come across during the process.

I also enjoy reading about history and nature (anything that helps to explain why the world around us is the way it is).

lolien

I always like to read books from child rearing/pedagogy. It's nice to know that how many ways you can wreck your own kids' life.

Ravenslight

@typo_tilly’s reference to reading a book on injury and disease made me think of some of the other books that I have enjoyed reading in the past. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents, Clinical Medicine and Surgery by Hillyer Quesenberry and Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs by V.C.G. Richardson, to name a couple. I think I might have enjoyed being a veterinarian if my life had gone differently.

Isandir

I have quite a few favorites from many different genres. (I used to work in a bookstore, which caused me to finally break out of my fantasy addiction and branch out into other genres.)

His Excellency: George Washington
I never thought I liked reading US history until I tried reading this. Joseph Ellis is a superb writer who delves into the human aspects of his subjects and makes the period feel far more vivid than any textbook. Though I've read some of his other books since, this one remains my favorite.

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
As a huge fan of World War II history, I consider this one of the best. Though it has very particular flaws, it's fascinating to read such a comprehensive account of the evolution of the Nazi regime, particularly at a time when it was fresh in many people's minds. If you have any interest in history at all, this is an excellent book to read over the course of weeks or months; just digest it in small bits.

Born to Run
More than any other book, this one makes me want to get off my sorry butt and start running. (I do the Spartacus Workout instead, but at least it got me motivated!) I highly recommend reading this if you want to change your physical lifestyle and became healthier.

Shake Hands with the Devil
Much has been written of the Rwandan genocide, but few books have been as riveting as this one for a simple reason: it was written by Lieutenant-General Dallaire, the man who was in charge of the peacekeeping forces at the time. In addition to providing an utterly unique perspective into one of the darkest moments of recent history, it also has some of the most haunting prose you'll ever read.

The Upside of Irrationality
Fans of Malcolm Gladwell (like me) will really enjoy Dan Ariely's style. Though he actually wrote a book prior to this one - Predictably Irrational - I read this one first and loved it. Beyond providing interesting insights into our behavior, he weaves in very compelling personal anecdotes. I highly recommend picking up a copy even if you normally don't read psychology/sociology books.

Blink
Speaking of Gladwell... Though I have liked all of his books, this one stuck with me the most, and I really do think it has helped me recondition my thought processes in certain ways. Even if you want to read something purely for enjoyment, this is a good choice.

A Brief History of Time
Though I've read plenty of other books on physics that provide much more depth, this was one of the first I had ever picked up, and it's still fascinating, particularly when you consider how ahead of the curve Hawking was at his prime.

Satan and the Problem of Evil
This one definitely isn't for everyone, but if you have any interest in philosophy or theology, you'll love it. Boyd's overall theodicy has shaped my personal views more than any other thinker.

Brand Leadership
I'd recommend this book based on a single quote: "To be dominant, the perception of dominance must emerge—and that requires visibility." Aacker's reasoning throughout the book is superb, but this particular point has framed much of my approach in my career.

All Marketers Are Liars Tell Stories
Not only does Godin hit the exact right points about modern marketing (and our behavior as consumers), but he also does an amazing thing, as indicated by the title. He actually admitted that the original name of the book was a poor choice of words and changed it for subsequent releases. I have to admire anyone who so publicly corrects a mistake.

The Stranger Beside Me
I have a strong interest in psychology, and in sociopathic behaviors in particular. Though this area has exploded with fictional books, television shows and movies over the past two decades, few can top Ann Rule's account of her friendship with the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. What makes it so fascinating is not simply his actions, but also the process she goes through in discovering and dealing with the truth.


I know I'm missing quite a few, but at this point I really need to stop writing and go to sleep!

CrevsDaak

Usually programming or history books, but I prefer reading literature to non-fiction (though I enjoy realism (the genre) a lot).

Nonnahswriter

I used to open up a Dictionary or a Thesaurus and spend HOURS just reading through all the words, or looking up words that I thought were interesting or mysterious. Others might think it boring, but me... I'm weird, I guess.

I also really enjoy books on writing, especially "On Writer's Block" by Victoria Nelson and "Save the Cat!" by Blake Snyder. Both were required for me to read in college.

"On Writer's Block" was the only nonfiction book to make me cry my eyes out, because it resonated with me so hard. All of the things I'd silently punish myself with for being too lazy or forgetful or irresponsible for not writing in such a long time, this book finally taught me to forgive myself a little, be kinder to myself, and to rethink my "block."

"Save the Cat!" on the other hand was a super-fun book on screenwriting, but breaks it down in a super-easy way to understand, and in a way that can apply to all kinds of storytelling, not just screen format. Snyder's voice is snarky and fun and really simple, which was such a nice, refreshing twist after so many boring English manuals. It was one of the only books I'd been required to read in school that I thoroughly enjoyed, and really wished I hadn't returned it back to Chegg after the class was over. I'll have to set some money aside to pick up a copy of my own (preferably in better condition than the tape-lined paperback I had shipped to me!).

Other than that, I also enjoy books on history, nature, and culture, if only just to look at the vibrant pictures.

DJKajuru

I enjoy art books , and biographies.

FinneousPJ

Coutelier said:

typo_tilly said:

That's fun! ^_^ I read a book on injury, disease, and doctors' experiences during WWI and II. There's a bigger one I want to read! :u

Looking at world maps is so much fun.
Africa is bigger land-wise than North America. ^_^ (Including Arctic waters, I'm not sure. *-))

The world map most of us are used to seeing, while it maintains the right shape of the continents, distorts the actual sizes somewhat. Greenland looks like it's half the size of Africa, when in fact it's no where close. It's a problem with projecting something 3-Dimensional, the globe, onto a 2-Dimensional surface. The bits to the north and the south tend to be enlarged.

Also, I'll read anything about dinosaurs.

Sorry to be a nerd, but it's not a problem with projecting 3D to 2D in general. It's a property of the projection we use. Why? Because we want to emphasize our part of the world. In general you may only say in dimensionality reduction something is always lost. There are different projections with different properties, not all of which emphasize the north.

As for the topic, unless school books count I don't read non-fiction books. I have read All marketers are liars through schoolwork though per @Isandir.

FinneousPJ

I wanna share a book. It's one I read for a course, but it's really good and a version is available for free.

Nelson, Biological Physics
http://maths.dur.ac.uk/users/kasper.peeters/pdf/nelson_free.pdf