To add to the list:

The Happiness Project Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Maria wrote: "Lydia wrote: "I would like to make a suggestion, which we are doing in another one of my groups: The development of a Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List. Each member gets to add one book to the ..."

Thank you.

Lydia wrote: "I would like to make a suggestion, which we are doing in another one of my groups: The development of a Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List. Each member gets to add one book to the list (copy the..."

What a beautiful name you have!

1. The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
2. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes
3. Into the Wild by John Krakauer
4. Deep Ancestry by Spencer Wells
5. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
6. Three Cups Of Tea by Greg Mortenson
7. Night by Elie Wiesel

Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List (copy this entire list into your comment, then add your contribution!)

1. The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

2. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes

3. Into the Wild

4. Deep Ancestry by Spencer Wells

5. Angela's Ashes

Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List (copy this entire list into your comment, then add your contribution!)


1. The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

2. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes

3. Into the Wild

4. Deep Ancestry by Spencer Wells

I've seen this book mentioned a few times, but I just wanted to chime in as well! I really enjoyed Into the Wild! I highly recommend watching the movie as well! Beautifully done! I would like to read more books by Jon Krakauer, he is fascinating!

Woo-hoo! Please add to the list so we can update our TBRs! This is great!

Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List (see post #74 for instructions)


1. The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

2. The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes

I would like to make a suggestion, which we are doing in another one of my groups: The development of a Chicks on Lit Best of Nonfiction List. Each member gets to add one book to the list (copy the list into each post so it just gets longer, but then it can be copied by interested readers).

What do you think?

I'll start:

1. The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

Someone want to add number 2?

This is a great thread- I have also found myself getting into non-fiction so I'm glad to find some recommendations here!

I don't think I saw this anywhere- I just read Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time and found it to be a very powerful read. Made me want to go donate a lot of money toward building schools in the Middle East. If only I hadn't just spent more than I care to admit on supplies for my own classroom!

Rose wrote: "84, Charing Cross Road byHelene Hanff was a lovely read in letters from a NY writer to a London bookshop over 20 years. It was amazing."

I just bought this book. Can't wait to read it now!

If you love To Kill a Mockingbird...read Harper Lee's biography "Mockingbird" by Charles Shields. There is a YA version entitled "I am Scout" by the same author.

I keep hearing about Columbine and want to read it, but will wait for the paperback or library. Although I don't do so well with the latter during the school year. Grrr. I finally started "Galileo's Daughter" which has been around for a while. Not sure what the draw is. Guess I just want to know the history.

84, Charing Cross Road byHelene Hanff was a lovely read in letters from a NY writer to a London bookshop over 20 years. It was amazing.

One of the best things I have ever read--Dave Cullen's Columbine.

It is not a light read, by any means, and can be disturbing at times--most of the time. It is amazing to me what the media kept secret about the tragedy...as a teacher, I could not help but be sick and sad about what I was reading. Nor could I stop reading it.

Sharon A. wrote: "Maria wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powe..."

Understandable.

I really liked reading Don't Bet Against Me by Deanna Favre, I thought it was a really good book. Of course I am a huge Brett Favre fan and since his wife wrote the book I just had to read it and I enjoyed it.

Melissa Rochelle wrote: "Recently, I read The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible and really enjoyed it. It was interesting to see how Jacobs managed..."

Michelle, I read the encyclopedia one! I think it's called "The Know-It-All" and it really cracked me up. I've been wanting to read the one about the Bible, so I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it!

Recently, I read The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible and really enjoyed it. It was interesting to see how Jacobs managed. He has another book that I plan on reading soon about reading the encyclopedia.

I think I discovered a theme about myself. I hate books about man against nature. I mark the books I see highligted for my book shelves rating. Today I marked In thin air and Into the Wild as one star. I would have marked thme as zero but couldnt. LOL to me that says I should just not read that type of book no matter how good someone says it is because its not my cuppa

Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Under the Banner of Heaven
Into the Wild
Better A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
Her Last Death

Teri, I want to read the Tuscany book too. I think after I finish this group of books I have I will read the two books you just mentioned. I was even thinking of taking out the Julia Child cookbook and whipping up some new recipes when the weather cools off in the spring.

Has anyone read The Sound of Hope A True Story of an Adoptee's Quest for her Origins by Anne Bauer? Sounds interesting is it good?

Allhug wrote: "I cannot recommend 'The Mitford Girls' by Mary S Lovell highly enough - Absolutely wonderful family of 6 extraordinary girls from around 1910 onwards - authors, political activists (..on both sides..."

I'm interested in the Mitford girls for obvious reasons, but somehow never got around to them. Maybe your comments will nudge me closer. Thanks.

Well after seeing the Julie Julia book, I of course have to read My Life in France - Julia Child's memoir. I really have no desire to read Julie's book though. And since I'm on a cooking bent, I also want to read A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure as I've read excerpts and the language is extraordinary.

I just finished reading EDWARD VII: Image of an era by Dana Bentley-Cranch. I'd dipped into a biography of his mother Queen Victoria and read a book about his youngest sister and decided that I absolutely despised that woman. So I wanted to see Edward from his point of view and not his mother's.

It was interesting how different he was when viewed by someone who approved of him.

Maria wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powerful." I a..."

I finally had to put this one down and walk away. I have sons close in age to these boys, and I just couldn't keep going. I still have it, though, and plan to get back to it when I can.

I cannot recommend 'The Mitford Girls' by Mary S Lovell highly enough - Absolutely wonderful family of 6 extraordinary girls from around 1910 onwards - authors, political activists (..on both sides of the fascist/communist divide), friends in high places (Hitler & Churchill), scandal, prison, affairs, politics, love, life...everything!

Also - if historical memoirs/bio is your thing - you could try 'Madame Du Pompodour' by Nancy Mitford - wonderful.

Ally

I heard Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is better than Under the Banner of Heaven.

I found a list at a local independent book store, and I'm slowly reading through it. I figured I could share:

Naked by David Sedaris (**HILARIOUS**)
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield (For the music lover... heartbreaking at times)
A Paper Life by Tatum O'Neal
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
Perfect from Now On by John Sellers (Another music based book)
Chuck Klosterman IV by Chuck Klosterman
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Into the Wild by John Krakauer (Very based in Transcendentalism)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by ? Fudiman
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Helping Me Help Myself by Beth Lisick
Moose by Stephanie Klein

I have been on a memoir kick lately myself and I must say Bringing Home the Birkin My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbagis a really good book. It's light but I'm hooked. I'm not sure if it was listed but if you liked Crazy Love you might enjoy:

Love Junkie A Memoir , In Her Own Sweet Time Unexpected Adventures in Finding Love, Commitment, and Motherhood, Happens Every day, Pretty is What Changes, I, California, I Love a Man in Uniform, Up for Renewal, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way, Thin is the New Happy, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, It Sucked, I Cried, Free Gift With Purchase, If I am Missing or Dead, The Year of Yes, The Late Bloomer's Revolution, Tabloid Love, Sin in the Second City, Candy Girl, I Was Told There Would be Cake, Straight Up and Dirty, Love is A Mix Tape, Smashed, Pldeged.

Now don't get me wrong. I didn't LOVE all of them but I definitely read them. :-)

I loved Eat, Pray, Love One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia. It made me want to meditate in a cave.

I have two all time favorite non fictions, Common Sense by Tom Paine and Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There by Philip Hallie. I will periodically pick up these books, open to any page and just start reading.

Joanne, that's one I really want to read. I was basically the same age as the shooters and it changed the way I and a lot of young people felt about going to school and about the people around us.

Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely ..."

Let's grab this elusive sunshine while we can!

Maria wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powerful." I a..." Maria finally some nice weather today so we can finally enjoy the beach!

If you like topical subjects, I recommend Columbine, by Dave Cullen, covering the school shootings in Colorado. The book reveals that many of the things we think we know about the subject are actually myths; for example, the shooters had not been bullied. It also delves into whether the police might have been able to prevent the tragedy. It is a heartbreaking read, but is a book I felt I had to read.

Andrea wrote: "Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powerful." I agree I never re..."

I was horrified when I read this; I had to actually take breaks. And I see you're from Manasquan! Yea for the shore!

Maria wrote: "Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powerful." I agree I never really understood what these young children went through.

Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

This is extremely powerful.

I read Freakonomics a couple years ago and really liked it. Of course that was before I took an economics class, so I should probably re-read it and see if I have any new gripes with it.

Has anyone else read Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything? I had a love/hate relationship with that one. One thing is for sure. It was interesting.

I just finished "A Mistress's Daughter" by A.M. Homes. Very insightful about the author searching for her biological parents. Beautifully written.

I agree Robin........... there were some parts in it that I had a hard time reading.... I guess that it why I loved the book so much.........anything that can make that kind of an impression on me I love.

I really want to get my hands on One Nation Under Dog Adventures in the New World of Prozac-Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics, and Organic Pet Food. Has anyone here read it?

Here's one I read about on NPR.org that I really want to read: A Hope in the Unseen An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League.

The thread has been focusing on memoirs, but here's a science one that I really loved about genetic history: The Seven Daughters of Eve The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry.

And my favorite memoir, and one of my favorite books: Waiting for Snow in Havana Confessions of a Cuban Boy.

Julie ~ Thanks! I'm going to pick it up next time I'm at the store. =)

Kat wrote: "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy -- has to be one of the best that I have read in the past year"

I agree it is really good but also very hard to take. I had to put it down and walk away several times before getting all the way through it.

-- Robin The Crown Conspiracy | Avempartha | Nyphron Rising (Oct 2009)

My favorites:

Salt A World History
Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Me Talk Pretty One Day

One I would not recommend is:Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

Mandy Sue,

Summer at Tiffany is a fun read and I think you'll enjoy it!