Non fiction / Self-help - May 2017

[Liz, Moderator]

May is just around the corner and this month's genre is very wide: Non fiction and / or Self-help.

I have plenty of non-fiction on my to read list, most of which has sat there for years, waiting...

My other half has been urging me to read The 100-Year Life: Living and working in an age of longevity, but I think I'd rather read The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

[Liz, Moderator]

Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations?

[Laura]

The guardian has been doing a series of articles on the top 100 non-fiction books (https://www.theguardian.com/books/ser...). I think I'll probably choose something from there.

[Leni]

Oh dear... I don't think I can bring myself to read a self-help book. But maybe this will be the month I finally finish The Second Sex? I started it last year, but have most of the second part left and haven't looked at it for months. :-/

I also have vague, half formed plans of reading A Room of One's Own this year. And on my Kindle I have Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

[Rachel]

This is a hard one for me. Decided to try Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai and possibly The English Civil Wars, 1640-1660 both been languishing on my bookshelves. The former for at least more than 10 years..

Also have Up from Slavery but not sure how much serious non fiction I can tolerate!

[Liz, Moderator]

Yes, when it comes to non-fiction, I have quite a lot on my to read shelves (particularly history), but actually getting around to reading them?

I find reading non-fiction very slow going. With a novel I have the plot and characters pulling me through, urging me on to the next chapter. No matter how interesting the book, this doesn't quite happen with most non-fiction reads for me and they take a long time to get through...

[Andrew]

I'm managed to miss cult/chemical month. I did pick up Clockwork Orange over Easter but didn't get past page 1 before picking something else up. I think I will try and read which is sat in a pile somewhere. I have got SPQR started but I've not returned to chapter 2 yet and also have a couple of jon Ronson I'd like to get to.

[Andrew]

Liz wrote: "Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations?"

I think and would both suit this thread - as they are non fiction memoirs dealing with personal issues of grief and alcoholism and both very readable.

[Tania]

I am going to use , just finished it all about B-24 liberty bombers.

[Bill]

I have either Order of Assassins by Colin Wilson or The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson as possibles.

[Leni]

I have now reserved A Room Of One's Own And Three Guineas from the library. Anything to avoid sitting down seriously with The Second Sex again I suppose...

[Em]

I'm reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson and A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield which I think are a perfect fit for this months challenge.... that said, I'm still reading my cult fiction book at this point. Too blinking busy, that's my problem! Perhaps these books will help...

[Mercia]

If I find the time I did buy Mary Beard's

[Tania]

How a boy became a successful sniper and broke the record for the longest confirmed kill. The book was moving and gave heart stopping accounts of army life The after life and the way the army then dumped on him in return by not giving the support when he and his family needed it. I found it a very moving book. You have to ask yourself why anyone would do this for a living to get nothing in return.

[Tania]

- Leslie Johansen Nack A book written by a 14 year old girl about sailing with her bulling father and 2 sisters.

[Laura]

Finished The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form. I picked it because the only art book I've previously read was something by Sister Wendy when I was a teenager. It was OK though it feels very dated.

[Liz, Moderator]

Nearly the end of the month. I've just finished my two. I enjoyed The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson, even though 'true crime' is not an area I'm normally drawn to. The murders are, in fact, only part of the bigger picture. The book is several stories in one, all revolving around the 1890's Chicago World's Fair. One of those books that prove fact can be stranger than fiction.

I also read The 100-Year Life: Living and working in an age of longevity by Lynda Gratton. While it raised very important points, regarding the increasing challenges facing society as the population ages, I found some it's recommendations overly simplistic and naive. Plus, as with many of these books, it's repetitive and could have been half the length (took me ages to get through....) It could have been an excellent weekend newspaper feature (probably was at some point!)

[Kate, Moderator]

Fitting an autobiography in at the last minute!
I'm part way through Still Me which is surprisingly refreshing. Will comment more once I've finished it.

[Mercia]

It's the end of May but I'm only halfway to the end of Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome a history of Rome and its empire covering nearly a 1000 years from the city's founding to the granting of citizenship to every resident of the empire in the third century.

[Kate, Moderator]

Well I've just finished which was an amazing read and worthy of 5 stars.

[Leni]

While it turns out that I do have quite a few non-fiction books I'd like to read, the only one I got around to this month (in the nick of time) was

It contains two essays, both of which are excellent and read like they're part experimental novel. But they're still considered non-fiction by most, so... Challenge met. Whew.

[Rachel]

Finished Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai and almost Finished Methods of Persuasion: How to Use Psychology to Influence Human Behavior

[Mercia]

I finally finished Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome six days late. It would have been many more days late had the narrative not stopped at 65% and the rest been extensive bibliographies and timelines I couldn't read on my Kobo Mini. It was an interesting read and well communicated, like one of her TV episodes.

[Tania]

Heard about this book on the radio today and got it. I thought it said it well about facing problems in life and getting through it. Well written without all the BS some books feel the need to say and all in 140 pages.