24 - A book on a subject you know nothing about

[Johanne]

Oh good suggestion Talie!

[Pam]

Thank you Anne Bogle (What Should I Read Next? podcast host) for giving me an idea for this prompt- The Feather Thief. This is a true crime I am not familiar with. If I don't read this one, I will probably look for a history, travel, or a biography. I've been doing genealogy research so something relating to Poland, Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus would be my first choice. I'm wanting to read more non-fiction in 2020 so this is a great prompt for me!

[Alicia]

I decided to read through the descriptions of the books in my TBR and found I have 2 books about Grace Kelly. I know nothing about her. But should I read The Girl in White Gloves or Meet me in Monaco first?

[Vivian]

I took a philosophy class in high school, but I don't remember much of anything! I do remember finding everything so interesting. My plan is to slowly work my way through A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Hopefully I can finish it my the end of 2020. I just ordered a copy on Thriftbooks!

[Agnieszka]

For now I plan to read Thunder in the Morning Calm since I know next to nothing about North Korea, nothing at all about Korean war POWs and even less how to go about breaking free soldiers who spent about 50 years in secret POW camps.
If I like the first one enough I'll use the other two books in this series for other prompts since they are equally unique:
#2: Fire of the Raging Dragon China, cars operating on natural gas, how would the President of the United States decide if his daughter (serving in the Navy) came into harm’s way due to an international conflict? for A book set in a country beginning with "C"
#3: Storming the Black Ice Antarctica & surrounding waters, war caused by discovery of huge oil reserves, life/survival on a submarine - and I found a promt for this one too :-) A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads (4.12 as of 11/23/19)

[Nadine in NY]

Agnieszka - they are both correct and part of the challenge, it’s just a numbering problem. We’re working on it!

[Agnieszka]

Nadine wrote: "Agnieszka - they are both correct and part of the challenge, it’s just a numbering problem. We’re working on it!"

Thank you! I've noticed it later and deleted my question but you were faster than I expected :-)

[Darci]

My daughter's obsessed with the musical Six and is always talking about the wives of Henry the VIII, which is a subject I know nothing about. So I'm going to be reading Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen.

[Karin]

I think the younger someone is, the easier this challenge will be if they tend to be an eclectic reader and learner. That said, I am sure there has to be something out there I know zilch about and it might be something like a person although I'm not a fan of memoirs as a rule--biographies vary.

[Hannah]

I think I’m going to read The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper for this. I know the story of Jack the Ripper, but I know nothing about who the women he killed were, and they are the focus of this book rather than the crimes.

[Agnieszka]

Karin wrote: "...That said, I am sure there has to be something out there I know zilch about and it might be something like a person although I'm not a fan of memoirs as a rule--biographies vary."

Since I come from Poland/Germany I noticed how different the view on history is from country to country so here some tidbits about the Polish history few people know about:
- Poland established the 2nd university in Europe in Cracow (2nd capital of the country) called Jagiellonian University (named after the royal dynasty of that time). The most notable alumni include astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, poet Jan Kochanowski, Polish King John III Sobieski, constitutional reformer Hugo Kołłątaj, chemist Karol Olszewski, anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, writer Stanisław Lem, and President of Poland Andrzej Duda. Students at the University who did not earn diplomas included Pope John Paul II (due to WW2), Nobel laureates Ivo Andrić and Wisława Szymborska.
- In the first half of the 17 centrury Poland was the biggest country in Europe, most of it contributed by the pact between Poland and Lithuania forming Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and stopping the Ottoman invasion into Europe. (With Fire and Sword and the other two books in this trilogy by Henryk Sienkiewicz)
- Between 1772 and 1795 there were three Partition of Poland which led to its dissapearance from European maps for more than 100 years (Push Not the River) in which the Catholic religion became a means of cultural identity (the studies after the mess were held in Polish - a language forbidden by Russians and Prussians - most of the Polish classics were written in this time and culture)
- In the fight against paganism one of the Polish kings asked the help of Teutonic Knights which led to centuries of war after the Knights turned against Poland (The Teutonic Knights)
- There are even parts of WW2 that are not well known (even Polish didn't known about them until the fall of the Iron Curtain) like Katyn (there are plenty of books in English about Katyn)

I'm sure if you pick any country you're not familiar with very well you'll find some interesting facts in its history or geography and I'm sure you'll find some books in English relating to these.

A book I stumbled on by chance and think is very interesting Last Train to Istanbul It's based on true events (view spoiler)[
As the daughter of one of Turkey’s last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara. Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician. In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.

But when the Nazis invade France and begin rounding up Jews, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing—not war, not politics, not even religion—can break the bonds of family. For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, a handful of brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfandaris and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety. Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom. From Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin, Last Train to Istanbul is an uplifting tale of love and adventure (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

I'm going for A Little History of Economics

[Nadine in NY]

Rachael wrote: "I'm going for A Little History of Economics"


I've been thinking about possibly reading an economics book. I know very little about the field. But there are so many books! How to pick one? Did someone recommend this one to you?

[Jennifer W]

I think I'm probably going to go with something where I know about the overall subject, but limited knowledge on the particular book itself. An example: a few years ago I read The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War. Obviously I know who Lincoln was, I know people wanted him dead, but I didn't know there was a serious assassination attempt on his life *before* he made it to Washington.

The book that came to my mind to potentially read was An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town ;)

[Amanda]

I have had Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants on my TBR for a while; this is the perfect excuse to read it!

[Karin]

Agnieszka wrote: "Karin wrote: "...That said, I am sure there has to be something out there I know zilch about and it might be something like a person although I'm not a fan of memoirs as a rule--biographies vary."
..."

Thanks, this is a very good point--going back far enough in history should work, so this is another option.

ALSO I just learned today that measles originated in the middle east--the first record of it is from the 9th century by an Iranian scholar (someone called it a white man's disease, but since it comes from Eurasia that is a stretch to assume given the many, may centuries of trade and travel there plus it's been in Africa for centuries as well) so I could look up a disease history I have never studied, I suppose.

[Sarah]

I'm reading Golden Hour, about the pro-German plots in the Bahamas during WWII when the Prince of Wales was stationed there as an ambassador, plus there's a true crime murder case.

[Rachael]

Nadine wrote: "Rachael wrote: "I'm going for A Little History of Economics"


I've been thinking about possibly reading an economics book. I know very little about the field. But there are so many..."

My brother has it on his bookshelf! That was the extent of my thought behind that one. I do own A Little History of Religion, and the bits I've read of that have been good, so although it's a different author I'm hoping it has a similar feel. A bit like how at the For Dummies books have a similar feel (and there's probably an economics version of those, too!)

[Sarah]

I might do a book about astrology, because I have no idea how any of it works. If anyone has recommendations for astrology beginners, I’m all ears!

[Jackie]

I have something of a penchant for books about weird random topics so I'll share some of my favs in case any of them happen to strike anyone's fancy:

Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth: about modern deep caving expeditions and the race to get the record for the deepest cave

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World: biography of Alexander von Humboldt, widely regarded as the father of modern ecology

The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife, and the Missing Corpse: An Extraordinary Edwardian Case of Deception and Intrigue: a true crime-style nonfiction about a case where a woman claimed that a recently deceased duke had been secretly living a double life and that her son was therefore the rightful heir

H is for Hawk : part memoir, part guide to hawking and falconry

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail: retiree decides to through-hike the trail and thus inspires preservation efforts; very cool read

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer: ok so most people probably know about farming and home gardening, and that's a lot of what this is, but the urban farming aspect was new info for me at least

Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve: What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing: some nice book analysis in here, full of fun trivia, dazzle your friends with useless knowledge

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made: I had never heard of The Room before reading this book, and you don't need to have seen the movie to enjoy reading about it

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident: nonfiction/journalism about a collegiate hiking club that all died very strangely

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts: all about the illuminated manuscripts of Mali and the efforts to preserve them, and then to save them from destruction by Al Qaeda

The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures: all about the search for the probably extinct saola, an animal I knew nothing about

[Jamie]

Talie wrote: "This one looked interesting. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary"

I used that for a prompt this year. Be warned that the author read for the audiobook and, while he's a good reader, there are parts of the book that are dry enough that it may have benefited from a different reader.

Definitely recommend it, though. It really was fascinating story (or it was to me, anyway).

[Nadine in NY]

In the wee hours my brain was wandering into those weird places, and I realize that I know nothing about embroidery (other than what the end result looks like, and there's embroidery thread involved, because I see that in the racks at Joanne's Fabric ...)

are there books about this that would be interesting to a person who does not embroider anything and probably won't ever embroider anything?

[Katie]

The fact that the Armenian Genocide is so little known is actually a plot point in The Sandcastle Girls. Read it for an IRL book club last month and I really enjoyed it, but my compatriots didn't feel quite as enthusiastic. YMMV.

[Denise]

I don't have anything for this yet either. I was planning to pick a country that I know virtually nothing about and read a culture-related book.

Out Of The Depths: The Experiences Of Mi'kmaw Children At The Indian Residential School At Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia Here's one for people who don't know about the Residential Schools we used to have in Canada.

[Jamie]

A few from my TBR shelf:

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City - Flint, Michigan
A Religious Orgy in Tennessee: A Reporter's Account of the Scopes Monkey Trial
Oranges
Unfamiliar Fishes - Hawaii
What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins
D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944
Hemingway in Love: His Own Story
Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

[Kira]

Thinking I might select The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women for this prompt.

[Thomas]

I will be readingPotty Training Girls the Easy Way: A Stress-Free Guide to Helping Your Daughter Learn Quickly i know nothing about this.

[Laura]

I stumbled on The Feather Thief in my local bookstore recently and knew it would be perfect for this category!

[Theodora]

Oh, this is a fun one! :D
I have thought about The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity because it is about Indian culture, and I know nothing, about it.
Other suggestions could be:
A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Daily Life this book is about all our daily things in life through the history, and I have always wondered about this.
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death is a nonfiction book about death.
These are my suggestions :)

[Megan]

I turn to you guys:

I'm terrible at math--literally have a learning disability in that area--so I guess that's a subject I know nothing about. Are there any easy to read books about math?

[L Y N N]

Megan wrote: "I turn to you guys:

I'm terrible at math--literally have a learning disability in that area--so I guess that's a subject I know nothing about. Are there any easy to read books about math?"

Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss
This has always looked like it would be a fun read! But I know nothing about it.

[L Y N N]

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
I have wanted to read this book in forever!

[Janet]

I might try The Secret Poisoner: The Victorian Age of Poisoning. Figured I know nothing about poisoning people, particularly in the Victorian Age.

[Rachael]

For those looking for books about economics, my brother recommends Yanis Varoufakis as a good author. Two he has read and recommended to me are
And the Weak Suffer What They Must?: Europe, Austerity and the Threat to Global Stability - about the EU
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works - and How It Fails

[Amy]

Janet wrote: "I might try The Secret Poisoner: The Victorian Age of Poisoning. Figured I know nothing about poisoning people, particularly in the Victorian Age."

That bit about poisoning people gave me a good laugh, Janet; I've got an entirely new outlook on this prompt now, thank you.

[Laura]

Lynn wrote: "The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
I have wanted to read this book in forever!"

It's lovely. Sy Montgomery narrates the audiobook and is so heartfelt and enthusiastic, if you're into audio.

[L Y N N]

Laura wrote: "Lynn wrote: "The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
I have wanted to read this book in forever!"

It's lovely. Sy Montgomery narrates the ..."

I am not into audio, but this book absolutely fascinates me and I've been wanting to read it for years ever since I first discovered it!

[Zoe]

I'm planning on reading They Can Live in the Desert But Nowhere Else: A History of the Armenian Genocide

[Juniper]

Milena wrote: "Johanne, your story reminds me of The Feather Thief. I had never even heard of fly tying before I read that book, and it was so good."

thank you for mentioning this book, milena! i own it and have not read it yet. i came across and outstanding review for it, so bought a copy. i know nothing at all about the heist, or about fly fishing. anything i do know (extraordinarily limited) about fly fishing i learned from the movies A River Runs Through It and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. 😂

the book i have been contemplating is How to Catch a Mole: And Find Yourself in Nature. my mum read it earlier this year and said it was absolutely wonderful. i know nothing much at all about moles.

[Heather L]

Nadine wrote: "In the wee hours my brain was wandering into those weird places, and I realize that I know nothing about embroidery (other than what the end result looks like, and there's embroidery thread involve..."

A few books to check out:

* Embroidery: A History by Pamela Warner

* Stitches in Time: The Art and History of Enbroidery by Hilda Kassell

* A Pictorial History of Embroidery by Marie Schuette (could not find this on GR)

* The Art of Embroidery by Lanto Synge (could not find on GR)

[Ellie]

Rachael wrote: "For those looking for books about economics, my brother recommends Yanis Varoufakis as a good author..."

I've read Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism and it's a good introduction in every day language. It's a good choice for this prompt if you don't know about economics!

[SadieReadsAgain]

I'll be honest, and say I understand very little about the unrest in Israel, so I think About the Night will be a good introduction. I really enjoy being introduced to subjects, particularly historical and cultural subjects, through fiction, so I'm looking forward to this.

[Karin]

Nadine wrote: "In the wee hours my brain was wandering into those weird places, and I realize that I know nothing about embroidery (other than what the end result looks like, and there's embroidery thread involve..."

Oh, some great classics are Crewel Embroidery or almost anything by Erica Wilson. I used to do a lot of embroidery, but sadly gave almost all of it away as gifts. But I have a fondness for doing crewel work which is done with wool on linen, but usually draw my own designs and choose stitches to make it look more like a picture and less stylized.

I have half a shelf of these sorts of books, some fairly new, but you already have other suggestions.

[Juliet]

while it doesn't help me Falcon Fever: A Falconer in the Twenty-first Century is an excellent falconry memoir, and very amusing

[Jennifer]

"Noa Noa, The Tahaitian Journal" Paul Gauguin. I'm vaguely aware of Gauguin, but know nothing about Tahiti.

[Monica]

Darci wrote: "My daughter's obsessed with the musical Six and is always talking about the wives of Henry the VIII, which is a subject I know nothing about. So I'm going to be reading [book:Katherine of Aragón: T..."

That's funny, because all I know about his wives is what I learned from reading several historical fiction books about them, so I plan to read The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards by Philippa Jones.

[Melissa]

Stina wrote: "Aagh! My brain does not do well with absolutes like "favorite" and "nothing." I know tiny bits about LOTS of things. This one is going to be even tougher than the "pink cover" prompt, and I certain..."

I started the Happy Hooker, then she talks about letting a dog lick peanut butter off her bits while she orgazims and I threw it away.
I liked the movie though!

[Nikita]

Does a ‘parenting’ book count?

[Johanne]

Nikita wrote: "Does a ‘parenting’ book count?"

Haha good one :)

Whether it counts depends on how much you know about parenting (though as a parent I´ll say we are probably all at a loss and make it up as we go).

[Karin]

Melissa wrote: "Stina wrote: "Aagh! My brain does not do well with absolutes like "favorite" and "nothing." I know tiny bits about LOTS of things. This one is going to be even tougher than the "pink cover" prompt,..."

The Happy Hooker--not a good book! A friend of mine had a copy of that when I was a kid and I don't remember if I read it or if she just told me about it. Not my kind of book.