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I work in customer service in a medical devices industry, and I went to school for English, religious studies, and librarian degrees. I read diversely across multiple genres and fall down rabbit holes frequently. But honestly, I think it's my earliest foundations of reading that have influenced me most with parents who both loved to read, got us library cards and regular library visits at a very young age, who swapped books with us regularly up until their passings and were each willing to explore "unexpected" genres (during a trip to England when I was 16, my dad borrowed and read all of the Danielle Steel books I had packed, and bought "us" a few more while overseas). As a result, headed into my 50s I am apt to read 3-4 things at the same time, and it would surprise no one who knows me to find that they could easily all be the same type of story or 4 completely different topics.
Ah, Jason - you drew me right in mentioning Lawyer first, LOL. Generally - I read fiction for pleasure and enjoyment. I particularly love mysteries and romances, but will read pretty much any fiction. I will read biographies, memoirs, history but not in great quantity. I don't need to learn something when I read though I usually do. Fiction is a great source of learning--example I learned so much about Iceland, Reykjavik in particular, from Reykjavík: A Crime Story which I just read. In fact, I really could care less if I learn something from my reading.
I said when I graduated from law school that I was done with 'school', totally forgetting that I would have to take continuing legal ed for the rest of my life 😅. Also a legal practice is constant education on a broad range of topics.
There are topics I avoid because they relate too closely to my life in some way - mostly that affects the NF genre. For example, I have a physically and mentally disabled older sister for whom I'm guardian and I don't read books that address her conditions or the care of the disabled closely.
I grew up on a farm, studied in Paris, live in NYC, traveled all over the world, have a wide range of hobbies and ever expanding interests and all of them draw me to and have me reaching for a book that is set in those worlds - fiction almost exclusively.
As for books featuring lawyers - I do read them but not in high volume. I don't avoid them so much as am a bit picky. I do like John Grisham's lawyer books, have read most of them (always keep a couple in reserve as I find them great for long plane or train rides). But I also have certain 'problems' with his books - basically his stereotyping of young lawyers from financially disadvantaged backgrounds being susceptible to corruption and unethical behavior and the way women, especially women lawyers, are portrayed. I've been known to yell out loud at times when reading his books. He's improved on the portrayal of women in his books but the other... infuriates me, LOL. Still read them.
I also like the Ben Kincaid series by William Bernhardt.
I also knock a star off rating if the author gets the law seriously wrong in a book - such as Jane Smiley did in A Thousand Acres. It's one thing to bend it a bit to fit your fictional story goals. It's another to just make it up in whole cloth when following how it actually works gets you to the same place in the story. I've boycotted Smiley ever since reading that when it came out. I don't hold grudges, nope, not me.
Great question, Jason, I think I will steal it for a future question in my Around The Year group!As a former French major and teacher, I am a sucker for anything set in France. But as someone who has studied several languages, I don't like it when authors have someone move to a new country and have complete conversations within weeks, or magically "learn" a language from listening (unless they are under 10 years old, but then they are usually learning only conversation.)
As a former literature grad student, I love academic satires, like Dear Committee Members, Less, and anything by David Lodge.
As someone interested in history, I love historical fiction, but as somebody with a little knowledge, I get annoyed if the author is too obviously educational. I love authors who throw you into the time and place and let you figure it out, just like if you had stepped off a time machine. It's challenging but I like that - examples are Hilary Mantel and Dorothy Dunnett.
I have a gig where I get paid to speak on lesser-known women from (mostly) US history, So I am often reading biographies and social histories for that purpose. In any field, the more you know, the more you can appreciate and enjoy related books. I like seeing some of my subjects make cameo appearances in other women's lives, kind of like seeing a Marvel superhero in another movie!
If there any medical people out there, I would like to know if some common tropes in books are realistic. For instance, someone gets hit on the head and is instantly unconscious, stays that way for some time and wakes up somewhere else. If the assailant isn't trained, wouldn't it be likely that the victim is stunned or dazed but not always knocked totally out?Also I think that it has been debunked that a pregnant woman falls or is in an accident and immediately has a miscarriage. If the torso isn't even damaged, isn't that unlikely?
I think its a fabulous thought provoking question and I think the answer of course has to be yes. Its obvious we read our interests. But the question is deeper than that. Its really about how our experiences and interests intertwine with our choices.I don't mind reading or watching stories involving therapists or mental health clinicians. But I cannot and will not read anything where the therapist is in danger. That for obvious reasons is as off limits as is kidnapping, child murder, child illness, or abuse and neglect. I think all psychologists (and social and mental health workers) are all naturally readers and writers. We love character, dynamics, and plot development. Its who we are and how we think and live. But I also like to escape through my reading, and I don't choose to read books that feature heavy major illness or mental illness. I want a great story.
I have interests in Paris, in Music, in Spirituality, and in Judaism, and these are heavy interests of mine in my reading. I have oft said I like magic when its done well, and when the magic seems to be something that is connected to the ability to heal and save and make the world a better place. I like it when other worlds entertwine with ours. But I don't like other worlds that are dystopic, of fly too far afield. I read an incredible amount of Jewish set novels of all kinds, and that makes sense. And I cannot resist Paris, and often music compells me. Food compels me too which is interesting as I am not indeed much of a cook. But I love it in my books.
I think we are all guilty of getting miffed when the author "gets it wrong." The best example of this was the huge discussion I had with Susie and others around Elinor Oliphant, when we were nuts about the diagnosis and clinical presentation shift. It makes it hard to enjoy a book. Similarly, the very bad characterization of Jews that are hateful to non-jews that wish to join their families, well that doesn't sit well with me either. I can go with a suspension of disbelief on most things. But I did recently get upset when in Audio, the characters are supposed to be Jewish, but the narrators and directors are not, and when they mispronounce words that Jews are supposed to know, and that much of the world knows, particularly when one of the words is one of the two central characters names, well I think that is something the audible people can research for even just a minute and get right. I mean Antiochus was funny but almost understandable. Dov is not, and it is pronounced like the bird, not the past tense of having entered the pool from above. Even rhymes with above. I don't need people to get the details right - but I do expect a little effort, and I appreciate it when its there.
I like books with internal humor and witty dialogue. I just do. I am reminded of Phoebe from the Wedding People. I just loved her internal mind and often would laugh out loud. I am very drawn to that.
I am curious about hearing others' thoughts and experiences. Great question....
My scholastic background is in mathematics and science, and I still enjoy keeping up with these fields. I ended up in management consulting, with ongoing educational requirements to maintain my professional certifications, which requires diverse reading in business topics. All this probably helps explain my significant interest in reading in non-fiction.History and geography are mostly "hobbies" and I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction from around the world, and about historic events, and how the past influences today's world. Another hobby is oil painting, and I read some books about art, and am interested in artists and art history.
I also love a great story.
Like Theresa & Robin, I grew up on a farm and that does to a great extent influence my reading. I was a wild child running around the woods, creeks and pastures. I have always loved nature and animals and continue to read a great deal about them both fiction and nonfiction. I love a farm, rural or small town setting.As for my profession my degrees are in education and I worked in the field for more than 40 years. I love a coming of age story, but I am not necessarily draw to a book with children in it. Being in education, I am drawn to books which explain how the brain works, I'm thinking or Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. I am not drawn to books with teachers, but neither am I adverse.
When I first went to college, I thought I would major in history, so I'm drawn to history both fictional and non-fiction. Also, I've always been interested in learning about other parts of the world, so those subjects both fiction and nonfiction attract me.
I think part of my reading is always about continuing to learn which was part of my philosophy as a teacher. But the other side the hedonistic side is to have fun and I read my share of books just for fun.
Robin P wrote: "If there any medical people out there, I would like to know if some common tropes in books are realistic. For instance, someone gets hit on the head and is instantly unconscious, stays that way for..."I'm from a family with medical people in it,; my sister is not a fan of most medical shows and novels. Even I've caught mistakes.
I have recently learned to avoid all fiction set where I grew up. This isn't a big sacrifice, because there isn't much of it.I do get annoyed if fiction books get things wrong if I know too much about an area, but whether or not I'll keep reading depends on how important the inaccurate bit(s) is/are.
My degree and professional life were in Accounting and Leasing of office properties. No I do not enjoy reading about any of that 😅I had originally started college with hopes of becoming an educator. At the time teaching jobs were scarce and I ended up switching my major to business. However, history was and still is my interest. Secretly I yearned to work for the FBI or CIA. Perhaps, this is why I love a good thriller that involves those character types and Special Ops. groups.
I enjoy all types of non-fiction and fantasy that allows me escape.
I get annoyed when audiobooks mispronounce French words, or even regular English words, or when they didn't take the trouble to research how a town's name is pronounced (like Cairo, Illinois, which is pronounced Cay-row.) Also when the narrator doesn't seem to understand the sentence - a simple example - the US president's home is pronounced with the emphasis on the color - the WHITE house. If it's an ordinary house painted white, you would say the white HOUSE. Or they have the wrong pronunciation of bow as an adornment or weapon vs. bow as an inclination of respect - that kind of thing.
Robin P wrote: "I get annoyed when audiobooks mispronounce French words, or even regular English words, or when they didn't take the trouble to research how a town's name is pronounced (like Cairo, Illinois, which..."Yes I'm the same with any language I know what it sounds like. In addition, I can't listen to audiobooks where someone is trying to imitate any English accent I'm familiar with, etc.
Robin P wrote: "If there any medical people out there, I would like to know if some common tropes in books are realistic. For instance, someone gets hit on the head and is instantly unconscious, stays that way for..."I remember reading a book where someone was shot, the bullet going through the upper thigh (I think), and the author wrote "there was no tissue damage." I coudn't wrap my head around that. I was working for a group of surgeons in a Level 1 Trauma center. While I was in pediatrics, we DID have gunshot victims. Also, one of our lead surgeons was also in the Army Reserves and did several tours in Afghanistan while I was working for him. I spent most of my days reading operative reports, many of them trauma cases (though, blessedly few GW).
Anyway, I asked one of the surgeons about this because I just could not wrap my head around it. He agreed this was categorically impossible. Yes, you could have a thru-and-thru gunshot with no MAJOR organ damage, or even arterial damage. But unless it was just a small grazing wound, there WOULD be tissue damage. No ifs, ands, or buts.
But back to Jason's original question ...I will read anything with words. I read widely across genres and subjects, fiction and nonfiction, biography, graphic novels, children's books, classics, literary fiction, mysteries, true crime, poetry, science fiction, romance. Like I said, if it has words, I'll read it.
I do have a particular fondness for literary fiction. I like a book I can "chew on" ... that makes me think and even re-evaluate my position on this or that issue (whether fiction or nonfiction).
Jen wrote: "I am apt to read 3-4 things at the same time, and it would surprise no one who knows me to find that they could easily all be the same type of story or 4 completely different topics...."I am exactly the same in this.
Theresa wrote: "Ah, Jason - you drew me right in mentioning Lawyer first, LOL. Generally - I read fiction for pleasure and enjoyment. I particularly love mysteries and romances, but will read pretty much any fic..."
I am not a lawyer, but I do love the theoretical arguments behind the law I guess you would say. I also love John Grisham, who feels like he does a good job if dramatized. My wife and I also watch any major trial locally or nationally. So, I hate when courtroom drama is done horribly. Where the Crawdads Sing did horrible with its courtroom scenes. Really affected a wonderful story.
Robin P wrote: "I have a gig where I get paid to speak on lesser-known women from (mostly) US history, So I am often reading biographies and social histories for that purpose...."This is amazing about speaking about lesser-known women in history. Do we need a learn your women of history thread?
This is an amazing thread. So many diverse backgrounds and experiences. I don't know if yall know this about me, but I like sports. Especially baseball. haha. So, I like reading about sports, especially baseball.
I am a salesman, normally in distribution though I have some retail experience. Not many books centered on what I do because its ordinary and not exciting. If the main character is a salesman, they normally discover something that makes them leave their job. haha.
I did not go to college. I think much of my reading is for education. I'm enrolled in the University of Book and the University of Play Book Tag. My passion was to be a literature teacher but...yeah.
Growing up in the south, in a very conservative area, I do tend to read more liberal minded books. I do read a fair share of the books set in Georgia, but I typically don't like them. I find most authors try to capture the extreme, the accent, the redneck. I guess I'm searching for a story that fill authentic to my own experience.
My dad is very smart, but he is not an intellectual. My summer work for 9th grade honors literature was on Greek Mythology. Mythology - Edith Hamilton I put it off until the last minute, so I am frantically trying to finish it up. My dad walks over and reads over my shoulder and starts answering questions and I am flabbergasted. "How do you know this stuff" I ask. He tells me he liked Greek Mythology in school. I asked him, "Why don't I know this. Why don't you do anything with it now?" His answer..."It don't put food on the table" I still struggle with fully comprehending that answer. It's interesting that me and my siblings have all went the other way. It's almost like the we crave knowledge and different perspectives and ideas.
Other than supernatural, paranormal, there is nothing I shy away from in reading. I've never read a "romance novel"/smut literature but that is more due to interest and target audience.
I read anything under the sun. Like BC said, if it has words, I’ll happily read it.I’m a historian who made a massive shift in my area of study mid-stream. My first masters had an emphasis on political Islam. As I was going through the final years of raising my kids, I was attempting to write my dissertation for my PhD. I spent a fair amount of time researching three topics and had one almost written, but my heart wasn’t in it. I applied to a different university and corresponded with a potential new advisor. I ultimately wrote a second master’s thesis on early Medieval (the same period of Islam I specialized in) Scottish history. I then wrote and defended a dissertation: Folklore and Foundational Thinking: How Narratives Told in Childhood Become Conspiratorial Beliefs in Adulthood. My focus was on the healers and the many misconceptions propagated about them in the early to mid Middle Ages in the Scottish Highlands, with a special emphasis on the Western Isles (my dad is from the Isle of Skye).
I have spent a good part of the last twenty years first reading actual microfiche and microfilm images of primary sources to now doing it online. I spend many hours each day reading for work.
I still love to read history for fun, but lately I’ve gotten to where I don’t want it to dovetail with my research. I used to read tons of nonfiction about Islamic terrorist groups in my free time. Now, I do not read books about foundational thinking in children or Scottish Highland healers of long ago.
I rarely read historical fiction. There are a few authors I like — or who I know will give a thorough author’s note at the end — whom I trust to get their facts straight. So many of my students will answer a question in lecture — and get it all wrong. They skipped the reading because they think a historical fiction they read on the same topic will suffice if they are called upon. I just laugh and ask what novel they read. Historical fiction is littered with anachronisms that drive me bonkers.
My dad is also a historian. The best piece of advice he ever gave me was to not even think I have a basic grasp of a topic until I’ve read three nonfiction books on the same narrow topic. So, I tend to do what I call a lot of “tandem” reads. Usually, I’ll intentionally choose the first book, then I’m drawn to another in its bibliography, which leads me to another.
This type of reading, even with my fun books, is very much influenced by the fact that I’m a historian, as that is often how research happens: one primary source, name, event, etc. leads to the next thing.
PBT and challenges are good for me in that regard. I love reading anything. However, I love my work, too. It is easy to get pulled into a little academic bolt hole and forget there is a whole array of books out there. When I read my first historical mystery for PBT, I loved it. It didn’t have to get historical events or people correct, so I found some new fiction to love. A challenge to read Booker nominees one year showed me the breadth of contemporary literary fiction. PBT tags have reminded me how much I love nonfiction science and great travel writing.
Whether online or in person, I’ve always showed up half an hour early for my classes and let my students know I’ll be there. I teach in German universities, some classes in German, some in English. This extra time helps my students practice their English. Sometimes it turns into office hour, helping a student with a paper, but usually, we just hang out. A very common topic is books that are relevant to whatever we’re discussing or just that the kids might enjoy. When I’m active on PBT or Facebook, my brain stores book ideas. Often your book recommendations might not be the book for me, but I pass them along to my students.
As for books that are set where I live, I love them! Sometimes I get a big laugh because it’s readily apparent the author has never set foot in Alaska. Others are written by someone with a soul connection to this place. Most are written by adventurers who come here — usually trying to “find themselves” — and pen, with varying degrees of success, a memoir about their experience either with the people or the place. I love using author Kristin Hannah as an example. I absolutely hated her blockbuster bestseller The Nightingale, with its flat, stereotypical characters and page after page of WWII era anachronisms. However, her novel about a mom and her kids trying to make a life in Alaska was great. The Great Alone. I always feel like I have to give a safety caveat when talking about Alaska books, however. Most of these books revolve around people who do not know how to respectfully and safely interact with the wilderness just diving in and figuring they will wing it. Hannah’s book is full of this kind of risky behavior. One of my sons is part of Alaska Mountain Rescue. Every year, they go into the wild to rescue someone who read a bunch of books, got all Thoreau, and came here either to find themselves or for an adventure for which they were unprepared. My son says so many of their rescues talk about Into the Wild. To which they always respond, “Dude, you do realize Christopher McCandless died, right?”
It’s another great topic Jason! Another lawyer here. I don’t think that affects my reading, though. At least I don’t go out of my way to read about law (or avoid it) - but I do like legal-type dramas from other jurisdictions so I can see how different things are.
What does affect my reading (as it does for all of us) is the volume and pressure of other things going on in my life. I naturally gravitate to literary fiction and to some non-fiction (esp popular science, history - especially micro history - or exploration stories). But if my head is too full then my attention span is shocking and all I want is an easy cosy mystery or an audiobook!
With some non-fiction books, I’m specifically interested in learning something. Mostly though I read fiction which lets me travel vicariously through books - both geographically and through time. I love that sense of immersion in somewhere else. I also love experiencing the world through different characters’ eyes. Comes from being overwhelmingly curious!
Jason wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Ah, Jason - you drew me right in mentioning Lawyer first, LOL. Generally - I read fiction for pleasure and enjoyment. I particularly love mysteries and romances, but will read pre..."
So funny your reaction to the courtroom scenes in Crawdads as I have no memory of them, though remember most of the book quite vividly.
I long ago had to adapt to courtroom scenes in books, movies, and tv series being inaccurate in just about every way possible. I just pretend they are from another country where procedure is different, LOL.
There is a classic book you might like, Jason, that was made into a wonderful classic movie with Jimmy Stewart: Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver. There is a scene early in the book where the lawyer expounds to his potential client on what the law says, then basicly ends saying "athat's the law. Now lets talk about your case." It was repeated verbatim in the movie by Stewart with great skill. It's a brilliant summation of the practice of law.
There's another book I read as a teen that was lent to me by my piano teacher that had a great impact on my perception of criminal law and trials: A Great Fall by Mildred Savage - NF true crime. It's been out of print for years but somewhere I still have the hardcover copy I read - in terrible shape though it is. It was nominated and I think won an Edgar in 1971. If youfind a used copy some day...
Lastly, I personally believe Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow is a classic and a masterpiece and the movie adaptation sucked.
FYI i am not a litigator nor have a criminal law practice but a corporate and real estate one. Probably why, along with loving crime fiction, my legal fiction reading centers on crime and the occasional inheritance/missing heir theme - not what I do every day.
Hello Goodreads friends and Happy 2025 👋And great topic, Jason!
I pretty much read exclusively what my book club selects, but I am not particularly drawn to stories related to my college degree (Japanese) or work (automotive). I don't actively avoid these topics, I just don't seek them out or have any stronger pull to them. We ready literally anything and everything in fiction although we all have a sweet spot for strong female stories, and stories with a thread of feminism.
I am drawn to stories about places that are quite different than my actual location. Like I LOVE a story set in LA, Hollywood, or New York City. Interestingly I look for the grittier side of LA and Hollywood when reading in that setting, but opt for the more romanticized version of New York City. I've never been to NYC, but I like the Sex And The City or Gossip Girl NYC vibes.
I almost NEVER read non-fiction, but one of my reading goals for 2025 is to read more non-fiction. I loathe self-help, so if I go the NF route it will likely be nature, science, gossip, or memoirs.
If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to throw them my way.
I am not against learning something from reading, but I tend to do it unconsciously.... like obviously you can learn a lot from fiction, but I never read with the intent to grow and learn as a person. That kinda sounds awful, but I guess I'm a medicine-in-the-applesauce type when it comes to learning through my reading hobby.
Although, now that I think about it, I think "hobby" is a misnomer. It is a lifestyle 😎
Meli, I am currently reading You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, I think it is a non-fiction you would enjoy. Strong women who made bold choices.
Joanne wrote: "Meli, I am currently reading You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, I think it is a non-fiction you would enjoy. Strong women who made bold choices."I will second that. I really liked that. I am always attracted to stories of war photographers and journalists.
Plus I like to read about Vietnam to try to understand something that was so potent for me as a teenager and young adult.
W
Book Concierge wrote: "Robin P wrote: "If there any medical people out there, I would like to know if some common tropes in books are realistic. For instance, someone gets hit on the head and is instantly unconscious, st..."Yes, this is exactly the sort of illogical thing that comes up!
Meli wrote: "I almost NEVER read non-fiction, but one of my reading goals for 2025 is to read more non-fiction. I loathe self-help, so if I go the NF route it will likely be nature, science, gossip, or memoirs.If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to throw them my way..."
You might enjoy one of these ...
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West by Will Grant
Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren
Enjoy!
I don't like movies or books about the 1960's that make it seem like everyone was a protesting hippie or druggie, or everyone spit on returning soldiers. I was there and it was just one segment. Of course the early '60's were more like the 1950's as far as clothing and attitudes. Some biographies of historic women which I have used in my talks:
Margaret Fuller: A New American Life
The Peabody Sisters
Diva Julia: The Public Romance and Private Agony of Julia Ward Howe
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father
Maria Mitchell and the Sexing of Science: An Astronomer Among the American Romantics
Leaving Coy's Hill (historical fiction about Lucy Stone
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life
Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life
Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams
(biography of "the other foreign-born first lady", wife of John Quincy Adams)
Abigail Adams
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation
The Rabbi's Atheist Daughter: Ernestine Rose, International Feminist Pioneer
Free Thinker: Sex, Suffrage, and the Extraordinary Life of Helen Hamilton Gardener
Meli wrote: "Hello Goodreads friends and Happy 2025 👋And great topic, Jason!
I pretty much read exclusively what my book club selects, but I am not particularly drawn to stories related to my college degree ..."
Non-fiction that reads like fiction:
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
This Is Chance!: The Great Alaska Earthquake, Genie Chance, and the Shattered City She Held Together
Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American Revolution
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland (basis of the show Come From Away)
And memoirs that are just delightful though very different from each other:
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
Letters of a Woman Homesteader (short and charming)
84, Charing Cross Road - also very short
And two serious memoirs you wouldn't believe if they were fiction:
The Glass Castle
Educated
Meli wrote: "I almost NEVER read non-fiction, but one of my reading goals for 2025 is to read more non-fiction. I loathe self-help, so if I go the NF route it will likely be nature, science, gossip, or memoirs.If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to throw them my way. ..."
I like to read nonfiction but have pretty specific types. Here are a few which may fit your requirements.
nature:
Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey From My Doorstep to the Arctic - I love a good slow travel story and this one by Adam Shoalts is one of the best. He travels from the northern shore of Lake Erie to Arctic Labrador, either by boat or hiking.
science
gossip:
Idyll Banter: Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town - rural small town America gossip set as essays by Chris Bohjalian
Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour - if you have ever wondered what all the fuss about the Smothers Brothers was this will work for you. I loved them.
memoirs:
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me - Caleb Carr who wrote the The Alienist writes a memoir about him and his cat Misha. He led a very interesting life. If you read The Alienist you may be interested in this. It's quirky.
How to Say Babylon - Memoir of a woman who was brought up to be Rastafarian in Jamaica. Fascinating.
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table - Ruth Reichl about growing up - a very interesting child and young adult.
A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France - Steve Hoffman tells about his families time in France. I really found this interesting and especially the parts about his wife and children.
Coming Home - Brittney Griner tells about her arrest and time in Russian jail and prison.
Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World - (fits with nature as well)Talks about her life becoming a wildlife biologist before working for Wild Kingdom
Walking with Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet -(fits with nature as well) Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka talks about her life in Uganda working as a vet with Gorillas and beyond. The writing is not that great but her life is very interesting.
I know this is a lot but I read these all last year and thought they really had merit. I love doing this sort of thing.
@Meli - I echo the recommendations for Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table and Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French Playwright Who Saved the American RevolutionI'll see if I can think of any NYC-based reads that you would enjoy. 😉. I should have something on my shelves....
Robin P wrote: "I don't like movies or books about the 1960's that make it seem like everyone was a protesting hippie or druggie, or everyone spit on returning soldiers. I was there and it was just one segment. Of..."That makes a lot of sense.
Talking to both my grandmas who lived through the 60s and were homemakers at the time, there were plenty (probably the majority) of people just leading ordinary lives. It would be no different than now. If we look back at COVID and BLM, most of us just went to work as "usual."
Wow, so many great non-fiction choices!
I have to say Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley immediately caught my eye because I love Frankenstein and Marry Shelley's short stories also. I immediately added this to my want-to-read.
Has anyone read An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us? I have this on my tbr but haven't read it yet.
I've been enjoying everyone's comments here. It's a fascinating subject.Here are my own thoughts re: my life experiences and reading choices. I've always been interested in how people tick and also, different cultures. Perhaps, that's what led me to becoming a social worker. My job for forty years was working in a large urban hospital with patients of all ages and from diverse backgrounds. It was hard work, but a good fit for me.
I've come to realize that my reading choices reflect this. My favorite books seem to revolve around self-identity. How people think about themselves, their families, friends, faith, ethnic backgrounds, race, interests me.
I'm all about the characters in books. Do they seem like real people? Are they three-dimensional? How much does the reader really learn about them? These are all important to me. I like memoirs as well as fiction.
That being said, I also look for humor and playfulness in the books I read. I have a whole shelf of books that are marked "playful". Isn't that part of being human too! ;0)
Meli wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I don't like movies or books about the 1960's that make it seem like everyone was a protesting hippie or druggie, or everyone spit on returning soldiers. I was there and it was just..."A warning about Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley - the author alternates chapters on the mother and daughter, for instance their two childhoods, etc. This is confusing, especially since they are both named Mary. After a few chapters, I went through and read all the mother's chapters first, then came back to the daughter's chapters.
This is nothing to do with my background, just my personality. I love books where people work together to do good things, or ordinary people help each other out in times of crisis. These stories aren't very common, since there is more drama in conflict. I always thought TV series like Survivor were horrible, but few people want to watch folks getting along. For instance, I don't like dystopian novels where people are fighting over the last supplies, but I loved Station Eleven, where survivors work together to build a society and even make art.
Other books like this -
The Martian - besides being funny and exciting, the background is that the team and the whole world will do anything to save this guy.
Driftless - a book of Midwestern magical realism. I like it for the setting near where I live, but also characters are always there for each other.
Just about anything by Nevil Shute. Even in his WWII books, there are only 1 or 2 nasty characters. The rest are people doing their best under tough circumstances, and finding unexpected connections to each other.
Meli wrote: "Has anyone read An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us? I have this on my tbr but haven't read it yet."I haven't read this, but it ought to be interesting. We learned things like this when I was studying biology way back when, and it's quite amazing.
Meli wrote: "I liked both Romantic Outlaws and An Immense World. Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley took me a long time to read, but it stayed with me for a long time. I loved the Frankenstein story, and I think you’ll like that part too. I read Frankenstein at the same time. I also learned about the cad Lord Byron. (His daughter Ada Lovelace is considered the world’s first computer programmer. )
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us was surprisingly entertaining and eye opening. I’ve been reading a lot nature books lately, and I think it’s one of the better ones. I listened to the audio, which helped me get through it very quickly. I wish I used the kindle to highlight the best examples.
Jason, my career and education still influence my reading a lot. For 40 years I never stopped learning. My degrees were in psychology, management, and organizational development and change. I worked as an HR Director, EEO officer, management consultant, coach, and college professor. I never stopped reading, because there were always new developments, new client assignments, and elective courses to prepare. When I retired, I avoided nonfiction on work topics for awhile, but I still enjoy seeing examples of my favorite topics in fiction. Psychology, social psychology, organizational behavior, EEO, harassment, leadership, culture, and change can be found in a lot of fiction. I love to be surprised by realistic work situations, teams, conflicts, ethical dilemmas, and interesting problems or strategies. Search and Bellwether were fun for me. I don’t see many books with realistic portrayals of the jobs I held, but there are suddenly a lot of books set in PhD programs. I like reading about different jobs and careers, and I’ve found a lot of interesting memoirs. This week I read The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica which was an interesting read.
One of my pet peeves is when I see the same stereotypes of jobs by a lot of different authors. For instance, crime fiction seems to have a lot of detectives who ignore their bosses, and bosses who sabotage their employees. I know many authors work alone, and maybe held teaching or service jobs just to pay the bills, so they pick up a lot of ideas from one another.I really appreciate it when I can tell that an author spent time in a less common job or industry, or has insider knowledge of another field. For example Emily St. John Mandel includes characters in the shipping industry in The Glass Hotel and Station Eleven.
Authors who used their work experience in books:Dorothy L. Sayers worked in an advertising agency and used that for Murder Must Advertise
Nevil Shute was a pilot and aeronautical engineer and that comes up in many of his books.
Robin P wrote: "A warning about Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley - the author alternates chapters on the mother and daughter, for instance their two childhoods, etc. This is confusing, especially since they are both named Mary. After a few chapters, I went through and read all the mother's chapters first, then came back to the daughter's chapters."Thank you for the heads up!
NancyJ wrote: "Meli wrote: "
I liked both Romantic Outlaws and An Immense World. Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley took me a long time..."
Excellent! Another ringing endorsement.
I just picked up The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story yesterday. This one will probably piss me off so I will need to plan accordingly.
Robin P wrote: "Authors who used their work experience in books:Dorothy L. Sayers worked in an advertising agency and used that for Murder Must Advertise
Nevil Shute w..."
Thanks for the reminder. I had a Neil Shute book that involved engineering, but I had to return it. I’d like to read more of his books.
I seem more interested in reading about research jobs lately. Maybe because it was the path-not-taken. I opted for teaching rather than research (publish or perish) faculty jobs. I’d still rather read about than do it.
There are a lot of jobs that I might find interesting now. A few years ago people were reading books with jobs that worked with animals, such as police dogs.
Meli wrote: "Robin P wrote: "A warning about Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley - the author alternates chapters on the mother and daughter, for insta..."Yeah, that book might make me angry too. I remember hearing about all the rape kits that police never even tested because they were expensive.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Murder Must Advertise (other topics)The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story (other topics)
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley (other topics)
Murder Must Advertise (other topics)
The Glass Hotel (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nevil Shute (other topics)Dorothy L. Sayers (other topics)
Dorothy L. Sayers (other topics)
Nevil Shute (other topics)
Emily St. John Mandel (other topics)
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Just some examples:
Lawyer - do you like John Grisham? Are you drawn to courtroom stories, fiction or nonfiction, or do you avoid?
Went to school for accounting: Do you like stories about embezzling or money laundering? Do you wish these stories normally went into detail in the how? How do you feel about the boring accountant trope?
Where you live? Are you drawn to stories set where you live or grew up?
Do you read for furthering education?
Do you read to try and understand your past?
This topic is broad but can also be deep and complex. As always, interpret in ways beyond examples or even the direct question. Love to hear your responses.