Reading Challenges
Canadian Books #5
July - June 2012

MT TBR Challenge
Jan - Dec 2012

Graphic Novel Challenge
Jan - Dec 2012








Comments for I Read Nonfiction

Caligula cat and Driving Mr. AlbertI Read Nonfiction 03/12/10

Callista at SMS Book Reviews loves nonfiction and she's curious to know what other book bloggers and book readers think of nonfiction.

She asks: "When you think nonfiction, what sorts of books come to mind? Textbooks? How-To Manuals? Essays? Scientific Papers? Biographies?"

Rather than write an essay long comment I've decided to post a blog response here. I hope though that you go to her blog and leave your thoughts.

When I first read Callista's question, my immediate thought was: "The other third of the library." My local library moved to a larger, brand new building last Halloween. They were horribly cramped for shelf space in the old location. The new library is about three times the size of the original. One third goes to the children's wing, one third to fiction and another third to nonfiction. There's also an expanded area for the Young Adult collection (it gets its own room now) and large print books. The nonfiction selection now is almost the size of what the original library was for all genres.

Nonfiction accounts for about 20% of my reading averaged over the year. Month by month what I'm reading can vary wildly. I currently have a bunch of nonfiction books checked out from my library. I also have a bunch I have returned and still need to review on my blog.

I like to walk the shelves to see what titles pique my interest. Left to my own devices, though, my nonfiction choices tend to reflect my life and hobbies. I have a masters in critical studies (film, television and electronic media) and I still like to read film books: theory, biographies, histories and other related topics. Since 1997 I've worked as a web designer and producer, so I also read a fair number of programming books. Since high school I've been fascinated with Egyptology (especially the 18th dynasty) and continue to pick books on that topic as I see them. That's just a small sample of the sorts of nonfiction books I chose.

nonfiction books from the library

My current nonfiction TBR pile from the library:

  • Tsunami Warning by Taylor Morrison
  • Quiet Owls by Joelle Riley
  • Can You Find It, Too? by Judith Cressy
  • Lost Worlds: Adventures in the Tropical Rainforest by Bruce M. Beehler
  • The Soul of the Rhino by
  • Pass It Down: Five Picture Book Families Make Their Mark by Leonard S. Marcus

The nonfiction reviewed on this blog (click title to see review):

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

K


L


M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W


Y

Z

|

Comments (6)

Permalink


Name:
Email (won't be posted):
Blog URL:
Comment:

Comment #1: Saturday, March, 13, 2010 at 07:43:04

Callista

Wow what a great response. I'd love to see your library, it sounds really cool. Our entire second floor is nonfiction which unfortunately I think makes less people visit it. Those who don't normally read nonfiction don't have a chance to pass by a display and possibly pick something up.

Are you going to keep this list of nonfiction up to date? I linked to it in the nonfiction post at my blog.



Comment #2: Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 19:17:47

Pussreboots

Our new library is wonderful. The best thing besides its size and selection is how it displays the newly acquired books. They are put on bookshelves like you'd see in a book store, making browsing the new section so much more fun.

I will be keeping the nonfiction list on this page current so it will change as I add new reviews.



Comment #3: Sunday, March, 14, 2010 at 22:28:19

Vanderbilt Wife

I constantly try to read more nonfiction. I've always read a lot of memoirs, which I adore. I just like people's stories. But I also try to read some faith-based books and parenting/marriage books now.

Jessie



Comment #4: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 10:24:22

Pussreboots

I read a lot of memoirs. I'm currently reading The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald.



Comment #5: Sunday, March, 14, 2010 at 22:34:23

Alan

These days I find I read about 5 non-fiction books for every novel. There are just so many great books about fascinating subjects.



Comment #6: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 10:27:23

Pussreboots

My ratio is just the opposite. I'm still a fiction junky.



© 1997-2012 Sarah Sammis

Recent posts

Month in review

Reviews:
Amulet 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
Arthur's New Puppy by Marc Brown
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Cat Dreams by Urusla K. Le Guin and S. D. Schindler (illustrator)
Clementina's Cactus by Ezra Jack Keats
Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman
Dinosaur Train by John Steven Gurney
Duma Key by Stephen King
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia by Edgar Allan Poe and Gris Grimly
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
Gravitation Volume 2 by Maki Murakami
Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation by Tom Siddell
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16) by Mary Pope Osborne
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
Is it Just Me or is Everything Shit? by Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur
Henry's 100 Days of Kindergarten by Nancy Carlson
Hip Cat by Jonathan London
Knuckleboom Loaders Load Logs by Joyce Slayton-Mitchell
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
King Matt the First by Janusz Korczak
Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint
The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
No Mad by Sam Moffie
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Pharaoh's Flowers by H. Nigel Hepper
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Private Eye by Albert E. Cowdrey
Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
Salmon Doubts by Adam Sacks
The Shrinking of Treehorn by Florence Parry Heide
The Silent Boy by Lois Lowry
Snowfall by Jessie Thompson
Songwood by Marc Laidlaw
Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder
Tonight on the Titanic (Magic Tree House #17) by Mary Pope Osborne
What Pete Ate from A to Z by Maira Kalman
When Cats Dream by Dav Pilkey

Previous month