It's week two of Nonfiction November! This week is hosted by Frances at Volatile Rune and is all about how we choose our nonfiction reading - "What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you?"
When I think about different genres or areas of nonfiction, I can kind of pinpoint things that don't super interest me - business, self-help (to a degree), religion, health/wellness. So on the surface, I think most of my nonfiction reading veers towards history. I was a history major in college (and worked as a historian for many years), so it's always been a subject that interested me. I love learning about people, events and even buildings/structures, both big and small. But history is such a vast subject - are there areas I'm more drawn to? I took a look through my last few years of nonfiction reading to see if there were any patterns that stood out.
.jpg)
Other subjects I enjoy are space and politics (which is really surprising, since I am not a political person at all!). Although, my political reading tends to lean more on the personal side. Kate Andersen Brower is a particular favorite author of mine in this area.
I don't follow many nonfiction authors, but Erik Larson has become an auto-buy favorite after reading my first book of his many years ago. His narrative nonfiction style has brought so many areas of history to life for me.
What kinds of nonfiction are you drawn to?
Well I think you know that I also love reading about history. No big surprise there, right? I also enjoy reading about true crime but I've yet to read Erik Larson's books even though I've been really wanting to. Do you have a recommendation which book is best to start with?
ReplyDeleteI liked both of the Erik Larson books I read (Devil in the White City and The Splendid and the Vile) so I really should pick up more.
ReplyDelete