What nonfiction are you reading in June 2008?

Its June - yay! I'm reading computer manuals and troubleshooting tips as I try for the third time in three days to get my stupid new computer with Windows Vista set up. Its occupying all my time.

The Autobiography of A Face - book about a girl with cancer that took half her jaw.

I just started A Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs and am really enjoying it.

I just started For Her Own Good by Barbara Ehrenreich. Love it so far.

I started reading "Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, but can't get into it.

His ideas about the effects of technology on sociology are fascinating, but... alas... I find him too wordy :(

I just finished Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin and I recommend it to the world. If you have any interest in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War you should read this book. It won the Pulitzer Prize and well deserved it in my opinion.

Team of Rivals sounds like something that will make a lovely gift for my parents (and perhaps myself), come the holidays. :)

I finally finished the Vali Nasr book and am browsing through Atheism : A Reader, an anthology compiled by S. T. Joshi, whose touchstone doesn't work for some reason. Thus far, I give Joshi's Introduction a big thumbs-down, but the selections themselves are quite good and very interesting.

I've just started reading The Pain of Confinement by Jimmy Boyle. His earlier book, A Sense of Freedom inspired me so much & this book looks set to do the same!

#6 Team of Rivals was my top non-fiction read of 2007.

Currently reading Enrique's Journey about the children who travel through South America and Mexico to (hopefully) reach their parents in the U.S.

Do like I did and change to Apple. It works. The first time.

I have just finished (The Island at the Center of the World) by ((Michael Shorto)). It is Manhattan. Just about everything that you thought you knew about the beginnings of our country are flawed. New research on the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam is coming to light and this book was published even before the research was completed as the story was so earth-shattering. I will give you a clue: where did our history of religious freedom come from? Hint: it wasn't the English.

I'm reading Nostradamus - A Beginner's Guide by Teresa Moorey. Don't know if Nostradamus's works would qualify as nonfiction, but this is an introductory biography.

I'm reading Les Grecs ont-ils cru a leurs mythes? by Paul Veyne.

I am reading Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

This week I finished Plain Speaking: an Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman by Merle Miller. I found it quite fascinating, and learned a heck of a lot, but was frustrated that Miller often pulled his punches when it came to asking tough questions. I can understand why Miller did that (the interviews the comprise the book were part of a documentary project on Truman that was never completed; Miller was always afraid Truman might stop cooperating if irritated too much), but it still left me wishing for more sometimes. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book as a great history lesson about Truman, his times and his presidency.

I'm re-reading the tragically timely Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed by Jared Diamond.

I am reading Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt, a biography of William Shakespeare. The book is good but so far the key word in it is perhaps.

Hi Xenchu, I read Will in the World about 6 months ago. Stick with it. There is plenty of good stuff in this book. If you do like this you might also enjoy Shakespeare by Anthony Burgess.

redsfan Thanks for the recommendation! The book is in my local library so as soon as my reading pile has gone down a little I will check it out.

And you are right, there is a lot of good stuff in Will in the World.

Glad to hear the positive feedback on Will in the World because I recommended it to my book club and we'll be reading it in the fall.

#15 I read Plain Speaking many years ago and agree with everything you said. It's so good that I'd even consider rereading it and therefore have kept it in my library (though it's a dog-eared paperback that's falling apart at the spine).

Edited to make sense.

I started China Road by NPRs Rob Gifford. So far (Intro and Chapter 1), very interesting, well-written, and promising look at modern China.

I have just started Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary Marcus.

Kluge is an interesting book. One of those that people either love or despise. Let us know what ya think.

I have just started In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah.

Just started Mary Roach's Bonk: the curious coupling of science and sex. So far it's both interesting and hilarious, my favorite kind of nonfiction.

I'm reading You Are What You Say about the power of language.

Just started The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes which has received a lot of comments in this forum in past months. Also slowly making my way through Classical Apologetics by R.C. Sproul.

I am at the beginning of I Shall Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years, 1933-1941 by Victor Klemperer. Still trying to understand.

I finished, although not to my satisfaction, Stoicism and Emotion and Reinventing the Sacred, so I picked up Right is Wrong by Arianna Huffington to lighten the load. Kauffman's book is developing meaning for me in retrospect.

Robert

Waiting to go to bed tonight and listening to music on public radio, I read Bizarre Buildings. I'll get back to Arianna Huffington when I lie down.

Robert

I started "Watching the English" by Kate Fox. Great reading, amusing and informative.

I'm enjoying A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Schneider. It's a look at geometry and numbers and how they are represented in nature, art and science.

Finished Enrique's Journey, which made me pick up Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants as my next read. So far, it's a mix of interesting information and stultifying statistics.

I just picked up Ursula LeGuin's latest collection of essays, called The Wave in the Mind.

I'm halfway through Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which has been overly preachy (in an environmental sense). But I'm still enjoying parts of it.

Still reading Les Grecs ont-ils cru a leurs mythes? by Paul Veyne. Also, I'm trying to get started in Orientalism by Edward Said.

I've got Reader's Block and am currently not reading 4 Fictional books. (I'm into each a chapter or so but they haven't grabbed me, if ya know what I mean:(

However yesterday, a friend sent me a copy of "Co. Aytch" which is a Confederate memoir of the Civil War.

Hope that will get me back on track.

I just started Murder of a Medici Princess. I'm not far enough into it to make any comment on it, but I'm excited about reading it.

#39 That sounds really interesting! I put it on my TBR list/wishlist.

Let me know how it is.

#39 > Which Medici princess is the book about? I recently read The Medici by G. F. Young, a history of the entire family line. So I should be able to remember which Medici princess was murdered, but at the moment it's escaping me!

#41
Isabella, daughter of Duke Cosimo I. She was murdered by her husband with the approval of her brother. So far the book is quite well-written, very engaging, but I'm not more than 50 pages into it.

I spent the first part of June reading The Life of Thomas More. It's a good book, but dense. I spent almost a month working on it.

I'm now reading at speed again, and started Judge Sewall's Apology yesterday.

The Poincare Conjecture slipped out of the pile last night, and I read about half of it. I followed his explanation of groups, but I can't recapitulate the explanation today. Nevertheless this is an orderly presentation of some fundamentally interesting stuff.

Robert

Sol's Story by Richard Chardkoff...survival in Poland during the Holocaust...it is haunting.

I'm really enjoying Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik. Dr. Firlik's stories about her experiences as a neurosurgeon are intriguing, often humourous. She's a good story teller.

Hi -- I'm new to the group and looking forward to reading more recommendations. I just finished Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel and enjoyed it very much -- I recommend this book to those who liked Cod: The Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.

I read Team of Rivals earlier this year and thought it was terrific -- it was recommended to me by the science department chair at the high school where I teach. After reading it I had a completely new appreciation for Abraham Lincoln the man and the politician. He was far more complex and far more adept at forging personal and political alliances than most history textbooks give him credit for (and since I teach U.S. history it behooves me to know as much about my subject as possible).

I also just finished House of Abraham by Stephen Berry. It made an interesting addendum to Team of Rivals. House of Abraham is about the relationship between Lincoln and his wife's family, the Todds. Shame on me, but before I read this book I had no idea how close Lincoln was to some of Mary's sisters (she came from a family of 14 siblings, I believe!), nor did I know that her family was staunchly Confederate. A slim but interesting volume. If you're into Lincolnia, I recommend this book.

I'm about to delve deeper into two more nonfiction works, which I previously just skimmed through:
Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby and How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions by Francis Wheen.

Both books are extremely well-written, interesting, and informative.

Oops -- I forgot to mention that I just finished Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. The book is problematic in a few ways (see my review) -- the author is opinionated and short-sighted (but honest) when it comes to her own flaws, but taking all that into account, still well worth reading.

Up next in the TBR Pile:

The Last Campaign by Thurston Clarke
What Happened by Scott McClellan
The Lightkeepers' Menagerie by Elinor DeWire

I just finished You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt and Truth and Consequences by Keith Olbermann.

Working on two books:

The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb by Gar Alperovitz

and

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.

Amongst others I'm reading Rebels and martyrs : The image of the artist in the nineteenth century. I could mention the other books I'm reading, but they're Dutch, so it's probably not understandable for you all...

I'm reading Joan Haslip's Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty.

I just finished America, 1908 The Dawn of Flight, the Race to the Pole, the Invention of the Model T and the Making of a Modern Nation. I started out enthusiastic but lost steam about a third of the way through. I persevered out of sheer determination. A great premise but Jim Rasenberger's writing falls flat.

While I'm trying to read I Don't Believe in Atheists in order to join a discussion of it in another group, I've also diverted into the shape of the universe. I've read The Poincare Conjecture and broached The Wraparound Universe last night; after that I'll have Endless Universe.

Can everybody say "spherical dodecahedron?"

Robert

Robert, not sure I can pronounce it, but I can draw one....I learned how in The Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Schneider which you may want to check out.

I'm reading Gloriana : the years of Elizabeth I by Mary M. Luke. It's from the '70s, and I don't know what new evidence has been discovered since then, so I'm not sure if it's an accurate history. It's interesting and entertaining,though.

55> Lynn, thank you for the recommendation.

Robert

Diplomatic Baggage by Brigid Keenan - a light-hearted (in the main) review of her life as a "trailing spouse" following her diplomat husband around the world and trying to settle into a new country and culture every 2-4 years. It's not highbrow stuff, but is very interesting... and HILARIOUS!

This month I'm reading/read:

Wandering Knights: China Legacies, Lived and Recalled - in the 40's a young American Air Force guy and a young Chinese professor strike up a friendship, which is then rekindled 40 years later.

Sacred Parenting - Christian Parenting

Couples Who Pray - Christian book

nigger - history of the word.

Losing it and Gaining it Back Again - I enjoyed this book even though it was another sad Hollywood story.

The Seventy Wonders of China - self explanatory

The Autobiography of a Face - great writing and what a story

Truth & Beauty - companion book to Autobiography of a face, written by her best friend. Recommend reading this one after Autobiography for a more round pictures of Lucy's life.

Have returned to The Zookeeper's Wife, which I'd lost in my suitcase just after I began it. Now I'm chugging right along. Very interesting.

I always have a series of what I call "between books" going. These are usually anthologies or short story collections that I read a chapter/story at a time in between the full-length books I read cover-to-cover.

The non-fiction books on my current "between books" stack are:

Visions of Jazz by Gary Giddens
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James
Racing in the Streets: the Bruce Springsteen Reader edited by June Skinner Sawyers
Top of the Heap: a Yankees Collection edited by Glenn Stout
Our Fair City edited by Robert S. Allen. This is a fascinating collection of essays about 18 American cities, all written in 1948 and each written by a journalist with expertise on the conditions and history of that city.
Turning the Tide of War: 50 Battles that Changed the Course of Modern History edited by Tim Newark

Just started The Omnivore's Dilemma this morning. I think that I'll enjoy it - his writing is much wittier than you'd expect given the topic.

Started Catherine the Great last night and am finding it fascinating. What a wild and crazy bunch of people were that ruling class! No wonder Russia was so ripe for revolution!

I haven't been able to get into anything the past few days. My currently-reading stack is six or eight high now. But last night I opened The Three Crowns by Stuart A. Cohen; it held my attention until I fell asleep, and I am looking forward to getting back to it tonight. The book was recommended to me in another group on LibraryThing.

Robert

I also am reading Watching the English by Kate Fox and thoroughly identifying with her findings. I'm a 5th generation Canadian but I don't think we have strayed very far from our British ancestors' ways.

Recently re-started The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins after being derailed by having to write for a living (damn--I hate when that happens!) So far so good. I think of myself as a Progressive Christian with Buddhist tendencies, so it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the book has on my spiritual outlook.

I've just finished London Orbital and Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 and now I'm starting The Battle for Spain.

#63 > Nancy, like many others on LT, I recently read Omnivore's Dilemma and found it fascinating, enjoyable and disturbing all at once. You will definitely never look at corn the same way ever again! Hope you enjoy the read.

I'm reading a very old book published in 1921 about and by a British Diplomat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries named Lord Frederic Hamilton called The Vanished Pomps of Yesterday: Being Some Random Reminiscences of a British Diplomat. I honestly don't even remember how it got on my shelves, but there it is, and I'm enjoying it so far.

ETA date published.

I am reading We Were One by Patrick O'Donnell

I'm reading Who Hates Whom? by Bob Harris. It's a great little primer on world conflicts. Utterly depressing when you think about how much killing is going on, but given that, Harris does a good job of making the complexity of events comprehensible, if still overwhelmingly horrific.

I am reading Visiting Life by Bridget Kinsella. It is about a woman who falls in love w/ a man in prison. Fascinating read so far.

I might have gotten this recommendation on here somewhere - I can't remember. But I'm reading the hilarious The Cactus Eaters by Dan White; he and his girlfriend decide to quit their jobs out east and hike the enter Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. I'm only 1/4 way in and I've been laughing out loud.

Just finished Now The Hell Will Start by Brendan Koerner. I found out about this book from my daily Boing-Boing feed. It's about African American soldiers in World War II who were essentially used as slave labor to build a road through Burma in an effort to thwart the Japanese attacks on China. The main subject went through a breakdown where he shot and killed an officer and fled into the jungles, eventually marrying the daughter of a head-hunting tribal chief. It's a new perspective on the war for me, and perhaps a new perspective on the African American experience in World War II.

Lastly, I just started at the same time The Importance of Music to Girls by Lavinia Greenlaw and it's an interesting read. She sketches out her life by relating the impact of music on her life. Pretty unique story, I think.

Right now I am reading The Law by Frederic Bastiat. Very interesting political ideas. It is short and simple, which I love. Hope to finish it tomorrow! Will probably reread it.

Still working on finding a way to quit my job and get paid to read full-time. :D In the meantime, I've finished up with American Crescent by Hassan Qazwini, and Life on the fringes : a feminist journey toward traditional rabbinic ordination by Haviva Ner-David, both of which were fascinating and pleasurable reads.

I'm currently working on Progressive Muslims : On Justice, Gender and Pluralism (ed. by Omid Safi), as well as Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace begins here : Palestinians and Israelis listening to each other. Both are very good thus far.

Rachel's books about Bananas and Cod both sound interesting, along with Kurlansky's book about Salt, all three of which I hope to read at some point ...

Witness to the Truth for my memoir book group..it is the story of John Scott from Lake Providence, Louisiana and his fight to get his right to vote. His daughter Cleo Scott Brown tells his story....great read.

I'm reading Bob Harris' Who Hates Whom. It's a great and utterly depressing guide to the conflicts around the world. Worth looking at. It's not profound, but it's a good starting point. More or less a scorecard for world wars.

Hey all. Been reading Essays on Life Itself by Robert Rosen (theoretical biology by a mathematician) and The Order of Things by Michel Foucault. Both are very good. Rosen probes the deepest questions concerning life and does so from a very unique, and rather radical angle.

#67 Hi, MalGormley, I found Karen Armstrong's book History of God to have, um, a reshaping effect on my Christian beliefs. It is very dense reading, however. The first two-thirds of Jesus: Uncovering the Life by Borg was also interesting--changed my view on the Gospels. I'd be curious to know how God Delusion is...

Just started Ryszard Kapuscinski's Travels with Herodotus, which combines two of my favorite things, travel memoir and ancient history.

I just finished Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler. For me, this book shed light into a war that had been far removed from my mind. I highly recommend it.

Oo, i've been enjoying some "women visiting other countries or reminiscing about life in their own countries" nonfiction: The Old Sow In The Back Room, My Asakusa, The Bookseller of Kabul, 36 views of Mount Fuji. Very enjoyable mini-kick so far!

I loved 36 Views of Mt. Fuji. I've been wanting to go to Japan ever since.

Currently reading Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey. Fifty pages in, it is very good.

In addition to the book about Catherine the Great of Russia, I started A Magnificent Catastrophe by Edward J. Larson, which is about the 1800 presidential election in the newly independent United States. Major players are Burr and Hamilton, Jefferson and Adams. Very accessible writing, well-researched. I'm learning a lot about the shaping of the country in the early years.

#83 > Lindsey, regarding your current "women visiting other countries or reminiscing about life in their own countries" kick, you might like An Inn Near Kyoto: Writing by American Women Abroad. It's a lovely anthology published in 1999. I've been going through it little by little and finding it very enjoyable.

I'm reading The Clumsiest People in Europe: Mrs. Mortimer's Bad-Tempered Guide to the Victorian World. She was actually a very popular author who wrote travel books without the bother of actually having visited to the destinations herself.

Just started Four Against the Arctic. It seemed like a good choice for Tucson summer reading....

I read Do You Speak American? over weekend. It was a quick overview of U.S. accents and dialects.

I started Frank Frisch: the Fordham Flash over the weekend. It's an "as told to" autobiography of the Hall of Fame ballplayer active in the 20s and 30s with some of the great Giants and Cardinals teams of those days. It's well written and enjoyable, provided one is interested in baseball history.

I'm reading 50 Facts that Should Change the World 2.0 by Jessica Williams.

I'm new to this group but not to LT - I have been posting to "75 Books in 2008" but have found that I recognize so few of the fiction titles others are reading so I think perhaps this is a good home to feed my book lust for non fiction!

Here are my non fiction reads for June with just a few comments for anyone so interested:

Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici by Miles Unger - fascinating read about the first among equals of Renaissance Florence, meticulously researched and footnoted. Sometimes difficult to follow the narrative thread of his life amidst the labrynthine world of wealth, politics, family feuds, art and culture and the Church.

Moyers on Democracy by Bill Moyers - collection of speeches, eulogies, and presentations by Moyers - he is an eloquent voice of the American conscience.

Counselor:A Life at the Edge of History by Ted Sorensen
memoirs of JFK's speech writer and loyal friend. Interesting and informative but steeped in too much hero worship and the never ending conclusions that everything from civil rights to Vietnam would have been brought to shining success if there had only been a second Kennedy term

Just beginning today:
Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to save the World by Samantha Power
story of the career UN diplomat killed in a terrorist bombing in first years of US occupation of Iraq. The author is a Pulitzer prize winner for a book on genocide, this has had a wide range of reviews as it tackles his life and the questions of how effective can the UN ever be in humanitarian or govermental crisis.

This has been a long first post - won't wax on so much in future, but I look forward to other's comments and reading lists.