TheBookSwarm
Ask Question

Looking for non-fiction recommendations for 2019 reading goal of 10 non fiction books. All recommendations appreciated

Looking for non-fiction recommendations for 2019 reading goal of 10 non fiction books. All recommendations appreciated

Victoria #recommend #nonfiction

18
Reply

154 Answers

Sara

Inclined to Escape by Yuri Vetokhin

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Sara thanks so much for the response! I just googled it, I don’t think I would’ve found it without this recommendation ?

1
Sara

You’re welcome! I stumbled upon it myself, and it’s not well-known, so I recommend it whenever I can 🙂

0
Tika

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Tika thanks so much for the response! Unnatural causes looks like exactly what I was thinking of.

1
Tika

@Victoria I had the ARC and was so impressed, I’ve got All that Remains to read next and Past Mortems ordered. I love this kind of read. Stiff and Working Stiff are.both really good too.

1
VictoriaQuestion author

@Tika sounds like I’ve already got my 10 selected !

1
Marianna

@Tika thanks so much for the books! <3

1
Ginger

@Victoria You might also like Death’s Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensics Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales by William M. Bass and Jon Jefferson

0
Howard

And Then You’re Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Howard that sounds interesting. Thank you for the response

1
Becca

The hot zone

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Becca thanks so much for the recommendation

0
Kelly

The Spy and the Traitor – Ben MacIntyre
Do No Harm – Henry Marsh

0
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Kelly I’ve heard really awesome things about Do no harm. I’m definitely going to give it a shot.
Thanks for the recommendations

1
Lizbeth

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, or Wild by Cheryl Strayed

4
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Lizbeth I really enjoyed wild. I would consider re-reading it.

1
Jenna

Ghost boy

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Jenna thanks!

0
Donna

I second this one.

0
Kara

who is the author? I found several when searching

0
Kathy

The Goddess Guides by Ava Miles

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Kathy sounds interesting. Thanks!

0
Janet

Many Lives Many Masters by Dr Brian Weiss ?

1
Reply
Carol

Born a Crime- Trevor Noah *****

7
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Carol I loved this one. Great recommendation! Thank you

1
Jenna

The princess diarist
Carrie Fisher

3
Reply
Ruth

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale

1
Reply
Michael

Longitude by Dava Sobel and John Adams by David McCullough. Oh, and Patriots by A.J. Langguth.

2
Reply
Ruth

Philip Paul Hallie — Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed

0
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Ruth this looks like exactly what I was looking for. Amazon says shipping is 1-3 months. I’m going to try to find an ebook version.
Thank you for the recommendation

0
Ruth

@Victoria, it’s a wonderful book, and I thank you for jogging my memory. I want to read it again now.

1
Karen

Lilac girls…

1
Reply
Patrizia

Do no harm

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Patrizia thank you for your response. This one was recommended here and I think it’s my first book of 2019

1
Patrizia

@Victoria I found it very interesting and truly enjoyable!! Good choice!

1
Maggie

Celeste: The Celeste Beard Johnson Story is coming to Amazon the first week of January. True crime story that was highly publicized for years. Should be good.

0
Reply
Maggie

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl0yIZnz4eg&t=24s

0
VictoriaQuestion author

@Maggie I remember this case. I can’t wait to read this

1
Maggie

@Victoria it was a twisted story, wasn’t it. Make a note to remind yourself to search for it on Amazon in January. I have a note by my computer so I don’t forget.

1
VictoriaQuestion author

@Maggie absolutely I will put it in my day planner. It was remarkably twisted. It should be an excellent read

1
Maggie

@Victoria Look what I found on Amazon today! I just ordered it

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0996843752

0
Victoria

Based on a true story! https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Tattooist-of-Auschwitz-Book-Review

2
Reply
Ashley

Educated, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Born a Crime, Bloodsworth

1
Reply
Lesley

You won’t forget this one…
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465062881/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_g6sjCb69BFE7Y

1
Reply
Michelle

@Lesley amazing story of survival

1
Gail

Following

1
Reply
Lysa

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. The Indifferent Stars Above. Erik Larson writes great nonfiction.

3
Reply
Cheryl

I second these recs!
both are excellent books

1
VictoriaQuestion author

Thanks for the response

0
Michelle

@Lysa I agree with Erik Larson and Heart of the Sea was excellent

0
Jessica

The Girl Who Smiled Beads was really good

1
Reply
Waad

Anne frank:a diary of a young girl

5
Reply
Becky

What Remains

1
Reply
Becky

A Year of Magical Thinking

2
Reply
Jessie

I enjoyed Hell’s Guest

1
Reply
Catherine

60 Postcards by Rachael Chadwick

1
Reply
Nguyen

.

0
Reply
Wendi

Educated

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Wendi ohh it’s already in my TBR pile. Thank you for the recommendation

1
Julie

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Radium Girls, Born a Crime – a few of my favorites!

5
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Julie I loved born a crime! So poignant. I’ve never heard of radium girls, but I’ll be sure to check it out.

0
Julie

Radium Girls is amazing! It’s the story of the young woman who painted the numbers on clocks and watches using radium and how the companies hid it was toxic. Incredible and infuriating!

2
VictoriaQuestion author

@Julie it’s now on the list! Thanks for the recommendation ?

0
Kathy

Killers of the Flower Moon
The Indifferent Stars Above
Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter (Dava Sobel)
Anything by Mary Roach

3
Reply
Lena

Gang leader for a day – sorry I can’t remember the author 🙁

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Lena just googled it. It reads quite interesting. Thanks for the recommendation

1
Lena

@Victoria you’re welcome
I read it about 10 years ago after a lecturer recommended it in one of my uni classes ?

1
Ginger

@Lena I read this around the same time you did, and it’s one I still think about pretty regularly.

1
Jim

Bring mortal

1
Reply
Jim

Being mortal.

3
Reply
Leonie

Bill Bryson’s History of nearly everything. He has a really lovely conversational narrative but covers so many interesting things

4
Reply
Shannon

House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout

1
Reply
Shannon

I am currently reading her mothers book Another Day Closer. I highly recommend them both!!!

1
VictoriaQuestion author

I’ll look for them!
Thank you for the recommendations

0
Lori

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The Golden Spruce. Ghost Map. A Girl Named Zippy. The 7 Good Years.

4
Reply
Kellie

I forgot about Ghost Map.

0
Andrea

The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals.

1
Reply
Erica

Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime, Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland, Sally Field’s In Pieces, Michelle Obama’s Becoming, Kate Moore’s The Radium Girls, Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore, Scott Kelley’s Endurance, and Joe Biden’s Promise Me, Dad are all fantastic!! Incidentally, I listened to all of them on Audible because I prefer my non-fiction that way. All but Radium Girls are narrated by the authors.

3
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Erica radium girls is mentioned on here several times. I’m definitely going to read it. Born a crime is one of my favorites.
Thank you for all your recommendations

1
Taylor

immortal life of henrietta lacks, brain on fire, quiet, missing without a trace, breaking free: how i escaped my father – warren jeffs – polygamy, and the flds cult (if you’re into that), the center cannot hold

3
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Taylor although I’m not “into” cults I’m interested in reading about them.
Thank you for all your recommendation s

0
Liz

@Taylor the Henrietta Lacks one is very good!

2
Britt

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou?

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Britt thanks for the recommendation

1
LauraLee

The Boys in the Boat.
It really reads like a novel. The audio version is fantastic.

4
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@LauraLee I can’t listen to audiobooks but I’ll look into it for reading

1
Joanna

Braving the Wilderness by Brene’ Brown, When Breathe becomes Air, The Subtle Art of not giving a F**k by Mark Mansen, Cupcake by Cupcake Brown.

4
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Joanna I loved when breath becomes air and the subtle art of not giving a fuck.
I’ll definitely be checking out your other recommendations

2
Liz

@Joanna Cupcake was very good!

2
Kellie

Cupcake was so good.

1
Liz

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
American Fire by Monica Hesse
Educated by Tara Westover
Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder
The South Side by Natalie Moore

1
Reply
David

Code of the Extraordinary Mind – Vishen Lakhiani

1
Reply
Jack

The last great nonfiction book I read was “The Unheard”, Josh Swiller’s memoir of his time in The peace corps and all the mistakes he made. He was the first deaf person the people in his African village ever met and they didn’t believe he was deaf… great read. He had to learn to lip read Swahili. A wee clunky in parts, but ultimately a page turner.

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Jack that sounds really fascinating. Thanks for the recommendation I’ll check it out

0
Christine

I’ll be Gone in the Dark – Michelle McNamara

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Christine one of my favourite reads in 2018.

1
Erica

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Erica I’ve seen the movie, but I didn’t realize it was a book.

0
VictoriaQuestion author

@Erica thanks for the recommendation

0
Erica

Your welcome the book was a amazing

0
Emmeline

I enjoyed “Astrophysics for People In a Hurry” by Neil deGrasse Tyson

1
Reply
Kimberly

Image may contain: one or more people and text
1
Reply
Kimberly

Image may contain: text
1
Reply
Kimberly

Image may contain: text
2
Reply
Kimberly

Image may contain: text
4
Reply
Danielle

Anything by Bene Brown

1
Reply
Amanda

Educated by Tara Westover and
Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius

3
Reply
Margaret

Becoming

2
Reply
Laura

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64533 The Crusades Through Arab Eyes

1
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Laura that looks fascinating

0
Laura

@Victoria It’s very good. I read it for a class on the Crusades I took in college. It’s written in a novelistic style, but it is documented history.

0
Charles

Image may contain: text
2
Reply
Charles

Image may contain: bird and text
0
Charles

Image may contain: 1 person, text
0
Donna

American Fire, Ghost Boy, In A Different Key, Talking As Fast AsI Can, In Pieces

1
Reply
Jess

My husband and I both enjoyed Ms. Pat’s autobiography, Rabbit

1
Reply
Byron

Them… by my friend Sen. Ben Sasse
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250193681

1
Reply
Christa

Brain on Fire

Tweak

Beautiful Boy

Carrie Fisher’s Princess Diary

3
Reply
Marzeena

Educated. Non fiction. A must read

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Marzeena added to the TBR list. Thank you for the recommendation

1
Katey

Beautiful mind beautiful life by Bryan Mamar

1
Reply
Alissa

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

3
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Alissa I haven’t read that since high school! High time I rectify that situation

1
Stacy

Anything by David Sedaris (humorous essays)

2
Reply
VictoriaQuestion author

@Stacy me talk pretty one day wasn’t for me. I would be willing to try some of his other works though. Thanks for the recommendation ?

0
Stacy

@Victoria If you didn’t like that one, you probably wouldn’t care for his others, lol. I really enjoyed The Girls of Atomic City; it was a part of American history I didn’t know. Happy New Year and happy reading ?

Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor, text that says 'NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NEM THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WOMEN WIo IELPED WIN WORLD WARTI DENISE KIERNAN'
1
Susan

One of my favorites , also anything by Jon Krakauer

Image may contain: text
2
Reply
Linda

Child of the Jungle: The True Story of a Girl Caught Between Two Worlds
(Dschungelkind #1)
by Sabine Kuegler

1
Reply
Eric

On writing by Stephen King

1
Reply
Morgan

I’ll be gone in the dark

1
Reply
Michelle

The Green Sweater. The actual garment is showcased in the holocaust museum

1
Reply
Lisa

Becoming

1
Reply
Diana

Educated by Tara Westover. Dopesick by Beth Macy. Code Girls by Liza Mundy. Our Towns by James and Deborah Fallows. The Bible for Grownups by Simon Loveday. The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester. The Hello Girls by Elizabeth Cobbs. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. 1776 by David McCullough.

2
Reply
Mamie

Anything by David McCullough!!!!

1
Karin

Educated , best book of the year! Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is fantastic!

1
Reply
Carol

Educated!

2
Reply
Isaac

“Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell is a book on human psychology and it’s fascinating. Especially interesting for the sections of dating/romantic interactions, and on race issues in police and medical fields.

1
Reply
Sally

Reading Hillbilly Elegy-the authors Memoir of his family and the culture of hillbilly.

1
Reply
Jennifer

@Sally great book!!

1
Lori

Science of the Magical: From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers by Matt Kaplan

1
Reply
Jeanne

When Breath Becomes Air. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me. Killers of the Flower Moon. Helter Skelter (if you want to read about crime before DNA). I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.

1
Reply
Jeanne

Also, Hillbilly Elegy was really good, too.

1
Jennifer

@Jeanne when Breath becomes air was phenomenal!

2
Kellie

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Just Mercy. Becoming. Evicted. Angela’s Ashes. The Glass Castle. Any Malcolm Gladwell.

2
Reply
Jane

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Bloom. Hidden Figures. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Brain On Fire.

2
Reply
Carlene

Image may contain: 1 person, text
2
Reply
Mary

Loved Henrietta Lacks. I like anything by Erik Larson. Rather detailed, but I like his writing style. Another good one I read was M.T. Anderson’s “Symphony for the City of the Dead.” The “front” story is about Dmitri Shostakovich as a Russian musician during WWII, but the story focuses way more broadly on the atrocities committed by Lenin/Stalin on the Russian people. …and we thought Hitler was crazed. It is, by far, the most emotionally challenging book I’ve ever read. There were times that I could not read but 1-2 pages I was so overcome with grief and emotion from reading what Stalin inflicted on his own people. On a different note altogether, about to read (finally in my life) C. S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity.” A man of profound faith who once denounced Christianity.

3
Reply
Jennifer

Open veins of Latin America and 1491

1
Reply
Denisse

L’appart by @David

1
Reply
Leslie

Following

1
Reply
Leslie

I am increasing my TBR list by each scroll of my finger!!!!❤️❤️

1
VictoriaQuestion author

@Leslie me too! It’s amazing

0
Flo

‘Glass Castle’ is fairly old. It is also a film. Another good one is ‘Born a Crime.’

2
Reply
Leave a Answer Cancel

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Loading Please wait
Log in
Register
Categories
  • get the book
  • questionnaire
  • recommend
  • review
Genres
animal art biography business chick lit classics comics contemporary cookbooks crime detective fantasy fiction gay and lesbian graphic novel historical fiction history horror humor and comedy kids languages manga memoir music mystery nonfiction novel paranormal philosophy poetry psychology religies religion romance scary science science fiction self help spirituality sports suspense thriller travel young adult young adults
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

2019 © TheBookSwarm