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Now, it's been pointed out by Kate that although a lot of us read and chat about fiction within this group there are those among us who enjoy reading works outside of this genre so here is a spot to share your current reads, thoughts, views and suggestions...

I have read a lot of non-fiction lately and really enjoyed the change. The God Delusion, the Monster of Florence & Operation Mincemeat.
God Delusion was great, and it made me realise a lot of things. Monster of Florence, was fascinating hard to believe it was true, and OPp Mincemeat was just brilliant, I had no idea that it had happened in WW2 and I learnt a lot, and encouraged me to read more on this. I would recommend all 3 of these books.

I'm not sure what exactly to discuss here, Em. I do try to mix non-fiction in with my regular reading; biographies, history, travel. Variety always keeps things interesting. In my main reading challenge this year; a 12 + 2, I've mixed in Fiction, Fantasy, SciFi, Non-Fiction to try to give it a bit of variety. A question here; when you say fiction are you lumping in all of the sub-categories; mystery, SciFi, Fantasy, etc or is Fiction even a separate genre distinct from those types?

I'm sort of stuck with The God Delusion - started it but keep reading novels. Must get back to it as I was enjoying it.

Ian wrote: "I'm sort of stuck with The God Delusion - started it but keep reading novels. Must get back to it as I was enjoying it."

I can't mix books when I'm reading non-fiction, I need to concentrate in it - and novels are a lot lighter so can see what you mean!

Bill wrote: "I'm not sure what exactly to discuss here, Em. I do try to mix non-fiction in with my regular reading; biographies, history, travel. Variety always keeps things interesting. In my main reading chal..."

Well, Kate was after an opportunity to discuss some of her current reading as they're not included within the genre challenge. I think that included essays and possibly biographies of some variety but she's gone quiet ever since so... I guess any non-fiction Bill. Personally, when I say fiction I do mean all those sub-genres.

I read Letters Home by Sylvia Plath which is an enormous volume of letters written to her family and I enjoyed reading them (although it took an age) and at the library there was The Letters Of Nancy Mitford And Evelyn Waugh which I think I'll seek out to read at some point soon.

This year I've read by Barbara W. Tuchman and I did enjoy it. I don't think it was as good as , which is one of my favourite books, but Barbara does know how to present history and make it interesting.

Non-fiction is a genre I can say Id like to get into more.

I love watching documentaries, so I think I'd like reading factual books as well.

I read quite a bit of non-fiction, my most recent being James Watson's books The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, which was interesting as it was both about the search for the structure of DNA and shone a light on the scientific establishment of the 1950s.

I think this great idea. Non fiction need not be "heavy" reading. And truth sometimes greater than fiction. Operation mincemeat as earlier post said. If that was a novel no one would believe it.
Last year read number books non fiction. Michael Palin diaries were wonderful couple of books on women in SOE quite amazing.
Lot for me to write but urge people to look further than fiction shelf you may be suprised

Paulfozz wrote: "I read quite a bit of non-fiction, my most recent being James Watson's books The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, which was interesting as i..."

This gone on to read list

Robert wrote: "This gone on to read list "

It's a very interesting book and doesn't stray too far into heavy science, but the descriptions of the operation of the scientific establishment of the time is fascinating, very eye-opening. It's not a balanced view by any means, Watson is clear about that himself, but a very worthwhile read.

I also read an interesting book by John Lukacs called Five Days in London: May 1940, about the period in May 1940 during which the fate of Britain was determined. He argues that those five days were absolutely critical to the outcome of the war, and he is very persuasive.

One of the best non-fiction books I read last year was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, though rather an uncomfortable read! She talks about some horrifying things that happened in America back in the 1950s and really brought about an awareness of what was going on with the widespread use of chemicals. I think it's as relevant today as it was in 1962 and is a book that should be far more widely read than it is.

I have started reading Following The Drum: The Lives Of Army Wives And Daughters, Past And Present which is about army wives through the ages.

As an army wife myself from being addressed as Wife of Gnr 523 in 1978 and having two children, who when born had Son/daughter of Lance Bombardier 523 on their cots to now Lt Col wife - albeit ex and addressed in my own name. I am fascinated by the way wives were treated by the Army.

Life for army wives has changed even in the last 35 years since I was W/O and living in terrible quarters in the middle of Salisbury Plain and Germany. But not half as bad as our earlier sisters. Going to be a great read for me.

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "I have started reading Following The Drum: The Lives Of Army Wives And Daughters, Past And Present which is about army wives through the ages.

As an army wife myself from being add..."

Hi Lynne saw this book and immediately ordered for my mum. Will read it to looks fascinating. Let us know what you think

Paul, I read 'Five Days in London, May 1940' a couple of years back. I'd agree it's excellent. Incredible: Europe's future balancing on a knife edge.

Cool - glad to hear someone else read and enjoyed that Liz.

I'm not going to be reading much non-fiction for a little bit, am re-charging my batteries with some fiction for a while but will probably be back on the factual books again very soon.

@Robert Hope your mum likes it, I keep nibbling at it before I go to bed so may be a while till I turn the last page.

Another book you mum might like is Gumboots and Pearls by Annie Jones which is old but a laugh all the way through. I bought it back when it came out and still laugh when I think of some of the 'army wife uniform' it mentions.

I got hold of a superb book this week, though a bit niche: Mammals Of The British Isles by Stephen Harris. It's by the Mammal Society and is a very large 800 page handbook of all the mammals found in the UK, with very detailed information on each species (the Red Fox has 15 pages devoted to it). It's expensive, usually £70, but I picked up a copy for half price in a sale at nhbs.com, along with The Birds of Essex and The Skylark (another very detailed book that I've wanted to own for quite some time as I spend quite a bit of time watching the Skylarks on my local patch and really would like to know more about them).

After a bit of a fiction 'fix' I'm reading a tiny bit of non-fiction at the moment, but nothing too heavy: Gerald Durrell's Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (which is superb, possibly better than the first book) and a small booklet on The Sparrowhawk, by Ian Newton. He wrote a much larger book on them for Poyser (the series that 'The Skylark' is from) but it's rather expensive at £50. I have another book that has info on them anyway, British Birds Of Prey: A Study Of Britain's 24 Diurnal Raptors, and my local library apparently holds a copy of the Poyser book.

Paul, I've got by Rick Minter on my to read shelf. It might be of interest to you.

I must admit that the Big Cats in Britain thing has never really interested me very much, though I can see why others would find it fascinating.

I actually read a couple more non-fiction books yesterday and today. Another of the little Shire books, The Lapwing by Peter Weaver, which was excellent, and a fantastic book by Peter Scott, Observations of Wildlife, which is primarily an art book with lots of his paintings and drawings but includes a lot of fascinating text too.

I'm also reading another short little Shire book, The Avocet by David Hill.

I read a little of another nature book yesterday, though it might not be a popular choice amongst those disliking many-legged beasties:


The World of Spiders by W.S. Bristowe

The latin lames and technical anatomical jargon are a little head-spinning but some parts have been really interesting. I'm hoping my Field Studies Council laminate sheet on House and Garden Spiders will help identify some that are in the text (I've already found a couple on there), though Bristowe has nearly 600 species of UK spider to choose from so will certainly need to refer to the internet or another insect book to find out what species he's talking about! Apparently spiders used to be used to 'treat' fevers� wrap some bread around one and swallow it whole!

Autobiographies, biographies and memoirs can be very interesting. I believe those who only read such where they involve famous or public figures are missing out. Many 'ordinary' people have led surprising and sometimes amazing lives. Several prove that life can be far more dramatic than fiction. Of course not all are great or even good but that is true of any genre. You will find reviews of a few on my blog 'Reviews' page.

Well I finally finished reading David Cabot's Wildfowl, which I started reading last summer! It was interesting, though the middle section was rather heavy on statistics and I stopped reading it for quite a few months. The last sections on feeding ecology and population dynamics were interesting, hopefully providing a little introduction fro when I tackle Ian Newton's book on Bird Populations.

I think my first non fiction this year will be Howards End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home by Susan Hill.
Then I have several biographies on my bookshelf that I'd like to get to, including Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin.

I'm looking forward to reading at least these non-fiction books this year; My Week with Marilyn & The Prince, the Showgirl and Me by Colin Clark, The Long Run: One Man's Attempt to Regain His Athletic Career-And His Life-by Running the New York City Marathon by Matt Long, A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester and Citizens of London: The Americans who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson

I found a fascinating book yesterday in the Oxfam bookshop. The spine just said "Steam Alderson" and looking inside it was a book all about steam engines and steam powered engineering dating from 1834, which I think was around the time when the fascination with steam was at it's height. It has loads of fantastic engravings and diagrams of steam engines, locomotives, boats and steam carriages and details of different types of engines and improvements that have been made. The full title is "An Essay On The Nature And Application Of Steam With An Historical Notice Of The Rise And Progressive Improvement Of The Steam-Engine, by W.A. Alderson, Civil Engineer". They certainly didn't worry about long titles in those days!

By far my oldest book at 180 years old (my next oldest is an 1890 copy of Darwin's journal from the Beagle voyage) and showing a fair amount of spotting and staining but the pages and binding are in remarkably strong condition. It also has a catalogue of 'improving' books at the back - very Victorian!

There's actually a scan of the same edition that you can view (and download apparently) on the archive.org website� if anyone is interested - it's a bit of a niche subject, I know!

I'm reading Adventures on the High Teas: In Search of Middle England by Stuart Maconie which is explores the concept of "Middle England" both geographically and as a perception. Interesting and amusing so far - good title!

Em wrote: "I'm reading Adventures on the High Teas: In Search of Middle England by Stuart Maconie whic..."

I've seen this around a few times, a book I'd like to read sometime but it's quite low on my priority list.

I must admit I had it on the shelf for quite a few years so can't claimed to have rushed to read it but I'm enjoying it now that I am!

I have lots of books like that too! Glad you're enjoying it.

I've just finished the chapter on the literature of "Middle England" covers the likes of Austen, Gaskell, Elliott and Tolkien - my favourite bit so far!

I ended up re-buying a non-fiction book yesterday - I had a paperback of Richard Fortey's Life and had dipped into it but only read maybe a quarter of it. I found a sealed Folio Society edition for £5 in my local Oxfam so snapped it up (it's usually £45 for a new copy!). I think it'll draw me in more as the text is accompanied by a glut of interesting photographs and drawings, plus it's a beautifully made book (although it has very shiny paper and that odd smell that always goes with it!).

At the moment I'm reading Gorillas In The Mist by Dian Fossey and Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela, though am in a slow-reading phase at the moment so haven't got very far into them. Both very good though.

Bill wrote: "This year I've read by Barbara W. Tuchman and I did enjoy it. I don't think it was as good as , whic..."

She does write well, and I've been meaning to look at both books for a while - you may have spurred me to get to The Guns of August. Meanwhile I very much enjoyed The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914, which is packed with fascinating details, both absorbing and illuminating.

I've just started looking at The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by Richard Dawkins. Too early to comment on the content but first impressions it is beautifully illustrated.

I'll have to check that out, Mike. I bought myself a new book yesterday, from Margaret MacMillan, She wrote Paris 1919, about the post-WWI peace conference. She's got a new one out now, The War That Ended Peace: The Road To 1914 about events leading up to WWI. I thought it was appropriate since it's the 100th anniversary of WWI. I enjoyed the first book immensely, she has a nice way with presenting her history.

Bill wrote: "This year I've read by Barbara W. Tuchman and I did enjoy it. I don't think it was as good as , whic..."

You might also enjoy Alistair Horne's four-part series on France in 1871, 1916, 1940 and during the Algerian War. He has a similar knack as Tuchman for gripping historical narrative.

I'll keep that in mind, Zack. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've just started A Book of Remarkable Criminals, see what I think

Em wrote: "I've just started looking at The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by..."

I've a couple of his books but not delved into them yet� too many other interesting books! Still working through Gorillas In The Mist and Long Walk To Freedom, I've not read that much this last week but am nearly halfway through Gorillas In The Mist and maybe a third through Long Walk.

I found two cheap non-fictions on my walk home today, a book on The First Emperor of China and the Terracotta Army, and a book on identifying grasses, Ferns, mosses and lichens:



The book on the Terracotta Army looks really good, it's from the exhibition at the British Museum and was originally £25, but I paid 50p. :-) Loads of lovely photos in it and plenty of background too.

I've got another non-fiction calling to me from the bookshelf, maybe next month... Moondust: In Search Of The Men Who Fell To Earth by Andrew Smith.

I've read that Em, it was pretty good. I have First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong on my shelf waiting to be read, which looks like it will be a very interesting read. Probably won't be reading that for a while yet though!

Good to hear you thought Moondust was good, it's one of those books that has been on my shelf for too long... now's the time!

Picked up first edition of this for £4 on weekend away
I would love to be able to collect first editions.
This will also cover Nepal for round world challenge

If you hunt about you can find first editions surprisingly cheaply Robert - I've picked up lots from charity shops and even from secondhand bookshops I've found some quite interesting ones for just a few quid. I bought a first (UK) edition of Under the Sea-Wind by Rachel Carson for £2 and a first edition of the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien for 66p. I'm glad I haven't had any kind of obsession with first editions for my New Naturalist books as it really bumps the prices of those. Nice when you do get one though, my copy of London's Natural History is a first edition from 1945 and was one of the first ones from the series that I bought. I think I paid just over £10 for that.

I started reading The First Emperor yesterday, which I bought on Friday. Am finding it very good, it's probably more an overview of the period but still quite in-depth and the photographs of the artefacts are excellent. A bargain for 50p!

Bought a biography of Peter Scott yesterday, it was one I'd had my eye on in a secondhand bookshop in Colchester for some time but one of my local charity shops had a copy (£1 rather than £6 in the other shop) so bought it. Does mean I have both a biography AND Peter's autobiography to read though!

Peter Scott: Painter And Naturalist by Elspeth Huxley

The Eye of the Wind by Peter Markham Scott

Paulfozz wrote: "If you hunt about you can find first editions surprisingly cheaply Robert - I've picked up lots from charity shops and even from secondhand bookshops I've found some quite interesting ones for just..."
First edition of set you back at least £100,000!!

Well, ok so not ALL first editions are cheap! You didn't say you wanted to collect THOSE type though! :-D

I think I'll stick with my 1930's edition of that one, it was slightly cheaper!

Tanya wrote: "Autobiographies, biographies and memoirs can be very interesting. I believe those who only read such where they involve famous or public figures are missing out. Many 'ordinary' people have led s..."

Well my books now are a good mix. I struggled a while with finding interesing novels as I used to turn to autobiographies, biographies and memoirs. Like most Belgians I like real life stories. And I agree with Tanya: many ordinary people have led interesting lives or have something interesting to tell. My non fiction at the moment however is mostly focused on finding a job or on trying to learn something new.

I read Introducing Getting the Job You Want: A Practical Guide and I'm now reading The Successful Candidate: How To Be The Person They Want To Hire. And I'm slowly working my way to some manuals/books that hopefully will learn me to work with Illustrator.

I'm also very slowy working my way through: Be a Wizard with Numbers: 101 Ways to Count Yourself Smart which is a challenge as I'm dyscalculic.

Also reading at the moment: 100 Must-read Prize-Winning Novels: Discover Your Next Great Read.... And listening to Poirot and Me. It's in fact the first time that I read a book by and about an actor. I was quite hesistant at downloading it but I'm glad I did as it is a delight to listen to. What makes it even more interesting is that there are a lot of references to Agatha Christie's work.

Earlier this year I read I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban which learned me a lot about Malala's culture and the political situation of her country.

I Am Malala is a book I'd quite like to read, though it's far down my priority list given how many other books I have to read already.

I'm happy as I've 'just' finished combining the various books from the Collins New Naturalist series that I collect into a goodreads series:

/series/8105...

There are rather a lot of them so it has taken a long time! Have just been adding a few when I have a bit of free time. I want to finish the series of monographs next, which only has 22 volumes, but I don't think the remaining ones are on goodreads so I'd need to find the information to create those:

/series/8480...

Am slightly concerned about just how many of these I have!

Have just finished reading England's Constable by Joseph Darracott, on the life and letters of John Constable. Was pretty good, though I did find myself drifting at times as I have been a little ill and don't think my concentration level was up to the task. Lovely reproductions of his artwork though.

I've just started Hedges by E. Pollard, which is very good - looks at both the historical and natural history of hedges, so caters to two of my interests in one book!

Have been reading The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman though my reading has really slowed as I am finding the book difficult to read in more than short sections. Even though I knew about the Holocaust it is deeply shocking to read his detailed account of what happened In Warsaw. I've finished the main section now though.

I've read a little of Bird Sounds And Their Meaning by Rosemary Jellis and Hedges by E. Pollard (Pollard is a very apt name for someone writing about trees and hedges!), but though both are very good I've not got that far with them ether.