1Darth-Heather
Hi everyone and many happy returns of the season to you!
It is that time again where my brother and I send each other books but since he reads a lot more nonfiction than I do, I rely on suggestions from you all to find something he will like.
Please reply with any recommendations for nonfiction books that you have read in the past year. I appreciate your thoughts!
It is that time again where my brother and I send each other books but since he reads a lot more nonfiction than I do, I rely on suggestions from you all to find something he will like.
Please reply with any recommendations for nonfiction books that you have read in the past year. I appreciate your thoughts!
2ScoLgo
>1 Darth-Heather: You can try getting your brother to read some fiction by recommending Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon followed by Baroque Cycle, (prequel trilogy to Cryptonomicon). However, before tackling those, suggest to him Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul: Church, State and the Birth of Liberty. Barry's non-fiction book lays some excellent groundwork for Stephenson's historical fiction, (more so for the prequel trilogy but that really should be read after Cryptonomicon).
3reconditereader
One of the best nonfiction books I read in the past year was Human Transit, Revised Edition by Jarrett Walker.
4haydninvienna
I'd put in a plug for The Fatal Shore (depending on how likely it is that he might be interested in a dark part of Australian history).
Also Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (and really anything else by her).
Also Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (and really anything else by her).
5Darth-Heather
these are helpful suggestions, thank you!
I'm sorry I didn't get back to this sooner, I've been unwell but getting better now. It turns out that the worst part of an ear infection is the dizziness caused by moving your eyes around quickly, which makes reading right out.
Peter does occasionally read fiction, but as he lives very far away, I have little idea what is already on his shelves. I like sending nonfiction to bolster his library. He recently sent me these:
Silk: A World History by Aarathi Prasad
Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth by Bill Schutt
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes(which is fiction, it's about Medusa)
and a truly delightful pictorial called Gryphonology: The Pocket Guide to Griffins of the World by Lyndsey Green, for my gryphon collection.
>4 haydninvienna: I hadn't heard of Sarah Bakewell before; she has some really interesting works!
>3 reconditereader: this is going on the list, thank you!
>2 ScoLgo: I've read Cryptonomicon, and just loved it. It's amazing how he can write such intricate and complex situations with such ease. Peter has read Anathem I know, because it's my favorite Stephenson and I sent it to him a few years ago. I hadn't thought of Stephenson though, thanks for the suggestion. I think Peter would be interested in the Roger Williams book too, thank you!
I'm sorry I didn't get back to this sooner, I've been unwell but getting better now. It turns out that the worst part of an ear infection is the dizziness caused by moving your eyes around quickly, which makes reading right out.
Peter does occasionally read fiction, but as he lives very far away, I have little idea what is already on his shelves. I like sending nonfiction to bolster his library. He recently sent me these:
Silk: A World History by Aarathi Prasad
Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth by Bill Schutt
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes(which is fiction, it's about Medusa)
and a truly delightful pictorial called Gryphonology: The Pocket Guide to Griffins of the World by Lyndsey Green, for my gryphon collection.
>4 haydninvienna: I hadn't heard of Sarah Bakewell before; she has some really interesting works!
>3 reconditereader: this is going on the list, thank you!
>2 ScoLgo: I've read Cryptonomicon, and just loved it. It's amazing how he can write such intricate and complex situations with such ease. Peter has read Anathem I know, because it's my favorite Stephenson and I sent it to him a few years ago. I hadn't thought of Stephenson though, thanks for the suggestion. I think Peter would be interested in the Roger Williams book too, thank you!
