Over half of the books I own are non-fiction. When one walks into bookstores (if anyone does that anymore), fiction usually accounts for half to a bit less than half of the store. Sure, some of the books are self-help crap and how-to books, but there is a significant volume of histories, biographies, books on philosophy and political theory, books on current events and topics and books on world cultures and religions.
I think it is worthwhile to post a survey to start people talking more about non-fiction on this website as well. To me, reading fantasy and science fiction all the time is a bit like eating junk food or playing computer games - it's fun and entertaining, but when you're done and look back on the time spent you sometimes sit there and say, "What have I done?!"
(Thinking back, it's still not as bad as having wasted an entire weekend watching TV Land's Benson marathon, as TMJ astutely pointed out to me at wotmania once)
Non-fiction can be written in such a way that it is stimulating and exciting to read as well as useful for understanding points of view, historical events or current world problems.
So...my survey is as follows:
1. Do you read non-fiction on a regular basis? If so, what do you typically read?
2. Do you enjoy (whether you have read it recently or not) any of the following categories of books?
- history
- biography
- religion
- world cultures
- science and mathematics
- political theory
- philosophy
- art and architecture (including film and TV)
- psychology
- literary criticism
3. What is your favorite work of non-fiction (please exclude religious/devotional works from this question)?
4. Would you be interested in reviews of non-fiction books on this site?
5. Have you read any non-fiction book recently that was terrible? If so, what?
6. Was there a non-fiction book that you read that changed the way you thought or felt about world issues (again, please exclude religious and devotional works from this question) ?
7. Do you consider books about the occult to be non-fiction or fiction? Why?
8. In your personal library at home, what percentage of your books are non-fiction?
That's it...for now.
I think it is worthwhile to post a survey to start people talking more about non-fiction on this website as well. To me, reading fantasy and science fiction all the time is a bit like eating junk food or playing computer games - it's fun and entertaining, but when you're done and look back on the time spent you sometimes sit there and say, "What have I done?!"
(Thinking back, it's still not as bad as having wasted an entire weekend watching TV Land's Benson marathon, as TMJ astutely pointed out to me at wotmania once)
Non-fiction can be written in such a way that it is stimulating and exciting to read as well as useful for understanding points of view, historical events or current world problems.
So...my survey is as follows:
1. Do you read non-fiction on a regular basis? If so, what do you typically read?
2. Do you enjoy (whether you have read it recently or not) any of the following categories of books?
- history
- biography
- religion
- world cultures
- science and mathematics
- political theory
- philosophy
- art and architecture (including film and TV)
- psychology
- literary criticism
3. What is your favorite work of non-fiction (please exclude religious/devotional works from this question)?
4. Would you be interested in reviews of non-fiction books on this site?
5. Have you read any non-fiction book recently that was terrible? If so, what?
6. Was there a non-fiction book that you read that changed the way you thought or felt about world issues (again, please exclude religious and devotional works from this question) ?
7. Do you consider books about the occult to be non-fiction or fiction? Why?
8. In your personal library at home, what percentage of your books are non-fiction?
That's it...for now.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM
1154 Views
Heh.
- 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM
839 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day?
- 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM
661 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy.
- 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM
850 Views
Fun.
- 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM
934 Views
Machiavelli is a good case study for translation vs. original language
- 14/09/2009 06:48:46 PM
691 Views
Fact not fiction.
- 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM
876 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
- 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM
756 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
- 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM
778 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread.
- 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM
692 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction.
- 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM
750 Views
Re: Fact not fiction.
- 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM
795 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM
682 Views
I do read sometimes.
- 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM
884 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously.
- 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM
773 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM
889 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM*
- 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM
338 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM
683 Views
I'm sorry. I just can't take "pro wrestling" seriously enough to comment on it beyond this. *NM*
- 15/09/2009 05:15:13 AM
328 Views
Sweet
- 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM
846 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete
- 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM
734 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to...
- 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM
836 Views
Good survey!
- 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM
829 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult?
- 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM
673 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM
725 Views
I read a lot of it for my classes, so I read very little of it for leisure.
- 15/09/2009 12:46:23 AM
771 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est".
- 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM
703 Views
Interesting questions!
- 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM
843 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM
936 Views
Try reading something new you think you'd like and post a review! 
*NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM
294 Views
*NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM
294 Views
i like non-fiction!
- 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM
772 Views
Lots of people have recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me *NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:14:09 PM
343 Views