Active Users:785 Time:24/11/2024 09:14:37 AM
Re: Non-Fiction survey mapthis Send a noteboard - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM
1. Do you read non-fiction on a regular basis? If so, what do you typically read?

Overall, I'd say I'm about 60/40 fic/non-fic, but those go in spurts. Usually, I'll read a few of each in a row just because I'm in that mood or frame of mind. Or maybe because I'm interested in a certain topic.

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
- philosophy

All of these at one time or another, but I mainly focus on history, world cultures, and science.

3. What is your favorite work of non-fiction (please exclude religious/devotional works from this question)?

Yeesh. There isn't one alone at the top of the list. But I'll throw King Leopold's Ghost, Legacy of Ashes, and The God Particle out there.

4. Would you be interested in reviews of non-fiction books on this site?

Absolutely. I'm not big on discussing fiction because so much comes down to personal opinion. I'll read a book and like it or not. But with non-fiction, at least there might be more points to discuss. Granted, opinion will still rear its ugly head, but at least there can be facts to back it up or tear it down.

5. Have you read any non-fiction book recently that was terrible? If so, what?

I recently read a book called Ghost by Fred Burton. He was in the US State Department's Counterterrorism unit. The stories themselves were interesting, but he peppered in so many shitty detective and spy novel cliches that it wore on me after a while. An editor should have stepped in with a stronger hand.

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) ?

Legacy of Ashes. It is about the CIA from its rise up to 9/11.

7. Do you consider books about the occult to be non-fiction or fiction? Why?

Non-fiction. Same as the Bibles and Korans for me.

8. In your personal library at home, what percentage of your books are non-fiction?

My library isn't really reflective of my buying habits. I really only keep fiction books if they are particularly awesome, or if I'm waiting for a series to finish. If it isn't something I'll ever re-read again, I'll take it to the used bookstore. But if I liked the non-fic book, I'll generally keep it for reference later on. So my library looks like I have a lot of non-fic, but that is just because the fiction works don't stick around. The only fiction works I keep regardless are the ones from Everyman's Library, which I collect.
Palabra a tu madre.
Reply to message
Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM 1152 Views
Heh. - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 837 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 659 Views
Nah... - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 688 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 848 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 743 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1290 Views
Fun. - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 932 Views
Fact not fiction. - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 875 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 754 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM 776 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread. - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 690 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 748 Views
This is pretty much it. - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 750 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 793 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 687 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 645 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 682 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 704 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 700 Views
So - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 669 Views
Re: So - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 653 Views
I do read sometimes. - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 882 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 740 Views
Added to The List. *NM* - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 308 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 772 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 719 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 775 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 887 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 338 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 753 Views
Thanks! *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 348 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM 681 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 327 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 908 Views
Sweet - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 844 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 732 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 833 Views
I need to read more American Indian books - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 688 Views
Good survey! - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 828 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 671 Views
Intent. - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 704 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 732 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 723 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 359 Views
It's under consideration. - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 595 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 769 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 701 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 334 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 632 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 750 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 715 Views
great survey. - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 898 Views
Re: great survey. - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 746 Views
Interesting questions! - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 843 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 789 Views
That's the English titel yes! - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 972 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 936 Views
Books on Napoleon.... - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 724 Views
Narcissist. *NM* - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 300 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 294 Views
i like non-fiction! - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 771 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 974 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 755 Views

Reply to Message