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
- 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.
Non-Fiction survey
14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM
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Heh.
14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM
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You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day?
14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM
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I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy.
14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM
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Fun.
14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM
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Machiavelli is a good case study for translation vs. original language
14/09/2009 06:48:46 PM
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Fact not fiction.
14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM
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I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM
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Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM
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You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread.
14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM
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Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction.
14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM
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Re: Fact not fiction.
17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM
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Re: Non-Fiction survey
14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM
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I do read sometimes.
14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM
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I read it quite a lot, obviously.
14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM
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Re: Non-Fiction survey
14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM
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I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM*
15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM
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Re: Non-Fiction survey
14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM
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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
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Sweet
14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM
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My problem with Fisk is his naivete
15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM
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If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to...
15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM
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Good survey!
14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM
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Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult?
15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM
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Re: Non-Fiction survey
15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM
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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
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As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est".
15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM
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Interesting questions!
15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM
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Re: Non-Fiction survey
15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM
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Try reading something new you think you'd like and post a review! *NM*
17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM
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i like non-fiction!
15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM
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Lots of people have recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me *NM*
17/09/2009 03:14:09 PM
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