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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.
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Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM 1250 Views
Heh. - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 967 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 796 Views
Nah... - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 812 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 994 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 868 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1402 Views
Fun. - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 1067 Views
Fact not fiction. - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 997 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 890 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM 898 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread. - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 824 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 878 Views
This is pretty much it. - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 873 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 916 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 825 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 767 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 807 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 822 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 832 Views
So - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 791 Views
Re: So - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 777 Views
I do read sometimes. - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 1017 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 893 Views
Added to The List. *NM* - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 365 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 907 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 839 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 891 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 1022 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 394 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 878 Views
Thanks! *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 399 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM 814 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 386 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 1027 Views
Sweet - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 969 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 817 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 961 Views
I need to read more American Indian books - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 802 Views
Good survey! - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 961 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 789 Views
Intent. - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 823 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 858 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 843 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 411 Views
It's under consideration. - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 722 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 942 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 830 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 385 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 757 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 885 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 835 Views
great survey. - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 1097 Views
Re: great survey. - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 881 Views
Interesting questions! - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 998 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 911 Views
That's the English titel yes! - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 1106 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 1137 Views
Books on Napoleon.... - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 848 Views
Narcissist. *NM* - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 352 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 342 Views
i like non-fiction! - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 901 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 1109 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 875 Views

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