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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 1278 Views
Heh. - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 989 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 817 Views
Nah... - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 830 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 1015 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 886 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1425 Views
Fun. - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 1090 Views
Fact not fiction. - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 1022 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 908 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM 923 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread. - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 843 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 900 Views
This is pretty much it. - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 892 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 933 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 841 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 785 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 832 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 841 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 855 Views
So - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 810 Views
Re: So - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 794 Views
I do read sometimes. - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 1047 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 914 Views
Added to The List. *NM* - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 371 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 939 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 863 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 911 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 1046 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 404 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 896 Views
Thanks! *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 407 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM 831 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 395 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 1046 Views
Sweet - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 988 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 838 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 978 Views
I need to read more American Indian books - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 822 Views
Good survey! - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 988 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 807 Views
Intent. - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 841 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 878 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 858 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 425 Views
It's under consideration. - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 737 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 988 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 849 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 396 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 775 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 907 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 854 Views
great survey. - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 1128 Views
Re: great survey. - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 904 Views
Interesting questions! - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 1033 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 928 Views
That's the English titel yes! - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 1129 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 1158 Views
Books on Napoleon.... - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 863 Views
Narcissist. *NM* - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 358 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 351 Views
i like non-fiction! - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 916 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 1134 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 895 Views

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