Active Users:806 Time:01/06/2026 02:10:28 PM
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 1365 Views
Heh. - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 1077 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 901 Views
Nah... - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 909 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 1096 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 963 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1495 Views
Fun. - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 1191 Views
Fact not fiction. - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 1108 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 1001 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio - 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM 995 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread. - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 921 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 977 Views
This is pretty much it. - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 973 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 1017 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 926 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 869 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 913 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 914 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 942 Views
So - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 887 Views
Re: So - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 892 Views
I do read sometimes. - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 1130 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 988 Views
Added to The List. *NM* - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 414 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 1039 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 947 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 996 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 1135 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 442 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 976 Views
Thanks! *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 449 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM 912 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 436 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 1130 Views
Sweet - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 1073 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 926 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 1062 Views
I need to read more American Indian books - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 911 Views
Good survey! - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 1084 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 885 Views
Intent. - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 925 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 953 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 941 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 470 Views
It's under consideration. - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 819 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 1084 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 927 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 434 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 854 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 994 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 940 Views
great survey. - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 1223 Views
Re: great survey. - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 999 Views
Interesting questions! - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 1117 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 1005 Views
That's the English titel yes! - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 1204 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 1244 Views
Books on Napoleon.... - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 947 Views
Narcissist. *NM* - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 399 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 392 Views
i like non-fiction! - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 999 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 1214 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 971 Views

Reply to Message