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I read it quite a lot, obviously. Camilla Send a noteboard - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM
I was just preparing a non-fiction review (as a low-key protest against the relegation of both Literature and Non-Fiction under Sci-Fi and Fantasy -- (yesyes, Ben, patience, I know I know)).

Over half of the books I own are non-fiction. When one walks into bookstores (if anyone does that anymore), fiction usually accounts for half to a bit less than half of the store. Sure, some of the books are self-help crap and how-to books, but there is a significant volume of histories, biographies, books on philosophy and political theory, books on current events and topics and books on world cultures and religions.

I think it is worthwhile to post a survey to start people talking more about non-fiction on this website as well. To me, reading fantasy and science fiction all the time is a bit like eating junk food or playing computer games - it's fun and entertaining, but when you're done and look back on the time spent you sometimes sit there and say, "What have I done?!"

(Thinking back, it's still not as bad as having wasted an entire weekend watching TV Land's Benson marathon, as TMJ astutely pointed out to me at wotmania once)


TMJ is wise.

Non-fiction can be written in such a way that it is stimulating and exciting to read as well as useful for understanding points of view, historical events or current world problems.

So...my survey is as follows:

1. Do you read non-fiction on a regular basis? If so, what do you typically read?


Yes. What I read depends entirely on time, place and a myriad other variables, though. I will read quite a bit of history for fun, letters, popular science and of course masses and masses of literary theory.

2. Do you enjoy (whether you have read it recently or not) any of the following categories of books?

- history


yes (I studied it)

- biography


I do. It depends very much on the biographer, though.

- religion


yes (I studied it)

- world cultures


Mmmm. I am not sure what you mean. Anthropology-style? Or New Age happy clappy?

- science and mathematics


I adore it. I hate the fact that I cannot do it hard-core.

- political theory


Yes (well, literary theory, mainly, but they tend to interact)

- philosophy


again, mainly through the glasses of literary theory, but there isn't really a separation.

- art and architecture (including film and TV)


no, not much.

- psychology


I try to steer clear. Freud is unavoidable. I try to avoid Lacan, and I dread reading Kristeva. And apart from that, my interaction with psychology is accidental.

- literary criticism


It is unavoidable, and really rather delicious.

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


You want me to choose? That is harsh.
I rarely reread anything except literary theory.
Derrida's Of Grammatology should be read more than it is. But so should Smoot's Wrinkles in Time. Barthes' S/Z and Mythologies. Oh, dear, you got me started. See, now I have mentioned some, there are others I don't feel I can leave out. Gah. No. Hmmm. Among those I have read lately, I'd say Conan Doyle's Letters are good. Hmm. I wrote a blog about that I English. Perhaps I should copy-past it here. It would function as a kind of review, I suppose. Feynman is good too. Stopping now.

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


Yes. I intend to provide some.

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


I try to steer clear of those I don't think I'll like. I wasn't entirely happy with Antonia Fraser's book on Mary Stuart. It was a bit "ooh, look how womanly and female she is in her strength and femininity". And I consider myself a feminist. I did enjoy her book on the Gunpowder Plot, though.

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) ?


I had a really rather big epiphany when I first read S/Z. It was right at the beginning of my literature student days.

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


Depends on the book, I suppose.

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


I have no idea. But of those I have put up on LibraryThing, there are 209 out of 840.

That's it...for now.


I like.
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
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Non-Fiction survey Tom - 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM 1278 Views
Heh. jh - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 989 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? Tom - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 817 Views
Nah... jh - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 830 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. Darth_Katie - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 1015 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? Tom - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 886 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. Darth_Katie - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1424 Views
Fun. Legolas - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 1090 Views
Machiavelli is a good case study for translation vs. original language Tom - 14/09/2009 06:48:46 PM 825 Views
Fact not fiction. Rebekah - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 1022 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio Tom - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 908 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio Rebekah - 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. Tom - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 842 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. jh - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 899 Views
This is pretty much it. Rebekah - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 892 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 933 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Rebekah - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 841 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 785 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey mapthis - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 831 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting Tom - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 841 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting mapthis - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 855 Views
So nossy - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 810 Views
Re: So mapthis - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 794 Views
I do read sometimes. Craig - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 1047 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... Tom - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 914 Views
Added to The List. *NM* Craig - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 371 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. Camilla - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 939 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. Tom - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 863 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. Camilla - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 911 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey random thoughts - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 1045 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 404 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson random thoughts - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 896 Views
Thanks! *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 407 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey ranagrande - 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* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:15:13 AM 395 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! ranagrande - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 1046 Views
Sweet nossy - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 988 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete Tom - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 838 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... Legolas - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 978 Views
I need to read more American Indian books random thoughts - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 822 Views
Good survey! smaug - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 987 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? Tom - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 807 Views
Intent. Craig - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 841 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. smaug - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 878 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Chas - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 858 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 425 Views
It's under consideration. Chas - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 736 Views
I read a lot of it for my classes, so I read very little of it for leisure. Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 12:46:23 AM 988 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". Tom - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 849 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 396 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 775 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Vodalus - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 907 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... Tom - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 854 Views
great survey. Avendesora - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 1128 Views
Re: great survey. Tom - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 904 Views
Interesting questions! Sophy - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 1033 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but Tom - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 927 Views
That's the English titel yes! Sophy - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 1129 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Jonielle - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 1158 Views
Try reading something new you think you'd like and post a review! *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM 348 Views
Books on Napoleon.... Napoleon62 - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 863 Views
Narcissist. *NM* Craig - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 358 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 351 Views
i like non-fiction! temeraire - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 916 Views
Lots of people have recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:14:09 PM 403 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 1134 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey ajah - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 895 Views
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