Echo Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I'm still quite new here, and this may be a dumb question, but I was wondering whether anyone enjoyed other genres besides fiction? I've seen a thread dealing with biographies, but are there any others? History, new age, or science books? Myself, I enjoy history books about Ireland and England (I'm American, but most of my ancenstors are Irish and English). I also love books about fairies and fairy tales, decorating books, and books about books. That last category sounds confusing, I know. A good example is "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England" by Daniel Pool. It's a great resource for those of us "across the pond" who love Dickens, Thackeray, Eliot, and all the rest. Another great "book about books" is "The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction", which is a reference book that give readers an introduction to cult authors like Kerouac, Thompson, and a ton of others. This was a required text book for my advanced essay writing class last winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I occasionally flick through a Halliwell's film guide (I'm a bit of a film-lover). I've also got a lovely library of books on Paganism and Witchcraft, as well as others on herbalism and natural remedies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Well, "beyond the fiction" you might find me reading The Rise and Fall and Rise of Modern Dance - I think the title speaks for itself. I read some on Art History as well, specifically the Futurists and Dada because those guys were nuts - it blows me away that Picasso was designing for dance. Stuff like this trips me out: The entire artistic world was astonished by the Ballet Russes' premiere presentation of the ballet 'Parade' at the Theatre du Chatelet on May 18, 1917. The ballet was a joint creation with music by Erik Satie, scenario by Jean Cocteau, set, curtain and costumes by Pablo Picasso, choreography by Leonide Massine and program notes by Guillaume Apollinaire. Deborah Rothschild criticized 'Parade' as possessing a 'vulgar, commonplace quality' but also identified this as the ballet's main source of its originality, making it the first Modernist ballet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Well I love all sorts of books, and if you click onto my Librarything poppy siggy you will see some of the ones I've managed to catalogue so far. I had a lot of books for work which I enjoyed, but for pleasure I have quite a few Art History books, and art books, lots of crafts, quite a few history books, although I got rid of a few when I moved as I couldn't keep everything, and lots of poetry...and more. Last weekend, I was away in Edinburgh and the room we stayed in at the B&B had loads of books (always an added bonus, so we will be staying there again!). One of the books was about the history of the underground city(Edinburgh) , can't remember the title, but if anyone's interested I'll get it later...I'm on my way out. I got halfway through the book and then had to leave it behind. However, Kell and I went to Aberdeen library and I got a copy there and am finishing it here without having to rush. That's an example of things I read outside of fiction. Pp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I have quite varied tastes. Fiction: Thrillers, action/adventure, 60s comedy, sci-fi anthologies, comics Non-Fiction: Titanic (I am a BTS member), World War II, Aviation, Astronomy, Unsolved Mysteries, Esoterica etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I like all kinds of things. I was thinking about starting a favourite non-fictions thread. Mine would go something like Travel writing: The Road to Oxiania by Robert Byron Personal memoir: Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy Maclean Book about food: The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten Science: Genome by Matt Ridley History: one of Black Sea by Neal Ascherson and Byzantium by John Julius Norwich Atlas: The Times Comprehensive Not quite sure what category, but maybe autobiography: If This Is A Man by Primo Levi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I love history books, especially relating to Victorians/Edwardians - that sort of era. I have all the Who do you think you are? books which I've read cover to cover. I love reference books - things like Whitaker's World of Facts and The Oldest - which is about things like the oldest British Post Office, the oldest British watermill, the oldest tree... Things like this, which you can dip in and out of between books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Non-fiction that I enjoy reading include science books, and true-crime. I'd like to read some history books (I have a huge one that sits on my bookshelf, taunting me! ), as my knowledge of history is quite atrocious. As I tend to read for relaxation, I stick more with fiction. Though I do like the non-fiction books that I read, sometimes they are quite hard to get through (especially the science ones), so I generally tend to put off reading them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 <snip> I love reference books - things like Whitaker's World of Facts and The Oldest.... </snip> That's right! I forgot about those kinds o' books! I love all those "world record" books and even the "book of lists" and "ten greatest hoaxes" and all that jazz. Fun stuff to pick up and glance through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I like reading Atlases too Andy. I am fascinated by geography.I suppose the non-fiction book I read the most is the bible. I also love my religious books, but especially An Introduction to Buddhism by Peter Harvey, and I enjoy dipping into my bible study books and bible dictionaries etc. I also like literature books about Shakespeare and other poets/playwrights, including their works too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 When I was younger, I often found myself wandering into the Occult section in the library. I like the 'true life' ghost stories with pictures of hauntings and spirits and such. I still like that sort of thing, and am a great believer in the spirit world. My best buddy is a medium, and after the things that have gone on in this house, I dare not not believe! I also have an interest in history, and would love to be involved in an archelogical dig. I had the opportunity once in Northumberland, but my daughter was just six months old, and she had to take priority. I have studied a lot of history books including Hitlers mein kampf, and other factual material of the war. I also like American history books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 When I was younger, I often found myself wandering into the Occult section in the library. I like the 'true life' ghost stories with pictures of hauntings and spirits and such. I still like that sort of thing, and am a great believer in the spirit world. My best buddy is a medium, and after the things that have gone on in this house, I dare not not believe! I have an interest in the Occult too, after reading Colin Wilson's The Occult some 25 years ago. Since then, I have collected a few other books on the subject, particularly those that tried to give so-called "occult" phenomemna some sort of scientific (or at least logical) explanation. Atlas of the Supernatural edited by Derek & Julia Parker is one such book and not a bad one at that. Britain in the 1920s & 30s was rife with "spiritualists" like Harry Price, Eileen Garrett, Tom Lethbridge etc. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became interested in Occult phenomena later in his life. You mention that your best friend is a 'medium'. Have you actually sat in a seance? It would be interesting to hear of your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 No, I have never participated in a seance. I have to admit that it does frighten me a little. My medium friend and I have an understanding. She knows that I am not ready to hear anything from 'the other side', so she just doesnt tell me anything on a personal level, though both she and my daughter have encountered a spirit in our house, we do talk about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 No, I have never participated in a seance. I have to admit that it does frighten me a little. My medium friend and I have an understanding. She knows that I am not ready to hear anything from 'the other side', so she just doesnt tell me anything on a personal level, though both she and my daughter have encountered a spirit in our house, we do talk about that. My mum has a friend who is a medium and she gave me a reading, and it was really interesting. My Grandad, Grandpa and Nan all came through and the things that she said that they said were things which you really couldn't guess. I am a believer and I also believe that I have a guardian angel watching me and I also believe that I have a spirit living in my house (previously mentioned in another thread I think) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmck Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 You ought to see the looks I get from people when I tell them that I read a history of Chinese civilization for pleasure! My favorite has to be "A Distant Mirror" by Barbara Tuchman. I also read Desmond Morris. I love books on archeology though it has to be for the layman or I get completely lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I have a huge collection of books on the supernatural/occult. Mostly UFOs/aliens, but also ghosts, wicca, new age etc. I've never gotten around to reading a lot of them Maybe one day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I have a huge collection of books on the supernatural/occult. Mostly UFOs/aliens, ... I developed more than a passing interest in UFOs after reading The Humanoids by Charles Bowen in the mid-1970s. But what really got me into the subject was John G Fuller's The Interrupted Journey which I read a few years later. That book is an excellent presentation of the famous Betty & Barney Hill case from 1961. At that time, I used to be a member of APRO (Aerial Phenomema Research Organisation), a non-profit group involved in scientific research into the UFO phenomenon. I was even involved in investigating an alleged UFO sighting near Aurangabad, India in 1983. But APRO ran out of funds and folded-up in the late 1980s, after which I had to put the whole UFO interest on the back shelf. I still delve nto it occasionally, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyRich Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I quite fancy myself as a bit of a writer but even so have lots of "how to" books and guides on writing and obviously The Writers and Artists Yearbook. Sometimes spend too much time looking at them when I should be trying to write! Also Christian books which are the other non-fiction area I buy like by well known authors such as Philip Yancy. Also collect different versions of the Bible - boring I know but it's interesting comparing olde worlde Authorised Version and ultra modern versions (to me). Oh and also craft books which come and go with the latest fad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 <snip> Also collect different versions of the Bible - boring I know but it's interesting comparing olde worlde Authorised Version and ultra modern versions (to me). </snip> Wow, I'd love to see your collection. Tell us more! I only have four Bibles (hardly a collection) - a Revised Standard, a wide-margin King James Version*, a Scofield Study Bible with insane cross-referencing and a kid's version I got when I was a kid; it has cartoony pictures of Jesus and lambs and other odd bits; quite fun to peek at many many years later. I've seen some old family Bibles that trace family and births through generations that are incredible. *It's my main one, it somehow seems to fall open to the verse I'm looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I have a few bibles for comparison. I would like a youth bible and a contemporary bible in my collection. I studied plenty of versions at uni though so I have enough information to keep me going for a while. I have NRSV (with Apocrypha and Deutorocanonicals) which is very worn and annotated almost throughout. I also have 2 GNBs (one a childrens bible), 2 NIVs and a KJV (reminds me of a song:23_sing:). The KJV strictly for comparison. It is not a good version. Apart from the language it is badly translated. The NRSV is my favourite. NIV and GNB are OK, but GNB is basically the easy read of the biblical world. The youth and contemporary bibles can be great for young people in today's society but you need to be careful what version you get. Some American bibles are badly translated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyRich Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Well I have at least 3 Good News Bibles, 2 New Internation Versions, a Revised English Bible, an ordinary Authorised Version (also known as King James), a modern French translation and a modern German translation given to my husband who speaks both. I have a copy of The Message/Remix which is the Bible translated into modern contemporary language. Interesting reading but not satisfactory for Bible Study. Also got The Living Bible divided into 365 Daily Readings which took me a year and a half to read. But my pride of place is a Authorised Version published to commemorate the marriage of HRH Prince Andrew and Sarah Margaret Ferguson 2nd July 1986! Beautiful Blue cover and silver gilt edged pages! Got others around the place as well but those are the ones that come to mind first of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 I don't think I have any bibles with my at my apartment. I thought that I had my Precious Moments bible that I received from my godparents at my First Communion, but I ran across it at my parents' house last week. It's one of the ones with all the corny pictures and stuff. It's a Catholic version, obviously, but when I was in my Bible as Literature class a few years ago, it wasn't too different from the other translations in the class. I also have a really pretty prayer book that I also got on my First Communion that has all the prayers and rituals, and I think even instructions for an excorcism! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 It's a Catholic version, obviously, but when I was in my Bible as Literature class a few years ago, it wasn't too different from the other translations in the class. Catholic bibles are longer than protestant bibles.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazeltree Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I've also got a lovely library of books on Paganism and Witchcraft, as well as others on herbalism and natural remedies. Me too! Although I've not read them all cover to cover. Like somebody else said - I want to read the non-fiction books I have but don't seem to get round to it. When I want to relax, a good novel is easier!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Me too! Although I've not read them all cover to cover. Like somebody else said - I want to read the non-fiction books I have but don't seem to get round to it. I find fiction more fun, for sure. All my text-book type books have been read multiple times, but it's mostly been a case of maybe a chapter here and a chapter there till they're done, then they're used for reference (I'm usually pretty good at remembering where I saw something mentioned, and they all have very good contents and indexes so i can always find what I'm looking for quickly and easily). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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