I’m coming your way with a bit of a twist on my regular Top Five/Bottom Five posts. This time I’m tackling non-fiction books (I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on fictional books).
When it comes to something in the self-help genre I’m quick to give it a rating on Goodreads. But recently, when I read a memoir, I tend not to give it a star rating since everyone’s story is unique and doesn’t deserve to be subjected to my arbitrary rating. While certain stories don’t strike a chord with me, they may provide the exact information someone else needs to better understand their own story.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to only list my Top Five non-fiction books (you’re welcome to list your least favourite).
As with my fiction list, I’m not necessarily picking my absolute favourite non-fiction reads, but rather choosing to list the five that have impacted me most as a person and/or reader.
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. With a 4.8/5 rating on Goodreads, I’m clearly not the first person to enjoy this book. I received it as a Christmas gift from an aunt when I was a tween. It was the first non-fiction book I remember reading and I was mesmerized. I’ve read it many times since and remain amazed by the fortitude of this group of men who were functioning under almost unthinkably difficult circumstances.
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I’ve read this book three times and even though I know how the story plays out, I still end up sobbing every time. This is one of the most incredible memoirs I’ve ever had the honour of reading and it captures the beauty within tragedy.
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Wow. Such an incredible story, told masterfully by one of the best non-fiction authors in the world. It is all the more impressive when you know the incredible physical limitations Hillenbrand faces (her health journey is the subject of an fascinating article in The New Yorker).
- Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews. I grew up on Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Getting to read about her early life was enthralling and also…sad. Celebrities so often come from dysfunctional homes and my heart ached for everything Julie Andrews endured. But it was the first celebrity memoir I remember reading and it really changed how I viewed Hollywood, the music industry, and creative types that seem to have a charmed life. (Her second memoir – Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years – was incredibly depressing and I hope never to read it again).
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This book changed my self-talk, ignited a desire to write about my own life, and was the first book where I found myself deeply invested in contemplating why humans behave the way we do. I’ve read this book many times and find it deeply comforting; I also feel like I learn something new with each re-read.
Your turn. Top Five (and, if you wish, Bottom Five) non-fiction reads? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? If you were going to write a non-fiction book, what would you write about? Self-help, an educational text, memoir, biography of a famous figure?
Header photo by Viktoriia Kondratiuk on Unsplash
Sophie
Non-fiction is my favourite at this stage of life – other times it’s been fiction. I do love memoir and self-help as my two favourites. Not sure if I’ll keep to just 5!
Mine are:
1. Mao’s last dancer- Cunxin Li. I read this at University and took a lot of inspiration from it about the value of hard work which I applied to my studies (with great results!). It’s a wonderful story and I love that he lives in Australia now.
2. The Happiness Project – Gretchen Rubin. I’m with you on this one Elisabeth 🙂 I read this in my late 20s and loved it, so many great ideas and quotes. I’ve done little versions of my own happiness project over the years.
3. I know how she does it – Laura Vanderkam. I read this when my eldest was a few months old, and it was hugely helpful as I prepared to return to work.
4. Iran Awakening – Shirin Ebadi. This was a memoir I read in my early 20s and about a young female lawyer living through the Iran Revolution and how she stayed and tried to fight the injust laws from within. Beautifully written, inspirational, I loved this book.
5. 4000 weeks – Oliver Burkeman. Gee I love this book. I’ve reread parts so many times. Beautifully written, funny, forgiving. Great for a reset when feeling stressed.
6. Slow Productivity- Cal Newport. I do love all Cal’s books, but I do think this latest is maybe my favourite. It’s very relevant for my career in academia, and I love he has a lot more female examples than in previous books too (only men started to get a bit tiresome in previous books).
7. Opening Skinners Box – Lauren Slater. This book tells the story of major psychology discoveries of the 20th century, weaved in with the personal stories of those who discovered them. It is beautifully written, like poetry, raises questions of psychology, philosophy, morality, and it’s a fascinating book.
Elisabeth
4,000 Weeks is such a classic already. I re-read it this year and loved it even more on the second read-through. I think that The Happiness Project, Atomic Habits, Laura V’s work, Gretchen R’s work…they have new things to “give” on each re-read.
My favourite Laura Vanderkam book is Tranquility by Tuesday. I need to make it an annual re-read. Off The Clock is my second-fave. I haven’t read I Know How She Does It in…too long. Time for a re-read.
I’ve never heard of some of the books you list and I LOVE non-fiction, so I will be look up the Slater and Li books.
KatherineB
Anything by Laura Vanderkam, but particularly “What the Most Successful People do Before Breakfast”, “Tranquility by Tuesday”, “All The Money in The World” and “168 Hours”. These have really changed so many narratives for me, I just wish they had been available when my girls were younger.
“Humankind” by Rutger Bregman – such a positive, life affirming book.
“Invisible Women – Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed For Men” by Caroline Criado Perez – such a shocking book, but so powerful. Everyone should read this!
“Home” by Julie Myerson. A fascinating exploration of the lives of all the people who lived in one London house from when it was built in c. 1870 to around 2012 and how the author (whose house it was) researched this and tracked them or their descendants down, and what she elarned about the importance of place, family, people and home. I want to do this for our house, classically “when I retire!”
Elisabeth
Home sounds fascinating and right up my alley. Checking that one out now!
I agree that Laura has paved the way for “The Best of Both Worlds!” I wish I had discovered her work earlier in my career/motherhood. I think it would have changed my approach to a number of things.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I have read #2, #3, #4 and #5 but I need to go and put the Shackleton book on my list right now! I do love stories of exploration and have enjoyed books by Nathaniel Philbrick as they are in that realm. He wrote one about exploring Antarctica called Sea of Glory in which I learned a lot that I hadn’t known.
I really enjoyed Empire of Pain, and Facing The Wall recently but am sure there are a lot of other non-fiction books I’ve lived that just aren’t coming to mind at the moment.
Elisabeth
I think you’d really like the Shackleton book! He had a lot of grit and when I think grit…I think KYRIA <3
It's a quick read, but written in such an engaging manner, has pictures, and just blew my tween mind! (This was in an era before Netflix documentaries.)
Birchie
I haven’t read any of your top 5 – but I know that I would like Shackleton & Unbroken.
I’m with Kyria in that my memory isn’t helping me very much, but off hand my picks are:
Self help/finance/cool books in general
1. Your Money or Your Life
2. The Complete Tightwad Gazette – basically this book is a blog from before blogs existed. Good advice/great writing/lots of tips on creativity. Like every book on money, it’s not really about money.
Entertaining true stories
3. Alive by Paul Piers Read. It’s about a plane crash in the Andes in the 70s. I listened to it in the winter during the pandemic while walking the dog, and it was oddly comforting/suspenseful/hopeful.
4. Bad City by Paul Pringle is an outstanding completely wacky “this can’t be true” story
The most recent “I feel seen” book
5. The Year of the Puppy. Maybe this wouldn’t have such an impact on someone who hasn’t had a puppy, and the best way that I can describe it is that it was like a parenting book with the message “this is hard and you’re doing it right”.
Elisabeth
I’m intrigued by Alive (though I’ll admit the premise doesn’t sound “comforting.”) And now you have me wondering about Bad City. I LOVE wacky stories where truth is stranger than fiction.
Lisa's Yarns
I have read more non-fiction in recent years but I still prefer fiction overall. The non-fiction I read tends to fall into the memoir category. It’s rare for me to read non-fiction that doesn’t fall into that category! I will read some non-fiction about historical events but that is pretty rare for me. But that is a genre that Phil really likes.
My favorite non-fiction overall is When Breath Becomes Air. I stupidly read the final quarter of that book on an airplane and then cried very hard, especially when I read the afterword by his wife, Lucy. Gah. I have not re-read it and don’t know that I could bring myself to re-read it since it was such a heavy book but it was beautifully written. Besides that, other non-fiction favorites are Tuesdays with Morrie (I used to re-read this periodically and should probably re-read it again soon), The Sound of Gravel, Without Reservations (which is a travel memoir written by a woman who takes a sabbatical when she comes to realize that she doesn’t have an identity outside of being a mom/having a career), and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which totally inspired me to start canning again – which I did for a couple of years until I had kids and did not have the time to devote to it).
Of your favorites, I’ve also read Unbroken and The Happiness Project which are both books that I enjoyed.
Elisabeth
When Breath Becomes Air is beautiful.
The Sound of Gravel was astonishing. I was so shocked by what happened in that book (The Less People Know About Us reminded me of The Sound of Gravel). I also loved The Glass Castle and some of the ultra-athlete memoirs are really interesting too; some by Scott Jurek, but I’ve read others.
Shelly
When Breath Becomes Air stick with me for a very long time.
When the Body Says No have me some interesting perspective. I have had arthritis since I was 13 and this book doesn’t give answers but another way to view why diseases may happen. Gabor Mate
Tranquility by Tuesday helped me to really think about adding in fun things during the week, even little ones to help break the work/home routines.
I enjoy Brene Brown books.
Another that stands out for me is Caroline Myss and Sacred Contracts. Working with archetypes. It’s another way to see inter connectedness in life.
Elisabeth
Brene Brown always makes me think, but I sometimes feel like I get lost in the weeds? Not sure why, because she is clearly BRILLIANT.
Tranquility by Tuesday is my absolute favourite book by Laura V.
Diane
I read both of Julie Andrews’ biographies too, and I agree – I loved the first one, and all the details of how she got to Mary Poppins. But once she got to Hollywood in the second book, it just all became… less interesting.
Non-fiction is such a wide topic! Like you, I don’t think of them as books that I *love* necessarily, but they do stick with me when I read one that is really good. I can’t think of a “top five” but some that had an impact
-Personal History by Katherine Graham The memoirs of the Washington Post publisher. Her story of how she rose to head a major newspaper is amazing. Her honestly about her personal difficulties as a wife and mother are heart-breaking. But also – this is one of the first books that I read where I understood that a woman’s life does not end with getting married and happily ever after. I was very young at the time when I read it, and I clearly remember when her husband dies about halfway through the book, thinking to myself, “What’s in the rest of the book, then?” and realizing that there was another half of a book of amazing life in store. Also in this category is Marie Curie by Eve Curie – What an amazing life! Also had a husband who dies really young yet she continues forward to do great things.
-4000 Weeks is also a really eye opening book for me , and the idea that we can’t do everything so we might as well just do the things that add value to our lives.
– +1 for When Breath Becomes Air, and I would also add A Heart that Works – both books that squeeze my heart with thoughts of how mortality and parenting intersect.
-What Do You Say: How to Talk with Kids to build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home by Stixrud and Johnson – a parenting book that has some really great scripts for connecting with kids.
-The Opposite of Spoiled – another parenting book, about how to talked about money with your children. I think a lot about their approach to panhandling.
-Invisible Women, mentioned above, is stunning too. And enraging.
-No Visible Bruises – a hard book to read, but incredibly eye-opening for me.
I’m sure there are more, but those are the ones I think of first.
Elisabeth
Yes to A Heart That Works. That book reminded me so much of When Breath Becomes Air. Such a heartwrenching, but beautiful, story.
I love parenting books but then feel overwhelmed by all the scripts. Like each book seems to be filled with great scripts, that I promptly forget. For that reason, reading parenting books now feels stressful to me? Sigh.
Nicole MacPherson
Your Body, Your Best Friend is a nonfiction book I recommend frequently. I love it, it was life-changing for me. I love memoir a lot and my faves are What Remains by Carole Radziwill and Shelley, a.k.a Shirley by Shelley Winters. Do essay collections count? I love These Precious Days by Ann Patchett. Hmm….that’s four. What’s my fifth? You know what, I’ll go memoir again and say Elvis and Me because it is WILD. What a crazy story that is. I thought it was so romantic when I read it at age 12, and now I think WTF???? Oh, wait, I forgot David Sedaris. I love Calypso and Carnival of Snackery, although I would recommend neither of those to you!
Also, hi! I’m back!
Elisabeth
I know you’ve recommended this book before and I know I’ve looked for it and haven’t been able to find it in my library system. AND I JUST NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK. I trust your judgement and really do want to read this!
Essays count and These Precious Days was lovely. Big fan.
I’ve never heard of What Remains or Shelley, a.k.a Shirley. Will look those up as well. Thanks for the recs 🙂
Oh…and welcome back <3
mbmom11
“Being Mortal” by Atul gawande is my favorite.
And I do enjoy Mary Roach’s books- I even used “Packing for Mars” when I honeschooled my son for a semester. ( to enrich science and compare to the Martian book.).
Elisabeth
Mary Roach is SUCH an engaging author.
I’ve never heard of Being Mortal and will look that up.
coco
I’ve read 2 and 5 and really enjoyed them. I prefer and read more nonfiction as it’s a safer option. Usually we choose nonfiction of a topic that interests us so it’s more likely we like them. With fiction, it’s 50% of chance we like them most of the time, so I tend to read more non fiction.
If I could write a nonfiction, I’d probably write about living as an expats, the pros and cons of this living style, and what we learn along the way. It’s a niche topic, maybe one day when I retire, I can do that. 🙂 What would you write?
Elisabeth
Yup. I’m with you on reading primarily non-fiction.
Love that idea of your book. I’d read it!!!! A niche topic, maybe, but I think wildly interesting even to someone who will never like as an expat.
Hmmm. What would I write. I love books of essays, so I feel a book of essays would best suit my style. Maybe about motherhood, mental health, and how unpredictable life can be? How’s that for broad. Basically my blogging style but in book form?
Jacquie
Another great “list of favourite books” post! Four out of these five are books that I purchased in print and one is on my Kobo archive.
1.My last supper: 50 great chefs and their final meals, portraits, interviews, and recipes.
I love to cook and share meals with friends. My husband bought me this book as a gift and it is a great conversation to have with our friends when we “break bread together.”
2.Sisters: essays and photographs
Next to my husband and daughter, I am truly fortunate to have two sisters who are my absolute best friends.
3.Hope in hell: inside the world of Doctors Without Borders
I have such respect for this organization and the people who devote their time to it.
4.Eva Cassidy: Songbird
I love music and often saw Eva’s name pop up on Amazon as a suggested purchase, but never listened to her music. On a whim I purchased her CD at Best Buy and was blown away by her voice. Her story is very sad as she only became famous after her death from cancer at 33. I have since purchased all of her posthumous CDs. Check her out!
5.God’s Hotel: a doctor, a hospital, and a pilgrimage to the heart of medicine
This is such a beautiful book! San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital is the last almshouse in the country, a descendant of the Hôtel-Dieu (God’s hotel) that cared for the sick in the Middle Ages. It’s been a while since I read it, but the story is told by Victoria Sweet, a doctor who planned to stay for only a couple of months and stayed for years. It also incorporates her trek through the Camino de Santiago and the philosophy of Hildegard of Bingen, a German Benedictine Abbess.
I also loved The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, about the sudden loss of her husband.
Elisabeth
These books all sound AMAZING! I will admit that I didn’t love The Year of Magical Thinking, but I think I need to re-read it because I was at a very different stage of life when I first read it and really do think that matters significantly with a book like this.
Ally Bean
Interesting question. I like non-fiction but have never thought about my top 5. That being said, off the top of my head, they are:
1) Bird By Bird by Anne Lamont
2) Quiet by Susan Cane
3) Who Ate the First Oyster by Cody Cassidy
4) Don’t Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
5) Cultish by Amanda Montell
Elisabeth
I’ve managed to find Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight available immediately for the Kobo, so I’ve downloaded it and will report back. Thanks! I also liked Bird by Bird. And the “Who Ate the First Oyster” looks so intriguing. Adding it to my paper books hold list.
Stephany
Ooh, this is fun! I’ve only read one of your nonfiction faves: The Happiness Project! I am too scared of how emotional When Breath Becomes Air will make me that I haven’t read it.
My faves:
1) Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed – this is one of my top books I gift to others
2) Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad – a cancer memoir (she survives!) that is SO well-written
3) Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski – changed the way I looked at sex and pleasure
4) Bad Blood by John Carreyrou – a WILD story that I couldn’t get enough of
5) Know My Name by Chanel Miller – so beautifully written, but a really difficult subject too
NGS
I am so behind in reading blogs, but I have to comment on this. I read so much fiction that I’m struggling to even come up with five non-fiction books, but I prefer to listen to non-fiction audiobooks, so this post is giving me lots of ideas for audiobook listens!!
Non-fiction books I think a lot about:
1) In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick – Shipwreck survival book. Crazy.
2) Birth by Tina Cassidy – I can’t believe this is how all the billions of humans who have ever lived come into the world. Nature is barbaric.
3) A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich – Such great detective work.
4) Wake by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez – A beautiful graphic novel (do we have a word for non-fiction graphic books? we must because this isn’t a novel at all – but I don’t know what the word is) depicting Hall’s research into women’s participation in slave revolts.
5) Woodrow on the Bench by Jenna Blum – This book is all about dealing with the grief of caring for a senior dog. It was really comforting to me when my own dog was not doing well.
The Indifferent Stars Above and Voices from Chernobyl are runners up.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
mhm I can’t point out the top 5 right now… This needs more thinking.
I dod read only one of your books “When Breath Becomes Air” and I have to admit I felt it was a bit underwhelming after all the hype. Maybe it’s different when reading and not listening.
Anne
Well, Elisabeth, you’ve gone and done it. Again. Expanding my TBR (still in development, initiated based on your fiction post) with your books (none of which I have read) and those of the fabulous commenters.
One takeaway? I am the only person in the known universe not to have read The Happiness Project. (I’ve also not read – or read much about – Marie Kondo… am I that old??) But! 4000 Weeks is my absolute favorite non-fiction in recent memory. That said, for something completely different? Bill Bryson’s travel books (I read them all) and any book that delves into the minutiae of science (preferred, but with a scholarly aspect, no opinion-based books, thanks) or something like Home, which I think I may have to purchase based on your description. So thank you, friend. <3