I’m always looking for good non-fiction books to read, and it can be very hard to find suggestions and reviews. If you have any specific good books to recommend, plug them in the comments or email me! I don’t care if they are books you had to read for some class in college that you ending up liking or just something you saw a review for and thought it sounded cool.
Here are the general guidelines for what I like:
Genres I like: History, science (particularly “popsci” type books, cognitive, biological & medical science), anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, post-colonial Africa, religious studies, (auto)biographies, Jewish studies (religious or cultural), Deaf studies, true crime, general political science.
I like technology genres with a caveat that I prefer from a historical or informational perspective (history of computers or look at the physical infrastructure of the internet), but not from a sociological approach (the ramifications of us all having cellphones and portable mp3 players).
Genres I don’t (or at least not consistently enough to want suggestions): self-help, hobbyist (crafts, gardening, home improvement) or fine arts, financial & investment, child-rearing, diet, specific politics (general political science is great, books by Politician X are not), psuedo-science new age crap. MOST FICTION.
Note: I can only read in English, needs be English-print books, English blogs.
A Note To Authors: I will certainly take recommendations for books you have written if they fall in line with the above criteria but I cannot and will not promise to review them. That’s not how this blog works.
Dear Reviewer:
I authored The i Tetralogy, a Holocaust novel, winner of the Allbooks Review Editor’s Choice Award, and Down to a Sunless Sea, a collection of short fiction, finalist for the Indie Excellence Book Awards.
This Möbius Strip of Ifs, a new book of essays and memoirs written over four decades, a kind of Bilsdungroman of my psychological life as a writer, psychotherapist, spiritual seeker, and teacher was published in February.
Midwest Book Review writes:
We often live in lives of regret and unfulfilled dreams. “This Mobius Strip of Ifs” is a collection of essays from Mathias B. Freese as he discusses American culture and how we determine our goals and dreams, as well as our doubts. Speaking clearly on this history and offering much pondering on the nature of the truths of the world, “This Mobius Strip of Ifs” is a thoughtful and inspirational collection of essays on psychology, philosophy, and thought, very much recommended. –
Mensa Bulletin (November/December 2011) published “To Ms. Foley, With Gratitude,” the opening essay from the book. The essay has also won the Society of Southwestern Authors first place award for personal essay/memoir. (See attachment.)
If you are open to reviewing this book, please forward your mailing address.
Sincerely,
Mathias B. Freese
http://www.mathiasbfreese.com
Genre: Personal essay/memoir
Pub. Date February 2012
Page count: 164
ISBN: 978-1-60494-723-6
Kindle format as well
Synopsis: A mixture of the author’s reminiscences, insights, observations, and criticism,
This Möbius Strip of Ifs examines the use and misuse of psychotherapy, childhood
trauma, complicated family relationships, his frustration as a teacher, and the enduring
value of tenaciously writing through it all. Freese scathingly describes the conditioning
society imposes upon artists and awakened souls.
Hey,
Love the site and it’s helping me find some really good books to read – thank you!
I would recommend The Frozen Water Trade. It’s the story of how Frederic Tudor managed to make a massive business out of something deemed so worthless that it wasn’t even taxed when he was making millions. The reason I suggest it to you is that I never even knew this section of history existed, and the impacts it had on our lives now (such as the rise of refrigeration technology, ice-cream making, improved drug treatments etc)
Well worth the £2.00 from amazon, and a couple of evenings reading.
Check out Mark Forsyth’s “The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language”.
In spite of it’s simplicity, a true gem.