Non-Fiction Books

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

by Donna | Jun 1, 2015 | Nonfiction, Other | 0 Comments

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Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill. South Dakota Historical Society Press (2014), 448 pages.

Laura wrote this autobiography in 1930, and tried unsuccessfully for many years to get it published; this is the first time it has seen print. As it’s never been through the editorial process with a publisher, one should not expect this story to be

The Almost Nearly Perfect People

by Cindy | May 9, 2015 | Nonfiction, Other | 0 Comments

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The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia, by Michael Booth. Picador (2015), 400 pages.

As a geography-challenged American, the Scandinavian countries have always been bunched together in my mind into one undifferentiated clump of land, somewhere north of Germany, distinguishable only by their resemblance to a trio of limp male members.

Two Years Before the Mast

by Donna | Apr 30, 2015 | Nonfiction, Other | 0 Comments

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Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea, by Richard Henry Dana. Signet Classics (1840), 432 pages.

This book is quite well-known and already has legions of devoted fans; my purpose here is to urge reluctant readers to give this a chance. (I’m identifying as “reluctant” people like myself who:

This Is How

by Cindy | May 25, 2012 | Other | 0 Comments

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This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More for Young and Old Alike, by Augusten Burroughs. St. Martin’s Press (2012), 240 pages.

Three Cups of Deceit

by Donna | Oct 12, 2011 | Angry, Other | 0 Comments

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Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way, by Jon Krakauer. Anchor (2011) 96 pages.

Vindication! I read Three Cups of Tea a couple of years ago, well before the scandal broke (via the April 17 episode of 60 Minutes), and was unable to get more than halfway through it.

The Wave

by Donna | Feb 15, 2011 | Environment, Nonfiction | 21 Comments

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The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, by Susan Casey. Doubleday (2010), 318 pages.

Oh, Susan. I’m so embarrassed for you. Aren’t you embarrassed? Must all your books become a paean to your unbridled lust for one of the main characters? When you had an affair with one of the scientists

Tales of a Female Nomad

by Donna | Jul 6, 2010 | Nonfiction, Other | 2 Comments

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Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World, by Rita Golden Gelman. Three Rivers Press (2001), 306 pages.

If you love meeting new people to the extent that for you the entire point of traveling is to talk to strangers, then this book will make you very happy. It did not make me that happy,

Bonobo Handshake

by Cindy | Jun 23, 2010 | Animals, Nonfiction | 0 Comments

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Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo, by Vanessa Woods. Gotham Books (2010), 278 pages.

Bonobo Handshake has the kind of cover that is impossible for animal lovers to resist: darling bonobo baby in the arms of an equally adorable young woman, the subtitle’s promise of love and adventure.

The Idle Parent

by Donna | Jun 16, 2010 | Nonfiction, Other | 1 Comment

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The Idle Parent: Why Laid-back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids, by Tom Hodgkinson. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin (2010), 251 pages.

The Idle Parent is getting a fair amount of press right now, which is a good thing because I don’t know how much more “helicoptering” parenting I (or our society) can take.

Enduring Grace

by Cindy | Jun 11, 2010 | Nonfiction, Other | 0 Comments

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Enduring Grace: Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics, by Carol Lee Flinders. HarperOne (1993), 272 pages.

The contemplative, mystical branch of Catholicism has always held great appeal for me in that its followers are attempting to actually experience union with the Divine,

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