Monday, October 10, 2011

Musing Monday..."Just the Facts Ma'am..Just the Facts."

So, let's head over and check out this week's question from MizB at Should Be Reading...

This week’s musing asks...
What types of nonfiction do you read? Can do multiple choices.

Ok, prove you are as old as I am by getting that TV reference in the title. If you do, you are old. Or watch a lot of reruns.

Ok, on to the work at hand, the question of the day.
I read..or rather look at...very little non-fiction.
No self help..no history..no politics...no sports or financial books.
No, my reading is firmly in the land of make believe...glorious fiction.

And what non-fiction that crosses my eyes..pun can certainly be considered intended...is more examined that actually read.

For example, when I am going on a trip, I like to look at some of the travel books, Fodor or Frommer's or DK Travel, to get an idea of what I am about to visit and make some loose plans. But even then, I tend to skip around to the relevant parts rather than read it cover to cover. And take cookbooks, of which I own a fair number. Again, I peruse rather than read. I know there are people who actually read cookbooks as you would any other book, but I do not quite get that. I guess if it was more of a food memoir than a true cookbook I could see that, but as I mention from time to time, I have pretty much sworn or memoirs.
They pretty much all sound whiny to me.

But again, back to the topic.
I also have a fair number of DIY and gardening books, used as references and referenced a lot less since that thing called the Internet came along. Also have a fair number of lighthouses books, referenced and perused...actually, I like the pictures.
So, with all these categories, the use non-fiction books for reference on topics I like,  has largely been overtaken by the use of the Internet. Except for cooking..art...any subject that relies on photographs which, for me, are much nicer in books, one first stop is the Internet. And travel books that I can take along and consult, because I understand there are places in the world without the Internet..or a cell phone signal! Really!

The other big topic, number wise, of non-fiction books that I own or have "read" since I started keeping track, are books about religion and philosophy. Now, by no means do I read as much on that subject as I did when I was younger, but I still do read some from time to time...and these I actually read, front cover to back cover.
It just seems to take me a lot, lot longer to read them than it used to.
It can't be me...the books must be getting harder. ;-)

8 comments:

  1. It's official, I'm old. I don't read a lot of non-fiction either, but I do love memoirs!

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  2. I'm old too, I don't read much non-fiction either. A few memoirs and that's about it.

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  3. Ah, Jack Webb. Miss him!

    We have a zillion reference books that are now obsolete, thanks to the WEB (see also first paragraph) but I can't bear to part with them.

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  4. I love non-fiction but not politics, history or self-help. I like memoirs, true crime, and biographies. Trips my trigger in a big way if I can read about somebody then Google for more!

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  5. I cannot imagine reading a cookbook like a regular book!! I barely even read them to cook something. I'm a huge fan of nonfiction. There is so much good stuff out there -- memoirs, science books, history books -- that I can't stop reading it.

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  6. Hello! Thanks for the visit to my blog!

    I am not a big fan of fiction. But I do love the occasional foray into genre with a few humorous books.

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  7. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm with you - more in the fiction realm. Most of the nonfiction I read was during my college years.

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  8. Non fiction reading? nope don't do much of that at all. It isn't that things don't interest me but I'd rather read something in fictionalized form especially historical things. Memoirs? Yawnfest!

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