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I decided I'm going to get into unplugging more. I used to do this back in the day. I go hardcore. I go fully off-grid. No internet. No non-battery-powered electricity besides heat. This is half preparedness exercise, half mental reset, half an excuse to learn things. When I do this I do a lot of hiking and a lot of reading. It's a chance to learn all the things that I don't get to when I'm focused on getting things done.
Now that I'm starting this habit up again, this will be something I do on some Sundays. But also I'll be doing it pretty much every night. I have an unplugged period that is big enough to encompass sleep but also a decent amount of reading. So that means I'll have a little bit of reading every day. And also a marathon of reading on those unplugged Sundays.
Because this is off-grid I have to build up a library ahead of time. I will have my laptop, so reading from it is an option. Part of the point is a preparedness mindset. Not just preparing what you need, but also what you want and having the forethought of what that is. Most people don't think about that until SHTF, and within five minutes, they have the self-realization they are going to go crazy.
So, to the root question, what are your favorite non-fiction books? I'm not particularly into fiction, and to the extent I can be, it's just not the season for me right now to get into it. The fictional books I've wanted to read, I have. And if I ever want to read others, I'll read them when fiction is in season for me (whenever that happens).
I already have a bunch of programming books and other tech things. I have a few health books, but would be interested in knowing what you've read and think is good. I'm open to adding a bit more philosophy and political theory books. I've got some Stoicism, but probably should broaden the available books beyond that. But I'm especially interested in what I would call esoterics of lifestyle books. I'm also interested in different cultures. Also, anything practical, mathematical (but enjoyable), or nerdy.
Really though, those are just category ideas. I can become interested in almost anything. And it will be more than me reading your suggestions. So go ham. Just don't be shocked if you suggest fiction and I'm not that interested. But really, other than that I'll read anything. I even picked up books on actuarial accounting. But now I'm turning to you for the fun non-fiction's you've read. Keep in mind my definition of fun is pretty broad. If you enjoyed it, I probably will.
Who knows, maybe I'll make a poll of it.
When I am in Montana in the summer, I will bring the dog to the lake and grab a lakeside camping spot for the afternoon. What do I read?
The Bible.
Less Than Words Can Say by Richard Mitchell. 1979 book about what's wrong with the public education system, and despite how much worse things have gotten, he really nails the essence of the problem even then.
Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer by Jimmy McDonough. An invaluable biography with interviews from many, many people who were there, and are now gone. Meyer is one of the most influential filmmakers America ever produced (no, I'm not joking), and McDonough's bio, though there are some minor flaws, does its subject justice. (I have not read it yet, but his first biography, The Ghastly One about Andy Milligan, is reputedly the best document on the NYC grindhouse scene ever written.)
When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger. A fascinating study in the psychology of cults, including firsthand insider observations of a 1950s UFO cult whose leader predicted the end of the world; the fact that the core members doubled down on their beliefs is examined in detail, and echoes other doomsday cults through history.
Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il by Michael Malice. A dark yet amusing history of North Korea, through the eyes of Dear Leader.
The Tragedy of Liberation by Frank Dikötter. Based on primary source research during the relatively brief time when Beijing opened up its archives for scholarly study, Dikötter wrote three harrowing, irreplaceable books on China under Mao's rule. This covers the first decade, though it's the second book published, and demonstrates in horrifying detail how violent and bloody communist rule was from the very beginning.
Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington by Terry Teachout. The late Teachout wrote a number of valuable biographies, but this is one of his best. He includes a small amount of analysis that I thought was reaching a bit, but it's not a big part of the book, and it is grounded in the facts he documents at length.
The Faith Healers by James Randi. Randi was a stage magician turned professional skeptic, and in the 1980s he went after televangelists and faith healers hard. The book is a work of rage, which he makes clear in the introduction and dedication is very, very justified.
Literature and the Economics of Liberty: Spontaneous Order in Culture edited by Paul Cantor and Stephen Cox. The first book of literary analysis I'm aware of that takes a pro-freedom point of view. I realize that this borders on fiction, but this book is worth reading for the opening essay alone, which examines how the 19th century serial novel, a form that arose from the free operation of the marketplace, influenced and improved writers at a micro and a macro level, letting authors respond to their audiences before a work was complete, and letting some, including Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, attempt a new type of novel completely, one without any plan, which formed itself in the writing and, due to coming out in installments, could not undo in a rewrite what was already done.
Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig. Over twenty years ago, before Trump Derangement Syndrome broke his brain, Lessig wrote this, and a few other good books, on how copyright was broken, how it is abused, and offering potential ways forward. This book was the impetus in founding the Creative Commons organization and licensing framework.
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. A mid-20th century update of Frederic Bastiat's mid-19th century That Which Is Seen, And That Which Is Not Seen (also worth reading), this is a good read that gives the lesson in the first chapter, and the rest of the book is a collection of examples of how to apply it.
My Dark Places by James Ellroy. Ellroy is a superior crime novelist, and this is a memoir of how he got there, starting with his mother's unsolved murder when he was ten years old, and going some very, very dark places indeed.
Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault by Stephen Hicks. A rigorous look at postmodernism from a philosopher who is very smart.
Bit of a weird and eclectic group, but I'm a weird and eclectic reader (and mostly I read fiction, since editing novels is my job).
I've been reading almost nothing but non-fiction, and almost entirely philosophy. Modernism is so fucked up and confusing that getting back to the origins of western philosophy can provide a lot of clarity. Whether you start with the Greeks, early Christian, or early enlightenment.
I decided to give Hobbes' Leviathan a go one day, old language and all. I figured I might not last past a few pages, but surprisingly with some effort I didn't find the language all that challenging, then started getting fascinated by looking up stuff I didn't understand. Solving logic problems in programming is strangely similar to reading the logical constructs of philosophers.
Besides that, it's also been helpful to read up on the history of the time, but for history I tend to prefer YouTube.
All the classic philosophy texts are usually easily found free as PDFs.
Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is definitely one to read if you haven't already. It was written 1900 years ago, but his observations on humanity are every bit as accurate today.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing (case studies in OCD)
Confession: I didn't read the whole post or notice that it was posted in SelfImprovement before commenting. My recommendation is just a really good nonfiction book.
It's alright. Any kind of reading is self improvement over not reading. We can learn from almost anyone. I'm adding it to my downloads.
Frank Close. Lucifer's Legacy: The Meaning of Asymmetry (OUP 2000)
Douady, Dumais, Golé, & Pick. Do Plants Know Math? (Princeton 2004)
Douglas Hofstadter. Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Basic 1979)
James Gleick. Chaos (Viking 1987)
Yochai Benkler. The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom (Yale 2006) It's not accurate, but it is interesting, aspirational and influential.
Hijacking Bitcoin - Many months ago I posted the author interviewed by Catharine Austin-Fitts of Solari. I'm guessing there's more in the book than the interview.
Reportage by James Corbett
200 Years Together
I have them in a stack by my bed and a big shelf of stuff I mean to read one day.