N is for Non-Fiction

Debra has a few favorites in the non-fiction genre.

I read mostly fiction: cozy mysteries, action-adventure, and romance of course. But every once-in-a-while I'll dive into a non-fiction book.

If I do I'm most likely to pick up a biography. I have an extensive collection of Princess Diana biographies. (Although some probably are border-line tabloid tell alls...) My collection of William and Kate biographies is growing.

I recently read The Reagan Diaries. Not a biography, but the transcripts from his personal daily diaries for all eight years he was in office. The book versions had been edited and abridged somewhat, but it was still quite a feat. The book clocked in at 693 pages and had fine, small print (about 40 lines per page), so this wasn't by any means a quick read. But really, really interesting. It was fascinating to be in his head and 'hear' his version of his Presidency.

Another go-to non-fiction read is anything about the Titanic. This tragic story absolutely fascinates me. And I have a decent collection of Civil War books as well. This too, is a tragic, yet fascinating time in our county's history.

I like behind-the-scenes types of stories: about movies, books, etc. The stories behind the stories are always intriguing.

What I don't read a lot of non-fiction books for is research. Back in the day, if I needed to know something about a particular subject I'd turn to my encyclopedias or head to the library. Nowadays I simply fire up my computer or Smart phone and I have the information at my finger tips...no books needed. Still non-fiction, but without the paper pages.

An interesting aside...most often when you see someone with a book in their hands it's fiction. (Not always...but it seems like most of the time.) Education, however, has made a recent switch in presenting more non-fiction texts as part of the reading curriculum. (A college readiness type of thing.) Before that - ten to fifteen years ago...we headed away from non-fiction and focused on novel studies and stories. It will be interesting to see when and if it swings back again.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

P.S. In other "N" news, last week I signed the contract for New Year's Eve at The Corral: the fifth and final installment in my Holidays at The Corral series. Which means four out of the five stories in the series will be released this year. It was just a little over a year ago in January that my "A" post focused on the attempt to write the Christmas story by the deadline. I can't believe I wrote (and sold) all five stories in just over a year. I have to say...I'm pretty proud of myself! :)