Oh, one more I loved -- Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking. It's maybe 10% about cooking, 60% about Soviet history, and 30% a memoir of her childhood and her family history. It's so well written and really great -- I feel like not enough people read it because "Soviet Cooking" just sounds so unappetizing!

Anonymous wrote:An oldie, but if you haven't read it--Devil in the White City (unless you find murder stressful, it is about a murderer, but it happened a long time)

I was just saying today that I needed to check out Mary Roach's more recent books. Those are pop-science. I just put Fuzz on hold at the library--it's about human-wildlife conflict.

I love Fuzz! I have a couple more of her books sitting in my stack to get to. I will say that, while I was not stressed by it, some people might be stressed by something like her chapter on killer trees.

I would also suggest anything by Bill Bryson. Walk in the Woods is a classic, but I also loved Notes from a Small Island (about England) -- lots of history and just interesting musings. If you like travel books and have an interest in Spain, I really liked Ghosts of Spain (not about Ghosts -- more just like history/culture of Spain, written a decade or so ago).

Also, fiction, but what about the James Herriot books -- All Creatures Great and Small, etc. They are so well written and enjoyable.

If you're interested in nature --- I liked Down from the Mountain, which is about a guy working with farmers near Yellowstone to minimize bear attacks on their corn crops -- just so much interesting stuff about bears!

I also loved the book Inside a Dog, about dog psychology. And if you're interested in child psychology, What's Going On In There? was fascinating.

An oldie, but if you haven't read it--Devil in the White City (unless you find murder stressful, it is about a murderer, but it happened a long time)

I was just saying today that I needed to check out Mary Roach's more recent books. Those are pop-science. I just put Fuzz on hold at the library--it's about human-wildlife conflict.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. There is a lot of sad stuff in the book but it's still incredibly funny.
Also, anything by David Sedaris.

Color: A Natural History of the Palette - Victoria Finlay

It’s sometimes listed as Colour : Travels Through the Paintbox (same book/author)

Susan Orlean's books: The Orchid Thief, the one about Rin Tin Tin.

They're fun and fact-filled without being heavy.

Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: How an Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures and Accidentally Upended the World

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

John Adams by David McCullough

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family

Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France

The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet

Haven’t read it but heard good things about:

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben (2016): A highly popular, conversational look at how trees communicate, share nutrients, and feel, though it has faced criticism for over-anthropomorphizing trees.

An Immense World by Ed Yong

Anything by David McCullough.
I'm reading Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto right now. It's about how the Dutch had a much bigger on the founding of the U.S. than they are given credit for. Interesting to read during our 250th birthday.

I also love nature/environmental writing. Some of my favorites:
Chesapeake Requiem
Chrysalis: Maria Sybilla Merian and the SEcrets of Metamorphosis
What An Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman

“Hey, Hun” by Emily Lynn Paulson. It’s half-nonfiction (facts and figures about an industry and how it impacts society) and half-fiction (fictionalized account of the author’s personal experience) about the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) industry. While she doesn’t name Rodan and Fields as the company she was in, it’s very easily identifiable as Rodan and Fields. It is FASCINATING.

Raising Hare

The Perfect Predator, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, On Call (Dr. Fauci's book)

Honeybee Democracy

I can’t read stressful fiction these days, but I’m also tired of the rom coms I have been reading.

Does anyone have recommendations for interesting but not stressful nonfiction? I have not read any in a long time, but things I have liked in the past include Guns, Germs, and Steel; Salt: A world history; Fast food Nation. Nothing political, please.

I enjoy memoirs but have read a lot of them so looking for something else. Thanks!