#TopTenTuesday (Freebie): Books from A Genre I Want to Read More of…

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: a freebie! You’d think this would be easy, right? But it actually took me quite some time to figure out what I wanted to post. I was tossing up a few topics that sounded fun, including some older TTT posts from when I hadn’t started blogging yet (there are tons!) but after some deliberating, I settled on: books from one genre that I’d like to read more of. It’s not the most exciting topic but I’ve been feeling a bit low on inspiration lately (see: severe sleep deprivation due to sleep issues). Every year I tell myself that I’m going to read more non-fiction and while I do make some effort, meaning I add a few non-fiction books to my shelves, I still end up only reading one or two at the most. It’s not that I don’t like NF, but I always find that unless it’s written in a very compelling fiction-esque way, my attention will waver faster than you can say go. But here are ten books that I’d love to pick up (soon?) from this genre that always eludes me 🙂

Side note: You’re very quickly going to see a pattern develop on my list today because I love true crime. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be true crime. There’s just something about these wickedly disturbing people and the horrifying things they do that compels to read all about it. I just want to know everything (pls don’t judge me. I’m not a creepy sociopath or serial killer, I promise).

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
This has been on my wishlist for forever and I finally got my hands on it a few weeks ago. I really hope that I don’t let this one languish too long on my shelf. 🙈

The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule
This is another one that has been on my wishlist for ages. Ted Bundy is terrifying but I’m just so curious to know more about how he functioned. Ann Rule was his close friend. I can’t even imagine what it’d feel like to realize that someone close to you is a serial killer. *shudders*

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Edward Douglas & Mark Olshaker
Criminal Minds featuring the BAU of the FBI is one of my all time favorite shows EVER. I find criminal profiling incredibly fascinating. Fun fact: I thought I wanted to be a criminal behaviour specialist when I majored in Behavioural Studies for my BA. Criminal Behaviour was my fave class!

Columbine by Dave Cullen
As far as I recall, this was the first time I’d heard of shootings in American schools and it was unfathomable to me that a massacre could occur in high school to kids my own age. It will never get easier to hear about these things. There’s a lot of praise for this book, so I’m looking forward to learning more about what happened that day.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
I actually started this on audiobook but there was a lot of information to take in. I felt I needed to have the physical book to follow along to so I put it aside. It’s tragic that McNamara never got to see what came of her years of work, but I’m glad that her husband, Patton Oswalt, saw it through.

The Lost City of Z: A Legendary British Explorer’s Deadly Quest to Uncover the Secrets of the Amazon by David Grann
I read my first David Grann book last year, Killers of the Flower Moon, and I shocked myself with how quickly I devoured it. I finished it in one day! Grann’s writing is the perfect example of NF that reads like fiction and I was completely hooked. Of course I had to add this to my shelf right away!

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
Call me ignorant, but I’d never heard of The Curies’ use of radium in the products until I (somehow) stumbled across this book title earlier this year. It’s absolutely shocking and vile that they denied the nasty side effects of RADIUM on their workers. I’m so curious to know more about what happened.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
I’d seen this a lot in the bookstores when it came out but it never occurred to me to pick it up. Of course now that it’s no longer readily available in book stores here, I want it desperately. I heard it’s not only very funny (I mean, look at that cover) but it also gets very real about depression.

Becoming by Michelle Obama
I actually have this on audiobook but I’m really bad with audiobooks. So I’m waiting for my physical copy to come in (which I coincidentally just bought this morning as it was on sale)! There’s no way I’m not reading this one. I’m very excited. Michelle Obama is so inspiring!

Educated by Tara Westover
So I’ve actually been seeing a few mixed reviews about this book now that the incredible hype surrounding it has died down a little. People are saying it’s not authentic? Westover’s background is world’s away from what I’m familiar with, and her journey sounds very inspiring, so I’m looking forward to finally reading it (hopefully this year)!

Have you read any of these non-fiction books? What’d you think of them? So curious to know what others have come up with for their TTT freebie this week! Don’t forget to leave your link in the comments below so I can swing by your page and we can have a chat!

27 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday (Freebie): Books from A Genre I Want to Read More of…

    • Thanks, E! I hope my sleep issues get better soon too 🙂

      Do you have a favorite non fiction? I don’t feel like I’m smart enough for the science or language books but I’m always open to adding more to my TBR If it sounds interesting haha

      Liked by 1 person

      • I think something that would be interesting but not overwhelming is The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
        by Mark Forsyth
        Long title but it’s really approachable! It explains the etymology of English words in funny short (1-3 pgs) chapters 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • Haha, wow that is a really long chapter but it sounds really interesting! I do love short chapters and I love learning more about the origins of the word we use. Thanks so much for the rec! I’ll definitely be getting this one 😃

          Liked by 1 person

  1. Sleep issues are so draining, and I’m saying that from personal experience. I hope you’ll be able to get more and better rest soon.

    Becoming is something I’ve slowly been reading and really enjoying. Great choice there. Michelle Obama is a wonderful storyteller. She has some fabulously funny stories about her childhood. Hope you enjoy it, too.

    My TTT.

    Liked by 1 person

    • They really are. I’ve been having increasingly worse issues for the past 2 years and it’s just horrible. I’m really contemplating going to a sleep clinic if things don’t get better soon. My memory is shot!

      I just got my copy of Becoming today and I’m really excited for it. So glad to hear you’re enjoying it! She has such a lovely voice as well, I could listen to her talk all day lol

      Liked by 1 person

    • Yes! I do love some good true crime, although I admit that I haven’t followed any of the podcasts or anything like that. Mostly because I don’t have the time to do it at work and I’m not much of an audio person, more visual 🙂 Have you read A Stranger Beside Me?

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  2. I read an ARC of educated and honestly I don’t fully understand the hype. To me I think she wrote the book too early in her recovery from all the trauma that no doubt she went through. Because there are a lot of instances that you can feel how torn she is about loving her family and protecting them versus recognising the horrible things that she was put through. But it’s still an interesting read. I think I gave it three stars.
    Great list Dini!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Educated, Emer! The hype has me really curious but I’m wondering if I’ll be able to discern what you did. Now that the hype has died down a little I’ve seen a few more critiques about it that kind of ‘balance’ the hype. Looking forward to it!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I had a hard time deciding on a freebie topic this week. Non fiction is awesome though, and I’d love to read more- I did read more of it pre- blogging, but since then not as much. Anyway The Lost City sounds so interesting- I love stuff like that- and I’ve heard so many good things about Furiously Happy too.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I love reading stuff like The Lost City as well! I love that whole mythical mystic vibe. Thanks for stopping by Greg! I really enjoyed the topic you chose for this week’s TTT 😊

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  4. We have so many books in common just on this list alone! Mindhunter, Lost City of Z and Radium Girls are all on my TBR. I’ve read Educated (absolutely fantastic!), Becoming (on my TTT this week), I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (Holy moly, awesome), and Columbine (a must-read on the subject of Columbine specifically, but also should be read in conjunction with other books on Columbine). I hope you enjoy all of these – we will have a good chat about them when you’re done!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Omg that’s awesome and SO great to hear that you’ve loved so many of these books. I’m excited for many of them! My physical copy of Becoming just came in the mail today and I was so happy I squealed haha 😃Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my post!

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  5. I need to read more non-fiction as well. There are few non-fiction books I’ve read and enjoyed and/or kept my attention. I’ve heard such good things about Radium Girl that I might have to give it a try as well. I’m curious about The Lost City of Z since I watched the movie!

    Liked by 1 person

      • It was definitely interesting, and I think the actors did well. It’s crazy to think about them going out in the Amazon with almost nothing to explore.

        I think one of the Top Ten Tuesday posts coming up will be about genres I don’t normally read so that will have a better list of non-fiction I enjoyed, but I read a book about Vincent Van Gogh called Vincent and Theo and a book about Bonnie and Clyde that was interesting. There’s also a biography about E.B. White (author of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web) which is fun and unique!

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  6. I keep forgetting that Educated is a Non Fiction novel. I wanted to read it – well, listen to it – and I didn’t end up getting to on time. Great list 🙂 I know I can’t do Non-Fiction unless I absolutely have to. I still haven’t finished Michelle Obama’s book, and I love that lady.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Haha NF is always a struggle for me but I always try to step a bit out of my comfort zone to include at least one or two NF books a year. I’ve actually added a lot of NF to my shelf this year so I’m hoping to knock some out for Non-Fiction November! 😍

      Liked by 1 person

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