The Book Vipers discussion

I started off this year with a riveting memoir by Fawzia Koofi. I'd like to follow in that vein with other biographical, autobiographical/memoir, and non-fiction related works. The bulk of my library is fiction, but I'm gravitating more towards non-fiction this year, particularly from perspectives outside of western society.

I'm taking on a reading challenge right now that lists 52 different types of books, but I'm determined to read as much non-fiction as possible this year to expand my perspective. Honestly, I have a serious itch to travel but since finances are kind of tight, I'm committing to world-travelling and perspective-getting from the comfort of my home through books in 2015.

If you have any suggestions for specific non-fiction works (even though I specified Non-North American, if you think of North American books that you really loved please share) I'd love to hear (or rather, read) about them! I received 'I know why the caged bird sings' by Maya Angelou as a present recently, I'll be embarking on that one shortly.

Welcome to the group Arwen. I can recommend lots of non fiction, but as you specifically mentioned travel, have a look here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Good luck with your challenge. I like reading non-fiction and biographies too. I'm not sure what I'd recommend, there's so much choice out there! I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a good memoir to start with.

Welcome to the group Arwen, you have a very interesting challenge. I love the idea of world travelling through reading and will follow your book choices with interest. I don't read much non-fiction so don't have any suggestions for you but read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings many years ago and loved it.

This sounds like a great challenge Arwen. I love travel books myself and will be reading this year - A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush,Arabian Sands and The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
Because I haven't read them yet I can't recommend them as such, but other non-fictions I have read and would recommend are:

Into the Wild - set in the US and in particulr, Alaska
The Blindfold Horse: Memories of a Persian Childhood - set in Iran before the 1979 revolution
Into the Heart of Borneo
Man of Everest: The Autobiography of Tenzing Here Tenzing talks about the land he comes from and other expeditions, not just the successful ascent in 1953
The Waiting Land - set in Tibet and Nepal
I would also recommend some of the Gerald Durrell books such as The Whispering Land set in Patagonia and Catch Me a Colobus set in Africa.

There are so many more but I've mentioned enough already I think!

Thanks, Paul! I'll definitely peruse through those travel books after work today.

Thanks for the input, Pink! I'm looking forward to reading it. Letters to my Daughters was a wonderful memoir if you have any interest in checking it out.

Thanks for the welcome, Gail! I hope my book choices inspire you to read more non-fiction. ;)

Wow, thanks for specific recommendations, Catherine! I'll definitely be checking those out in more detail later today. Maybe we could do a 'buddy read' with one of the three books you intend to read this year. :)

A buddy read sounds a great idea. Just let me know what you want to try yourself and we can compare notes! I'll also be reading this year Everest Calling: Ascent Of The Dark Side: The Mallory Irvine Ridge if you like mountaineering books and Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded
So if any of those 5 catches your fancy let me know!

Heard quite some good about 50 crazy things to do in Norway for a different book about Norway;) Anyhow - good luck!

Holy moly, my goal took me to task last night. English as my first and only language feels very limiting right now. I spent a couple hours poring over the internet trying to find different non-fiction/memoir accounts from different areas of the world (specifically from the point of view of someone who's lived there a long time and/or has family/roots there). Many that I saw were pretty dark accounts from hellish times in human history. While I'm happy to read those (so to speak) from time to time, I'd rather not weigh myself down with a dozen of them at once.

So yes, I'm starting off with I know why the caged bird sings, but after that I will try to tackle (in no particular order):
Taxi Cairo, Egypt
How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City Paris, France
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Northern Pakistan
Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet Tibet
This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland Greenland
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China China
The Gaze of the Gazelle: The Story of a Generation Tehran, Iran
Infidel Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Netherlands
走得越远,离自己越近 The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get To Me India
Black Elk Speaks not so much a place, but a book regarding the background of Oglala Sioux culture.

Today is a good day for spending all day in bed with a book since I got food poisoning last night, so I should be able to take a significant chunk out of Angelou's book.

Looks like you've got some great books lined up already. I haven't read any of them, but have a couple on my TBR list. I hope you feel better today and manage to get lots of reading done :)

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland is one of my all time favourites. Enjoy

Caged bird is great, as is wild swans. The Hindu Kush one is one I remember from my youth. All good