I love nonfiction books that talk about my favorite subjects: books, movies, tv. The three here are three of my favorites. What books have you enjoyed about your favorite subjects.
What Bill said about the Goldman. Great book. Other books about movies:
William Wellman, A Short Time for Insanity (memoir) Kenneth Anger, Hollywood Babylon Steven Bach, Final Cut (on Heaven's Gate) Richard Schickel, Conversations With Scorsese Don Miller, "B" Movies
I like true crime when the crime makes a larger point about the time and place. Two good recent examples are DEVIL IN THE GROVE, by Gilbert King, and THE SAVAGE CITY, by T.J. English.
David Denby, Great Books Sara Nelson, So Many Books, So Little Time; similarly Nina Sankovitch, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair (she read a book a DAY for a year!) Nick Hornby, Ten Years in the Tub Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road Also Leon Edel on Henry James and Michael Reynolds on Hemingway.
Linda Ellerbee, "And So It Goes" Alan Sepinwall, The Revolution was Televised
Another favorite area of mine is baseball:
Leo Durocher, Nice Guys Finish Last Roger Angell, The Summer Game William B. Mead, Even the Browns G. H. Fleming, The Unforgettable Season (1908) Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer Lawrence S. Ritter, The Glory of Their Times Jim Brosnan, The Long Season Harvey Araton, Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry & Baseball's Greatest Gift Michael Lewis, Moneyball Doris Kearns Goodwin, Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir Al Stump, Ty Cobb: A Biography (of an appalling human being)
My latest favorite book in this genre is Kenneth Turan's "Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites From a Lifetime of Film." I'm slowly working my way through the 54 movies Turan recommends.
My favorite film books include Pauline Kael's books, A Life of Barbara Stanwyck Steel-True, The Lost One (Peter Lorre), McGilligan's Hitchcock, Film Noir The Encyclopedia, Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon, Basinger's The Star Machine, Robin Wood's Hitchcock's Films, David Thomson's The Big Screen. My favorite history book, Howard Zinn's People's History.
I have the Thomson book sitting on a shelf. The slighter the book, the more chance I will read it. There's another one I liked about TV called Difficult Men. Looked at Soprano, Walt White, Don Draper, etc. Very good.
Michael Lewis, The Blind Side H. A. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights Roy Blount, Jr., About Three Bricks Shy of a Load Arthur J. Donovan, Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men (pro football in the 1950s)
I recently read (I think it was a book George had recommended) Jo Walton's What Makes This Book So Great?, about rereading her favorite science fiction books. I enjoyed her writing style even if I felt quite a lot of the books would not be my cup of tea.
Stephen Bach's book about the making of Heaven's Gate is hard to beat, but The Devil's Candy, about the equally difficult production of The Bonfire of the Vanities, runs a close second.
Books to Die For was my favourite non-fiction book in 2012. Like Jeff M. I could list a bunch of baseball and other sports books but I won't. I collect books on journalism and enjoy collections that could be described as long-form, narrative and creative nonfiction. Some recent ones in my collection are:
Renegades - Robert Ward Silk Parachute - John McPhee Into the Story - David Maranis Heroes and Villains - David Hadju The Silent Season of a Hero the Sports Writing of Gay Talese
I particularly enjoy it when the writers tell about the process undertaken to produce a piece.
Deb, I was going to mention that Jo Walton book too, even though I will never read most of her choices. I cannot believe how fast she reads (and rereads). She makes George Kelley look slow!
WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR, A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin
BALL FOUR by Jim Bouton
THE DREYFUS AFFAIR by Peter Lefcourt
Books about books and reading:
HOW READING CHANGED MY LIFE by Anna Quindlen
EX LIBRIS by Anne Fadiman
HOWARD'S END IS ON THE LANDING by Susan Hill
BOOK LUST by Nancy Pearl
MORE BOOK LUST by Nancy Pearl
BIRD BY BIRD by Annie Lamott
USED AND RARE by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
SLIGHTLY CHIPPED by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
...and a book on birds that I especially loved and recommend VERY highly as - with most books about specific things, it's really all about the life we live:
Favorite book about movies: Lots of 'em, but Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade would be at or near the top.
ReplyDeleteBooks about books: A Gentle Madness by Nicholas Basbanes.
I have to admit, I like biographies :-) One I especially enjoyed was David McCollough's John Adams.
ReplyDeleteWhat Bill said about the Goldman. Great book. Other books about movies:
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wellman, A Short Time for Insanity (memoir)
Kenneth Anger, Hollywood Babylon
Steven Bach, Final Cut (on Heaven's Gate)
Richard Schickel, Conversations With Scorsese
Don Miller, "B" Movies
Other lists to follow.
Jeff M.
I like true crime when the crime makes a larger point about the time and place. Two good recent examples are DEVIL IN THE GROVE, by Gilbert King, and THE SAVAGE CITY, by T.J. English.
ReplyDeleteMost nonfiction I read is either about rock music, science, or writing. I used to read a lot of history and loved it but I seldom have the time.
ReplyDeleteBooks:
ReplyDeleteDavid Denby, Great Books
Sara Nelson, So Many Books, So Little Time; similarly
Nina Sankovitch, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair (she read a book a DAY for a year!)
Nick Hornby, Ten Years in the Tub
Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road
Also Leon Edel on Henry James and Michael Reynolds on Hemingway.
Jeff M.
Television:
ReplyDeleteLinda Ellerbee, "And So It Goes"
Alan Sepinwall, The Revolution was Televised
Another favorite area of mine is baseball:
Leo Durocher, Nice Guys Finish Last
Roger Angell, The Summer Game
William B. Mead, Even the Browns
G. H. Fleming, The Unforgettable Season (1908)
Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer
Lawrence S. Ritter, The Glory of Their Times
Jim Brosnan, The Long Season
Harvey Araton, Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry & Baseball's Greatest Gift
Michael Lewis, Moneyball
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir
Al Stump, Ty Cobb: A Biography (of an appalling human being)
Jeff M.
My latest favorite book in this genre is Kenneth Turan's "Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites From a Lifetime of Film." I'm slowly working my way through the 54 movies Turan recommends.
ReplyDeleteBOYS OF SUMMER is the greatest. Also some of the baseball books by players-Like BEHIND THE MASK.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoyed the Pauline Kael books.
My favorite film books include Pauline Kael's books, A Life of Barbara Stanwyck Steel-True, The Lost One (Peter Lorre), McGilligan's Hitchcock, Film Noir The Encyclopedia, Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon, Basinger's The Star Machine, Robin Wood's Hitchcock's Films, David Thomson's The Big Screen. My favorite history book, Howard Zinn's People's History.
ReplyDeleteThe only book I can think of within that category is I KILLED: TRUE STORIES OF THE ROAD FROM AMERICA'S TOP COMICS.
ReplyDeleteI have the Thomson book sitting on a shelf. The slighter the book, the more chance I will read it.
ReplyDeleteThere's another one I liked about TV called Difficult Men. Looked at Soprano, Walt White, Don Draper, etc. Very good.
I think I read all the Kael books too.
ReplyDeleteOh, a few football books:
Michael Lewis, The Blind Side
H. A. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights
Roy Blount, Jr., About Three Bricks Shy of a Load
Arthur J. Donovan, Fatso: Football When Men Were Really Men (pro football in the 1950s)
Jeff M.
I recently read (I think it was a book George had recommended) Jo Walton's What Makes This Book So Great?, about rereading her favorite science fiction books. I enjoyed her writing style even if I felt quite a lot of the books would not be my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteStephen Bach's book about the making of Heaven's Gate is hard to beat, but The Devil's Candy, about the equally difficult production of The Bonfire of the Vanities, runs a close second.
Books to Die For was my favourite non-fiction book in 2012. Like Jeff M. I could list a bunch of baseball and other sports books but I won't. I collect books on journalism and enjoy collections that could be described as long-form, narrative and creative nonfiction. Some recent ones in my collection are:
ReplyDeleteRenegades - Robert Ward
Silk Parachute - John McPhee
Into the Story - David Maranis
Heroes and Villains - David Hadju
The Silent Season of a Hero the Sports Writing of Gay Talese
I particularly enjoy it when the writers tell about the process undertaken to produce a piece.
A friend pushed The Revolution Was Televised on me. Enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I was going to mention that Jo Walton book too, even though I will never read most of her choices. I cannot believe how fast she reads (and rereads). She makes George Kelley look slow!
ReplyDeleteJeff M.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI've read a ton of books about George Armstrong Custer and one of the best is Son of the Morning Star.
ReplyDeleteSince someone mentioned baseball books:
ReplyDeleteWAIT TILL NEXT YEAR, A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin
BALL FOUR by Jim Bouton
THE DREYFUS AFFAIR by Peter Lefcourt
Books about books and reading:
HOW READING CHANGED MY LIFE by Anna Quindlen
EX LIBRIS by Anne Fadiman
HOWARD'S END IS ON THE LANDING by Susan Hill
BOOK LUST by Nancy Pearl
MORE BOOK LUST by Nancy Pearl
BIRD BY BIRD by Annie Lamott
USED AND RARE by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
SLIGHTLY CHIPPED by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
...and a book on birds that I especially loved and recommend VERY highly as - with most books about specific things, it's really all about the life we live:
HOW TO BE A (BAD) BIRDWATCHER by Simon Barnes
have read a lot of these!
ReplyDelete