So what were my favorite non-fiction reads of 2018?
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I am interested in strong women in history and how they survived in male dominated worlds. In that vein, I read a few interesting books this year, including The Woman Who Would be King by Kara Cooney and Pirate Women by Laura Sook Duncombe. Cooney's book discusses the Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt in the 1400s BC - 14 centuries before the more famous Cleopatra. If you prefer fiction to non-fiction, there is a good fictional portrayal of her in Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton. She is a really fascinating woman.
Pirate Women discusses real women pirates, as well as some women who likely lived only in legend. It gives brief discussions of various female pirates throughout history (which swelled my to-read list when I wanted to learn more about some of these women). Incidentally, this book is what led me to read the fictionalized account of the life of Grace O'Malley called Grania, which I also recommend.On the more entertaining side, I enjoyed Venom Doc, a memoir by scientist Bryan Grieg Fry, While I think there may be a healthy dose of exaggeration here, it was definitely an entertaining and enjoyable read, and it was fascinating to learn more about Fry's work. For a primer on Fry, you can see him in some episodes of the Netflix "72 Dangerous Animals" series, such as 72 Dangerous Animals: Australia.
I was also entertained and fascinated by Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist and I will be reading more by her in the future. Drunken Botanist is something like an encyclopedia, but engaging enough to read straight through as a book (which I did). She discusses the archaeology, history and botany of various plants we use in alcohol, from foundational plants to flavorings to garnishes, with interesting sidenotes about the history of alcohol use. For example, do you know where the term "proof" comes from? Amy will tell you!I also read an interesting joint biography of Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife Marina by Priscilla Johnson McMillan, which was based on lengthy interviews with Marina following the shootings of JFK and Oswald. It gave some really interesting incites into Oswald and how he ended up in the book depository with a gun, despite seemingly admiring JFK.
I also read three interesting books related to the Holocaust and World War II, which is another area that tends to grab my interest. First was One Long Night by Andrea Pitzer, which was a global history of concentration camps (including those used during the Holocaust). Definitely fascinating, and I strongly recommend for anyone who wants a better understanding of the historical backdrop behind the camps, and a better understanding of how they have been used in other eras beyond the Holocaust.I also read Auschwitz by Laurence Rees, which I believe was a major source for the fascinating Netflix series Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution. This book takes an in-depth look at the development of the Auschwitz camp specifically, looking at how the camp evolved over time and became the most notorious of the concentration camps.
Last but certainly not least, I read The Book Smugglers by David E. Fishman, which discussed the men and women who risked their lives to rescue books and other cultural treasures from the Villna ghetto during World War II. As a librarian, I really found this to be an inspirational reminder as to the importance of literature and culture, as well as the lengths people to which people will go to destroy or protect it.I also really enjoyed Silent Witnesses by Nigel McCrery, which is a history of some of the major breakthroughs in forensic science; and The True History of Chocolate by Sophie Coe and her husband Michael.
So now that I have talked about all of my favorite reads from last year, what am I currently reading?
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