Hello readers!
We’re all on a non-fiction kick this week!
Passing for Human, by Liana Finck
A beautiful graphic memoir about family and belonging and growing to love what makes you different from everyone else. Finck’s formally ambiguous yet emotionally layered style lends itself well to her unique blend of fantasy and reality.
–Genevieve
You can get Passing for Human online here!
SPQR, by Mary Beard
After years of dawdling, I finally got around to reading Mary Beard’s SPQR! Plainspoken and compassionate, SPQR is a highly readable introduction to the complex subject of Rome’s history and a great starting point for Beard’s nonfiction in general. Even a layperson like me can hardly put it down.
–Logan
You can get SPQR online here!
Out of the Woods, by Julia Corbett
I’m not very far into Julia Corbett’s Out of the Woods, but even after just the prologue this is a book I know I’m going to love. Corbett draws on her own experiences as well as the works of many great nature writers before her to beautifully talk about the “natural world,” a world we as humans somehow feel we are removed from. This book is sure to be an eye-opener to just how much nature we interact with in our everyday lives, as well as how the generally accepted views of many natural things were conceived, for good or bad (probably mostly bad).
–Renee
You can get Out of the Woods online here!
Space Odyssey, by Michael Benson
Currently I’m reading Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece. “Making of” type books can be hit or miss, but this one, about the making of one of my favorite movies, is a hit. Part cultural history, part treatise on the art (and politics and drudgery) of film-making, Benson leaves no monolith un-turned as he uncovers the fascinating story of how 2001: A Space Odyssey came to be one of the most talked about and even controversial cinematic masterpieces of its and our time.
–Kelvin
You can get Space Odyssey online here!
The Big Short, by Michael Lewis
I know many have already read and liked this book, but I’ve been busy! Lately, I’ve been busy trying to get my Masters in Business and this has been among the many suggested (not required because there are enough of those) books various professors have brought up. This book delves into the many reasons and players that contributed to the crash of the U.S. stock market in 2008. In an engaging and accessible way, Lewis helps explain how the U.S. got to a place that caused our entire economy to feel pain from the perpetual greed, ignorance and structural weaknesses of our system. This is a highly recommended read for anyone that wonders what happened in 2008 and if anything we’re doing now will prevent another catastrophe.
Happy reading!
Old Firehouse Books 