[NJbooklover]

Are there any books that you would especially recommend; works of fiction, that you think that readers of non-fiction would especially enjoy?

I read lots of non-fiction but would be interested in reading a novel, if it were I guess, especially interesting or some such?

 

[JRTomlin]

It depends on what kind of non-fiction you like, I would think. It's not as though everyone who reads non-fiction has the same interests. Some with a scientific bent like science fiction, military sometimes like military action or thrillers, people who read history may like historical novels. For people who like history, I would suggest well-researched historical novels such as Robert Low's.

 

[Flash Rex]

How about One Second After by William R. Forstchen.  It made me think about America's dependence on technology.

Flash

 

[NJbooklover]

Thanks.  I like historical books; David McCullough's works, and WWII books mostly..."The Nazi Officers's wife by Beer, particularly well.

 

[cperfumo]

If you like novels about the sea, try "The nautical chart" by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, one of the best Spanish writers alive.

 

[MariaESchneider]

I tend to like things like what Jeff Hepple writes--fictionalized non-fiction. He takes a real topic and basically adds in what the characters might have said (we know what they did). He writes the story around the facts, bringing the history alive.

Check out his http://www.amazon.com/Angel-1776-Novella-ebook/dp/B004EYT2ZM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1309358666&sr=8-9
As one example.

There's also memoirs that are facts/non-fiction:

I recommend Jim Chambers "recollections"
http://www.amazon.com/Recollections-Boomers-Memories-Fabulous-ebook/dp/B002H9XTWI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1309358755&sr=1-1
or
Snake Jazz by Baldwin
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=snake+jazz&x=0&y=0

For a more humorous ride, try "Learn Me Good" -- funny stuff and based on facts, but tweaked to protect the not-so-innocent!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Me-Good-ebook/dp/B002C75GXK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1309358799&sr=1-1

 

[Steve Silkin]

Apartment in Athens by Glenway Wescott: Based on interviews with a partisan who fled Greece and told him about the German occupation there.

All Souls' Rising by Madison Smartt Bell: Historical fiction about the Haitian slave rebellion.

 

[D/W]

Radium Halos (A novel about the Radium Dial Painters) is an excellent book.

Here's the product description:

Radium Halos is historical fiction based on the true events of the Radium Girls: a group of female factory workers who, in the early 1920s, contracted radiation poisoning from painting luminous watch and clock dials with radium paint. Our narrator is Helen Waterman, a 65-year-old mental patient who worked at the factory when she was 16. She tells us her story through flashbacks, slowly revealing her past, the loved ones she's lost, and the dangerous secrets she's kept all these years. "While the subject matter is intense, the tone of the novel is surprisingly light. Thanks is due to Helen who adds humor through her naive and bluntly honest outlook."

 

[jason10mm]

Then you may like Jeff Shaara and Steven Pressfield. They write fictional accounts of real historical events, mostly with a military bent. Shaara (son of Michael Shaara who wrote "The Killing Angels" which I think kicked off this trend) especially has a lot of WW2 books. Pressfield is mostly ancient history but has some about Rommel. I also think strongly researched historical works such as Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" and Iain Pears "An Instance of the Fingerpost" contain so much history they will appeal to a traditional non-fiction historical reader. A bit more right field but also excellent would be Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" and "The Baroque Cycle" series (starting with Quicksilver). HORDES of historical tidbits buried in those novels.

 

[MariaESchneider]

Oh oh, wait, thought of another one:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,26038.msg484683.html#msg484683

Gabriella Popa has a couple.

http://www.amazon.com/Kafkas-House-ebook/dp/B003NNV10O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1309372474&sr=1-1

Maria

 

[NJbooklover]

Thanks everyone!  There are a lot of great suggestions that look quite interesting!  I'll keep u posted.

 

[drenee]

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. 

 

[cperfumo]

I tend to like things like what Jeff Hepple writes--fictionalized non-fiction. He takes a real topic and basically adds in what the characters might have said (we know what they did). He writes the story around the facts, bringing the history alive.

Then you definitely want to read "In cold blood" by Truman Capote.

 

[Jeff Rivera]

A lot of great suggestions here, some that I'll have to check out for myself. Historical fictions are always great to pick up when you want to get out of non-fiction but still stay in your comfort zone.

 

[Lursa (aka 9MMare)]

How about One Second After by William R. Forstchen. It made me think about America's dependence on technology.

Flash

OMG! That's exactly what I was going to recommend!

Excellent book.