5 Great Gripping and Entertaining books to Help You Start Reading Nonfiction

I’m going to level with anyone who reads this: I didn’t start reading nonfiction more regularly until this year. I had to start reading nonfiction in primary school (grade school), but I found myself zoning out and really struggling to focus. Whether this was a result of my neurodiversity or the content being boring is another question, but it took me twenty-two years to start reading nonfiction books beyond one or two a year.

Now, for those of you who don’t know how to start reading nonfiction, I’m going to provide you with a list of great books and some tips for starting with nonfiction. I’ve tried providing a list that goes across a range of topics so there’s something for everyone, and have also provided links to second-hand websites that sell these books (This isn’t sponsored, I’m doing this because I want to encourage buying perfectly good second-hand books). Also, most of these books aren’t too long, so they’ll help you start reading nonfiction without taking too much of your time. With that out of the way, let’s get started

1. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

This thin volume won the Goodreads Best Science & Technology award in 2017, and it’s easy to see why. Not only is it a great book to start reading nonfiction centered around science, but Neil deGrasse Tyson makes some of the most complex things imaginable understandable for me, and I sucked at science in school – they should have put this quote on the cover. But seriously, not only is the book really interesting and easy to read, it’s the book I used to start reading nonfiction on a more regular basis. Check it out here

2. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

A book about a shocking series of murders that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma, this is a brilliant – but again, shocking – recommendation to start reading nonfiction revolving around true crime. While a lot of true crime books can focus more on the perpetrators of crime rather than the victims and people who stopped them, David Grann tells this story with a lot of empathy and some amazing writing to boot. This book is as good as any crime novel and a great choice to start reading nonfiction if you’re interested in (relatively) recent criminal history. Used copies can be found here.

3. The Heretics by Will Storr

Each chapter in this book follows journalist Will Storr as he interviews and spends time with the ‘enemies of science’. These heretics range from Creationists to Holocaust deniers, and if you’re interested in how people can live normal lives but still hold any of these controversial beliefs, then start reading nonfiction with this book now! It’s surprisingly funny in points, but a gripping read and really worth reading for the chapter on Holocaust deniers alone. Will Storr’s work in this book is illuminating, and it’s pretty easy to see how he’s won numerous awards. Click here to grab yourself a copy.

4. Boomerang by Michael Lewis

Following the author as he travels to numerous countries undergoing financial crises, Michael Lewis paints a picture of the continuing economic issues in our world and doesn’t just manage to make the topic understandable for laypeople, he makes it funny. If you want to start reading nonfiction focused on economics but are completely new to the subject – like I was before I read this book – then this book is for you. It’s also useful to watch The Big Short, which was based on Lewis’s previous book – Boomerang follows similar themes to it, plus the film has Ryan Gosling in it, so it’s worth watching anyway. You can find copies here.

5. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

This book is my number one recommendation not just to start reading nonfiction, but just to take care of yourself and your wellbeing. It’s a memoir and exploration of mental illness, and Matt Haig uses his own experiences of depression and anxiety to help inform readers about how they can manage their own. It’s a really well-written book with ideas and suggestions that people can consider if they’re going through a similar time – I read it at a low point in my life – and is also great to just read about the author’s own experience. It helped me through a difficult time, and it may help you too. Find yourself a copy here if you’re interested.

Now, like I said, here are some tips about nonfiction if you are new to it:

1. Find something you’re interested in – There are so many more types of nonfiction out there that I haven’t mentioned from travel, to autobiography and beyond! Try to find a topic or subject that interests you.
2. It doesn’t have to be boring – Nonfiction is sometimes categorised as boring, but it doesn’t have to be. All the books I’ve listed are written in an accessible way and far from boring.
3. Think of it as learning something new without going to class – I managed to start reading nonfiction by telling myself this – I’d be learning but doing it in a way I enjoyed more: by reading. Nonfiction can teach you something new, or expand your knowledge of something you’re a fan of.
4. It’s so much more than just history – this might sound like a repetition of the first tip, but really, there’s more to nonfiction than ‘boring’ old texts from the olden days. Even then, some of those are really interesting, but there will be something out there for you.

I hope that reading this has at least made you think you might start reading nonfiction. If you’re interested in nonfiction already, then maybe you’ll check out one of the books I recommended! What nonfiction books are your favourites? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Conrad 🙂