Week 8:

Choose any four of the 16 nonfiction genres presented in the video. In what Dewey area(s) did you find narrative nonfiction in these genres? List each of the four genres and their Dewey areas on your blog. Choose one book from each of these four genres that you could recommend to someone who normally reads only fiction. List these titles and their authors.

The first genre I would pick is in the travel category, with Dewey number in the 900's. My favorite is Bill Bryson! I really enjoyed A Walk in the Woods (and it even got made into a movie!), but my favorite is In a Sunburned Country. I really want to go to Australia one day. In his travel books, he doesn't just list facts, places to visit, etc. He tells a story of his travels, and they are often humorous, while at the same time informative.

The next genre would be the science category, in the lower 600's of the Dewey system. The author that comes to mind is Mary Roach, like her book Stiff, or Bonk, or Gulp, to name a few. While they aren't necessarily stories from beginning to end, she has engaging tales of her learning about the topics (like having an orgasm in a PET scan machine, or learning to use the bathroom in space) that are, like Bill Bryson, humorous and informative.

Another category is essays. David Sedaris pops into mind. His books, usually classified in the 800's, usually tell tales about his life growing up and living overseas. He's very quirky and funny. Titles include ones like Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, to name just two of many.

Finally, true crime is always good for narrative fiction. The Dewey number is somewhere in the 360's. Whether reading Fatal Vision by Joe McGuiness or a book about cannibals and serial killers, the stories are always fascinating. I remember reading Fatal Vision when I was fairly young and being enthralled by the map of the crime scene the investigators created based upon blood types, since all the family members had different blood types (my family does too, which made it even more interesting). Of course, this was back before they had RFLP DNA testing, then PCR testing...how far science has come!!

Using appeal factors, write a 1-2 paragraph book talk for two of the four titles you would recommend, noting who you would recommend them to and why. Post these on your blog.

Even though I didn't list this title above, which would fall either in memoirs or essays, I would recommend Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. The book has stories about her unusual upbringing in Texas, with stories about taxidermied animals and other dead creatures, including about how awkward she felt as a child growing up. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, yet highly relatable to anyone who has felt like the oddball growing up. She also delves into her psychological issues, which she explores more in depth in her follow-up book, Furiously Happy, which, from the reviews and reactions I've seen (like at her book signing) really touched alot of people who suffer from depression and other ailments.

Reading any David Sedaris book, including the ones I listed above, is great for something quick and funny. I like how the essays can be read in short bursts, but when you put it all together, you get a fuller picture of his life, whether in Europe, growing up, or being somewhat famous. The pace is fast, the tone is light, and yet there is the dollop of quirkiness that makes his writing stand out.