Week Two of Nonfiction November is hosted by Volatile Rune. The theme is Choosing Books, and here is its description:
What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking.
I am not nearly as big a nonfiction reader as I am a fiction reader, so to answer this question, I had to look back at my list of nonfiction books since I started my blog. It’s clear that I like to read books about literary subjects and biographies and memoirs, often by or about literary figures, but although I have read a few, not often celebrity biographies and memoirs. I think in general I just look for nonfiction books that pique my interest in some way, either because of who wrote them or what they are about.
Although the cover generally influences me for fiction books, I haven’t been able to discover that I read any nonfiction books because of their covers. However, I will read books by certain authors: the biographers Doris Kearns Goodwin, Claire Tomalin, and Ron Chernow, for example. I also like true crime novels, but mostly true crime of an older vintage, so I have enjoyed a couple of books by Kate Summerscale (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, The Wicked Boy) and have another one on my pile.
There are also periods of history I’m interested in, particularly the Wars of the Roses. I’ll read histories and biographies about that time.
I am not very scientific minded, but occasionally I hear of a book about science that sounds fascinating. I have an upcoming review of The Bathysphere Book that I found really interesting, and it has a great cover illustration.
Ten years ago, I discovered John McPhee’s Annals of the Former World, about how our continent was formed geologically, in four big, fat volumes, and I read every one. Fascinating stuff, and McPhee is a great writer.
What? Me Read? 
I really enjoyed those Kate Summerscale books too, especially The Wicked Boy. I don’t think I’m influenced by covers much though I might be put off by a really ugly one. But you never know how much these things are influencing you subliminally, so to speak. It always interests me that publishers often have different covers for the UK and US markets.
That’s true. I often like the UK covers better than the US ones, so that shows what they know. I am influenced by covers on fiction books, though. I don’t know why one and not the other.
I also enjoy Kate Summerscale’s books. Maybe because I like nonfiction about history. Claire Tomalin is great, I have several biographies by her. If you like Tomalin you might like one of my favourite biographers Mary S. Lovell. Her book about Sir Richard Burton (the explorer) is absolutely great, A Rage to Live. Her other books are also great. I try to read everything by her.
Oh, I have her book about Beryl Markham, and I am interested in Sir Richard Burton, so thanks for letting me know about it!
It’s fascinating to see people’s different responses to this prompt!
Yes, it is!