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When I was a kid if I started a book, I finished a book. I’m not sure why but it felt like quitting if you didn’t finish the whole thing, a failure. The problem of course is that you’ll spend a lot of time reading stuff you don’t like or stuff that’s simply crap.
It took me a long time to be able to give up on a book and I still have some problems. Like when is it too soon to give up? Or when is it too late to give up? Recently I started reading a book called Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson. The cover claims it was a medieval noir (both things I like) but I didn’t find it to really be either. The main character, in his second novel here, is a dispossessed knight who now works as The Tracker. I guess he’s called The Tracker because there were no PI’s in the 1300’s.
I kept giving it one more chapter for things to heat up until I was halfway through the book. I’m not going to finish it. If you like J.A. Jance and Patricia Cornwell type books this one might be right up your alley. But that’s not my bag, baby! I stopped reading it and I’m okay with that.
I’ve noticed a trend lately in the non-fiction books I’ve read: telling a story amongst the facts, figures and research. I’m not sure if it’s just the kinds of books I have been drawn to recently or if it’s indicative of the non-fiction for mass consumption space in general (I would exclude textbooks and technical books from the list).
My first example (and a book that I am currently in the midst of reading) is “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. The author does a great job of drawing the reader into the journey that he undertakes while still providing plenty of facts based on personal research.
Another prime example is “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely. By examining the science behind human social behaviour, the author immediately taps into situations that the reader can identify (and identify with) in his or her own life.
“Stiff”, “Spook” and “Bonk” by Mary Roach all exhibit the kind of narrative that defines a good story while shedding light on things that everyone contemplates at one time or another: death, post-death and sex.
If you know of any other authors that weave a story within a non-fiction work, please post a comment. I’d love to hear about them.
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