Non-fiction Must Reads

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” - Stephen King

Sorry if it's overkill, but I love Stephen King quotes. Although I usually read a lot more fiction than non-fiction, I read some spectacular non-fiction books last summer. I want to share them here as if people don't know about these books yet, they should!

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - Various blogs suggested reading this book if you are/want to become a writer so I had to check it out. It was definitely worth it! Anne Lamott is so funny and her voice really comes through in her work. Not only does she give great advice on writing, but she also provides life lessons. 
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - Please read this book! Maybe I'm biased because I've always found books on happiness (even Ben Franklin's autobiography, which Mrs. Rubin mentions in her book) intriguing, but her memoir is certainly worth reading. Some people argue that if you're constantly measuring happiness, you'll never be happy, but reading this account is worth it. Mrs. Rubin studied a lot of different happiness scholars and her finished product shows it! The cover of her book reads The Happiness Project "Or, why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read, Aristotle, and generally have more fun." She reminds us why we should live life to the fullest by being content with what we have. The premise for her book is that "The days are long, but the years are short." If you're interested in learning more about her book, Mrs. Rubin keeps an awesome blog: http://happiness-project.com/. 
• My Year with Eleanor by Noelle Hancock - I loved this book! This phrase is such a cliche when it comes to book reviews, but I'll say it anyway; her book was so inspirational. Please check this one out. Ms. Hancock is hilarious and (I'm going to sound like a preteen here) she seems like such a cool person. When Ms. Hancock turns twenty-nine she decides to live by Eleanor Roosevelt's quote, "Do something every day that scares you." For 365 days she does just that: swims with sharks, takes fighter pilot, tap dancing, and trapeze lessons, interviews all of her ex-boyfriends, works at a funeral home, does a comedy show, asks her long-term boyfriend about marriage, etc. I find bucket list style books so interesting. This memoir is a great summer read! Here's the link to her blog: http://noellehancock.blogspot.com/. 
• On Writing by Stephen King: Another incredible book if you are/want to be a writer. Not only does Mr. King discuss the craft, but he also provides us with an autobiography in which he discusses his childhood, meeting his wife at college, his struggles with alcohol and drugs, as well as his accident (when he was hit by a car) and how this experience affected his writing. Because Mr King's writing is so vivid there is never a dull moment in this book. 

Happy reading :] Stay tuned for the next post on a general list of excellent books. Since the blog's still just starting off, I'd love to meet my new readers; if you enjoyed this post please feel free to subscribe to my blog! 

  by  John Althouse Cohen