nonfiction books I've read before
anthologies * dystopia/apocalypse * fantasy * humor * literary realism * nonfiction * nostalgia * philosophy/religion * science fiction

These are books I read before I ever started writing reviews for my website. Maybe eventually I'll reread some of them and write proper reviews, but probably not all of them. But I still want to at least mention as many books that I've read as I can recall.


Bio of an Ogre, by Piers Anthony (pub. 1989)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads

This is an autobiography of Piers Anthony, author of the Xanth series, among other things. I must have read this sometime after I'd started reading the Xanth books, but I don't remember much of anything about it. Though there was a little poem in it (not by Anthony), which I found amusing.


Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen (pub. 1993)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads; Random House; Wikipedia

In 1999, there was a movie based on this book. I think I'd read the book a few years before I saw the movie, but since I don't remember when I actually saw the movie, that doesn't help me figure out when I read the book. I feel like there's a good chance I specifically bought the book because of the existence of the movie, which means I might have read it around 1999 or 2000, but... there's a slight chance I could have read it before the movie was made, and a greater chance that I read it anytime up to a few years after the movie was made. Anyway... I don't specifically remember anything about the book, but I'm pretty sure I liked it more than the movie.


I Am Spock, by Leonard Nimoy (pub. 1995)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads; Wikipedia

Twenty years before this came out, Nimoy wrote an autobiography called "I Am Not Spock," which I never read. This book is a somewhat ironically-titled sequel, or continuation. A friend gave it to me... probably between 1995 and 1997, when we were in college. And I read it probably within a few years of receiving it, though I don't remember exactly. It was a decent book, I guess. I don't remember anything specific about it.


a night without armor, by Jewel (pub. 1998)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads; HarperCollins

This is a book of poetry, which I bought because I was a big fan of Jewel's music. I don't remember what I thought of her poetry; I probably wasn't wild about it, but then I'm not wild about most poetry. This book is pretty widely mocked by people who do know what poetry should be like, and there were probably some poems in it that even I could tell were kind of... not so good. But there was probably also stuff in it that poetry experts would mock but which I wouldn't be able to tell apart, in terms of quality, from some of the poetry that they love. I could be wrong, though. And I have no plans to read it a second time, but I'm keeping the book, just because....


a night without armor II: the revenge, by Beau Sia (pub. 1998)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads; Wikipedia

This is a book of poetry that came out shortly after Jewel's book, as a spoof. I don't remember anything about it, but it is pretty much the best thing ever and even though I'm probably never going to reread it, I am going to keep it forever and ever just so it can sit next to Jewel's book forever and ever.


The Story of Viewers for Quality Television, by Dorothy Collins Swanson (pub. 2000)
Amazon; B&N; Goodreads; Wikipedia

Swason founded the nonprofit organization VQT in 1984. I joined sometime in the late 90s. The group ended in 2000. Around the same time it ended, this book came out, which told the story of the organization's history. I bought the book and read it, at the time, but now I don't remember anything specific about it. All I can really say is I think it's a shame VQT isn't around anymore.



nonfiction index

anthologies * dystopia/apocalypse * fantasy * humor * literary realism * nonfiction * nostalgia * philosophy/religion * science fiction