Hi everyone! What are your favorite books that are about niche topics ? The goal is to find genuinely interesting books about seemingly mundane subjects like the construction of medieval castles or the history of cell therapy.
The Amazing Adventures of an Amish Stripper: An Erotic Memoir
IdolConsumption on
Oranges by John McPhee. He’s a fantastic non-fiction writer all around. But as niche topics go, it’s well written and reasonably fun and light. The Control of Nature is one of my favorites from him, less niche though.
harrisloeser on
The Grey Seas Under by Farley Mowat. It is about North Atlantic ocean salvage.
LuxValentino on
“At Home” by Bill Bryson. It’s super fun and interesting. It goes through every room in a house and talks about the history of it.
I also just finished “Palace of Deception” by Darren Lunde and it was OUTSTANDING. It’s about bug game hunters/explorers and eugenics in the early 20th century. It’s a very exciting read.
blackday44 on
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks) A young black woman dies in 1950, but her cancer cells- taken from her without her permission or knowledge- go on to to become one of the most important medical discoveries of the century.
Master-Education7076 on
How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman. The author is a professor of religious studies at The University of North Carolina and has written a lot of books about early Christianity from a scholarly and secular perspective.
Particular-Treat-650 on
Maybe The Demon Under the Microscope fits the bill.
It’s about the first antibiotics and expands to the necessity for medical standards /the FDA (I don’t remember; it might be some precursor).
Robbobin on
Salt by Mark Kurlansky!
It’s great, and is all about salt and the impact on history, pretty short read but worthwhile.
GuruNihilo on
Medical journalist Gary Taubes’ ***The Case Against Sugar***.
An unapologetically biased investigation into the history, uses, and adverse effect sugar has on the human body. Woven through the book is Big Sugar’s manipulation of research and regulation.
nxn20 on
The nineties by chuck klosterman, or cultish by Amanda montell
peppurrjackjungle on
Raw dog: the naked truth about hot dogs by Jamie loftus
KimBrrr1975 on
“This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel Levitin. It’s 20 years old, but the info is still really interesting. He’s a musician and scientist who decided to start the 2 fields together. It’s all about how music impacts our brains and nervous system and how it’s so different from any other medium because it lights up the entire brain. He has a second book called, “I Heard There was a Secret Chord” which is about using music as healing and therapy, that one just came out in 2024. Didn’t read it yet though.
Also a recent read, Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. It’s about all the ways our attention/focus has been changed and hijacked, everything from how internet and social media impact to our food and sleep and lack of play time for children.
12 Comments
The Amazing Adventures of an Amish Stripper: An Erotic Memoir
Oranges by John McPhee. He’s a fantastic non-fiction writer all around. But as niche topics go, it’s well written and reasonably fun and light. The Control of Nature is one of my favorites from him, less niche though.
The Grey Seas Under by Farley Mowat. It is about North Atlantic ocean salvage.
“At Home” by Bill Bryson. It’s super fun and interesting. It goes through every room in a house and talks about the history of it.
I also just finished “Palace of Deception” by Darren Lunde and it was OUTSTANDING. It’s about bug game hunters/explorers and eugenics in the early 20th century. It’s a very exciting read.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks) A young black woman dies in 1950, but her cancer cells- taken from her without her permission or knowledge- go on to to become one of the most important medical discoveries of the century.
How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman. The author is a professor of religious studies at The University of North Carolina and has written a lot of books about early Christianity from a scholarly and secular perspective.
Maybe The Demon Under the Microscope fits the bill.
It’s about the first antibiotics and expands to the necessity for medical standards /the FDA (I don’t remember; it might be some precursor).
Salt by Mark Kurlansky!
It’s great, and is all about salt and the impact on history, pretty short read but worthwhile.
Medical journalist Gary Taubes’ ***The Case Against Sugar***.
An unapologetically biased investigation into the history, uses, and adverse effect sugar has on the human body. Woven through the book is Big Sugar’s manipulation of research and regulation.
The nineties by chuck klosterman, or cultish by Amanda montell
Raw dog: the naked truth about hot dogs by Jamie loftus
“This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel Levitin. It’s 20 years old, but the info is still really interesting. He’s a musician and scientist who decided to start the 2 fields together. It’s all about how music impacts our brains and nervous system and how it’s so different from any other medium because it lights up the entire brain. He has a second book called, “I Heard There was a Secret Chord” which is about using music as healing and therapy, that one just came out in 2024. Didn’t read it yet though.
Also a recent read, Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. It’s about all the ways our attention/focus has been changed and hijacked, everything from how internet and social media impact to our food and sleep and lack of play time for children.