May Was the Month of Non-Fiction

I surprised myself by reading more non-fiction than trashy mysteries in the time that Brenda was in Europe.  Two worth mentioning are:  Atul Gawande's second book, Better and Rebecca Skloot's book, The Immortal Life of Hennrietta Lacks. 

I've now read all three of Atul Gawande's books.  He reminds me of another favorite, Malcolm Gladwell.  They are both excellent writers who like to consider how things work and what makes them better.  Gawande focuses on medicine and Gladwell has a much wider range of topics.  I might have mentioned another writer who fits this description, Michael Lewis.  I really like his book about the recent financial crisis, The Big Short.  Thinking about this kind of author reminds me of one of Susan's recommendations, Columbine.  Same thing:  good writer, interesting topic, figures out how things work.

I requested Rebecca Skloot's book from the library after seeing it on the best seller lists.  It was not what I thought it would be.  She is not quite as good a writer as Gawande or Gladwell, but she sure has an interesting story to tell.  It's part medical history, part family history, part about her as an author.  Would like to hear the opinions of anyone else who has read it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atul_Gawande

http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/