Get it? Moby Duck?
I read a lot of books this year. A lot. I don’t think all of them are even listed on my Goodreads profile.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a little roundup of my top 5 fiction titles, and was disappointed that I didn’t mention one of my other favorite books this year, Moby Duck. I rambled about that title to so many friends, went out of my way to try to see the author read in the suburbs, etc.
So, here’s a little roundup of my favorite non-fiction reads. There were more, but I don’t think its fair to mention books from Quirk (Ten Tea Parties and Geek Wisdom).
1. Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn: I remember when the story broke, when tens of thousands of rubber duckies plunged into the ocean and made their way around the world. You can find old articles on it online (check out this Daily Mail piece), but it was Donovan Hohn who took all these stories and wrote a fantastic book.
The thing that really awes me about this book, is Hohn’s ability to write about topics that are regularly boring, like science (oceanography, meteorology) and business (Chinese toy manufactures, global economics), and make them incredibly thrilling. His adventure around the world is just so arresting and intense, it’s impossible to not get caught up in the drama of it all.
Who knew a bunch of rubber duckies could be so interesting? They sure are. Get this book.
2. Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan: I was fortunate enough to meet the editor of this book at BEA earlier in the year, and not only did she send me a copy, but she introduced me to Jeff via email. A great guy, he later wrote a really fun post on the Quirk Books website for me. Also he’s from New Jersey. Bonus points.
Anyhow, Super Mario, tells the story of how Nintendo found EPIC success here in the states, and doesn’t skimp on the drama. It’s a rollicking, exciting, and often times hilarious read about Nintendo’s past thirty years and the people who made those years so phenomenal. Jeff fills the book with plenty of pop culture references that’ll thrill game lovers and gives you enough details behind the scenes of the business to excite even the stodgiest businessman.
You can follow Jeff on Twitter via @dailymario and check out this Mario blog, here.
3. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach: Yes yes, this book came out in 2010, and I’m supposed to be prattling about non-fiction books from 2011… but when Mary came to Philadelphia for a First Person Arts event this year, I actually got to do a Q&A with her on Geekadelphia. And her publicist (who lives in Philly!) personally dropped a copy of her new book in my mailbox.
I’ve loved every single one of Mary’s awesome essay collections (Bonk, Spook, Stiff), and Packing for Mars was no different. She answers the sort of quirky questions you never think to ask about space exploration. Throwing up in your helmet, having sex, etc. When I chatted with her, she told me about how she learned all about space exploration without ever leaving the planet, because of the fantastic simulations available here on Earth… all of which she tried out.
An awesome book, an awesome author… definitely a must read. Can’t wait for her next book and her next visit to Philadelphia.
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Other fun non-fiction books I read this year? All Your Base Are Belong to Us by Harold Goldberg, and two fantastic Halo art books, the Halo Encyclopedia and Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, both of which are from DK Books. Scope those out if you’re a gamer.
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I loved Packing for Mars! As soon as I knew my library was getting it, I may have taken slight advantage of my position as librarian (at the suggestion of my supervisor, no less!) and placed a hold on it before it even hit the shelves.