frankie's non-fiction book guide

I have a grand pile of non-fiction books I just love. Sure, I haven't read any of them yet but I love them so much for their potential to make me smart. Or for their potential to help me have random facts on hand to thrill and woo others. Like the fact that most of the buffalo used in Dances With Wolves belonged to Neil Young (thanks, American Buffalo by Steven Rinella), or that if you dream of digging up a grave with a spoon it means you are on track for a large matrimonial dinner (thanks, Zolar's Dictionary of Dreams, which is sadly one of the few I have read, multiple times.). Need I go on?

Okay, I will.

Speaking of Neil Young – oh yes, we were, we always are – Shaky is apparently the biography to read, not just on him, but the one to read on any musician. One fan had this to say about it: "Shaky is good to read on tour. You can learn about the glory days of rock while crammed between gear in the back of a rental van. And as you pool funds to pay for petrol, you'll be left wondering how those guys managed to afford so many goddamn drugs."

That was my sister. Actually, it was just me, but we sound a lot alike. Also, she did say something pretty similar to me once. She's a real big fan of the book.

Or Simon Schama: the ultimate silver fox. I love his television series and so started reading one of his books, Citizens. It was definitely my lack of historical knowledge at fault, not his writing, but I didn't make it through. I just couldn't piece together the backstory to understand the fore story. But if you know stuff about stuff then you should try ready Schama.

One man I have never struggled with is Polish author Ryszard Kapuściński. The Emperor, on Haile Selassie, looks at the regime of the Ethiopian ruler who is worshipped as the God of the Rastafarian movement. Shadow of the Sun is a fascinating collection of essays, which is great if, like me, you have issues with commitment (issues, phobias – they're synonyms, right?) This is a great place to start on a seriously enlightening journey across the African continent.

Ah Putin – he who can wrestle lions and discover ancient artifacts that highly trained teams of archaeologists must have somehow overlooked in the thorough search of the area. And The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen. (Alaina, I still have your copy. Sorry. I will return it. It has a fair amount of ice cream smeared throughout the first third.) This book is scary – like, Principal Snyder from Buffy scary – and actually they kinda look the same. Masha Gessen is one seriously brave journalist.

If you're interested in writing, Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott is a good one. It's kind of the ultimate book on how to approach your writing, and it's not too heavy-handed or dry. It's kind of amazing how many book on writing are actually unreadable. This one you can swallow whole in just one sitting.

My Family And Other Animals is non-fiction written as fiction but it's still one of my favourites. If you like animals and sunshine and exploration and island life, then read it. If you don't like these things, check for a pulse.

Fifty Cent and Robert Greene's The Fiftieth Law is the book I am currently reading. Robert Greene is the guy who wrote that book on seduction. This guy is smart. And so is Fifty Cent. My flatmate, Jeremy, let me borrow his copy of this book after he learned I still flinch every time I get punched in the face at Muay Thai training. The book is about overcoming fear. My flatmate had a bookmark in the back: a photo of a TV screen playing a Will Smith movie. I am now using the bookmark and, thanks to Robert and Fifty, getting much better at taking punches to my mug.

As for non-fiction to keep up with the times, (and for busy ladies with multiple jobs, a penchant for sleep and who are too timid to ask that guy at the cafe if he is finished with his copy of The Australian he's now using as a sly cover to perve at the leggy waitress) I like The Guardian Weekly. As if Friday's aren't already exciting enough, they are also the day the GW comes out. The guy at the newsagent near my work knows me because every Friday I go in to buy my copy carrying a giant bag of pick'n'mix lollies from the local Sugar Station. Bag size varies depending on menstrual and pay cycles. The Guardian Weekly is a smaller format than The Australian too, so it's good for people like me who feel no need to hide when perving on hot people.

Read Simon Leys Halls Of Uselessness and Tony Judt – anything by Tony Judt, but I prefer his later books like Reappraisals. I haven't read his book The Memory Chalet that discuses his struggle with motor neuron disease, which eventually claimed his life in 2010. This is what my uncle died of and it's genetic and none of us have been tested to see if we have the gene so I might hold off on reading that one.

Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's old but old things are good (see comment above re: Silver Fox Schama). Also, I recently learnt the son he travels with in this book was actually murdered as an adult. Brutal. I read the copy of this that my dad had as a young hippy in the '70s. It was cracked and losing leafs, it also smelt way too much like patchouli. My dad never finished the book, which meant I had to. 'Look how clever I am, Dad. I'm smarter than you!'

I'm not too sure if most Queenslanders educated in the '80s have repressed all their school-related memories, or if in fact it was only Benowa Primary School that ran with the campaign, but as a child I was taught to RIBIT – Read In Bed, It's Terrific. Every night I RIBIT, my sister RIBITs, our brother RIBITs with his kids. Any of these non-fiction books are good to RIBIT with. Some will give you nightmares of bald, ripped Russian sociopaths, others may result in confusing dreams of buffalo and aged Canadian singers. But doesn't that sound better than your current dreams of work or nightmares about giving birth to a severed limb? Please RIBIT. RIBIT non-fiction, RIBIT fiction and pretend it's non-fiction and then recite facts from it with confidence and pride. But whatever you do, just RIBIT.

Lovely old photo by Brendan George Ko.