Top Ten Tuesday- Keeping it Real

[source; I love Phil]

This week The Broke and the Bookish ask us what ten "gateway" books are into a particular genre or journey down a certain path. I really didn't grow fond of non-fiction until the last maybe five or six books- here are ten books that both helped hook me and keep me around:

1. The Lost Girls by Jennifer Bagget- Three professional twenty-somethings give up their lives to travel to exotic, off the beaten path, places for a year.

2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall- Barefoot running, trail running, ultras.

3. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer- Climbing Everest

4. Spark by John Ratey- Why exercise will help not only your physical health, but you're mental health/intelligence as well

5. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik- A female neurosurgeon's memoir.

6. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink- The ethical dilemmas doctors and nursed were faced with during the five days after Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center.

7. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout- (Disclaimer: I listened to it) A Canadian journalist recounts her kidnapping in Somalia.

8. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer- An overview of how we treat the animals we consume in America.

9. Maybe Baby by Lori Leibovich- Several years ago I was feeling uncertain about when, and if, I wanted to have kids. The stories told in this collection of people with kids, without, and those struggling to get pregnant were very thought-provoking.

10. Where Children Sleep James Mollison- This coffee table book of sorts shows photographs of children's bedrooms from around the world. I can't wait to show this to my kid to help him gain some perspective. It's given me some!