I will say, I imagine THE PERIODIC TABLE isn’t a fun read, but I’ve read IF THIS IS A MAN, and Levi was a pretty brilliant writer. Combining his philosophical depth with chemistry actually sounds pretty fascinating to me. But I think I’ve focused too much of my nonfiction reading on brutally painful subjects to delve back into his oeuvre any time soon. The best three nonfiction books I can think of that I’ve read are all about genocide–no doubt important and compelling, but maybe something that could actually be classified as entertaining would be a nice change! You’re absolutely right that nonfiction can–and sometimes should–be fun!

In addition to “A Brief History of Time,” I’d add the books by physicist Richard Feynman, “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman” and “What Do You Care What Other People Think?” These are particularly intriguing because Feynman describes, in retrospect, his mixed feelings about working at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project, as well as his thoughts about the Challenger disaster. One really comes away with a vivid picture of pre-Atomic age Americathink. He’s an amazing writer.