Kindle Unlimited Nonfiction Reviews (Quarantine Reads Part Two)

Hello! How is your plague season going? In talking with other readers, it seems that we fall into two categories: unable to focus on a book, or avoiding reality with a Kindle.

Personally, I fall into the latter category. I recently signed up for a KU membership. As much as I love my local library, it seems like I’ve read most of the nonfiction available on the Libby app. I’m even in the super-long queue for the Harry and Meghan book.

While my library has now reopened, nothing beats the convenience of reading on my phone. Today’s blog will examine some of the books I’ve read lately. If you want to try Kindle Unlimited for free, sign up here. You can even read one of my books on the plan!

Kindle Unlimited Series

I have been reading a lot of series lately, so we’ll start with those. I hate myself for how much true crime I read, and KU is a great place to indulge that vice. I’ve read across several series by Robert Keller, who publishes monthly. They’re addictive, quick reads. The downsides are that he repeats cases (again, these titles are monthly), and the editing is not great. Misspelled names abound, as do confusing switches of surnames among killers, victims, and cops.

This problem also haunts Jack Rosewood and Rebecca Lo. There is better editing to be found in Ryan Becker and Brenda Brown’s reassuringly titled Murderers Everywhere series.

The Big Book of Ghost Stories is a series which features different states. The books are divided by geographic region. While some of the stories are quite spooky, the inclusion of repetitive wraiths pads the length. But overall, both Maryland and Pennsylvania were pretty good. If you visit Pennsylvania, look out for Mad Anthony Wayne–he’s everywhere.

The books in the Haunted America series are shorter, but the quality varies greatly from book to book. Haunted Bachelor’s Grove contained more information about the flora, fauna, and administration of the cemetery than the spirits themselves. However, all four of the titles I’ve read from this series have had scary moments.

Bill O’Neill has several trivia series, and I read from two of them. The Big Book of American Facts certainly does have a lot of factoids, but not many details flesh out the trivia. His book on Pennsylvania is quite different, however, providing great yarns about urban legends, food, religion, and history. He has also written trivia books about war, sports, and pop culture.

Sherri Brake’s Fireside Folklore of West Virginia: Volume 4 is buoyed by her personality, but many of the tales are too short and shallow to draw the reader in. If she had fleshed her anecdotes out more fully, the book would be the better for it.

Kindle Unlimited Stand-Alones

Monsters of New Jersey: Mysterious Creatures in the Garden State is full of original research, so if cryptids are your jam, this is probably an excellent choice. The authors compare New Jersey sightings with those in other states (who knew Lizardmen are more of an Ohio River Valley thing?). Also includes an appendix of Jersey Devil sightings.

Allison Waggoner’s Christmas: Merry Moments at Home is an interesting cookbooks full of Italian-inspired recipes that read like they would work.

Rita Y. Shuler’s Small-Town Slayings in South Carolina is an older title focuses on several cold cases she worked as an investigator. I recommend Googling the one unsolved case.

I loved Michael Arntfield’s Monster City: Murder, Music, and Mayhem in Nashville’s Dark Age. The downside is that if you are a reader who stops and starts a lot, the way he interweaves the cases can be confusing.

David G. Schwartz’s Boardwalk Playground is a collection of columns and new material from someone who grew up in Atlantic City. It is interesting to see how the good times began–and how they ended. And I laughed out loud when I realized part of the reason why Trump’s casino failed is because he didn’t build a parking garage, assuming his place would appeal only to swells with their own jets.

Early Native Americans in West Virginia: The Fort Ancient Culture by Darla Spencer is probably more academic than the casual reader would like, but I enjoyed it immensely. It is fascinating to read about the artifacts of a culture that flourished from 1000 CE to 1750.

Eerie Elegance Eats: A Halloween Cookbook of Creepy Cuisine by Britta Peterson is not suited to phones, as the gorgeous pics and interesting fonts just don’t work on the small screen. But this book made me want to host a Halloween party, and gave me ideas for lunches for my toddler.

I would love to hear what books have been keeping you busy this summer. Drop a comment and let me know!