For whatever reason, I am a pretty staunch fiction reader. It's rare that I'll pick up a non-fiction book for pleasure reading, regardless of the subject matter. There's no real reason for this, as I have certainly enjoyed non-fiction in the past, but I just consistently gravitate toward the fiction section. Recently, I've stumbled across a few books that I like to think of as fiction for non-fiction readers. These books read like a biography or autobiography, to the point that I finished them feeling as if I had gained a little more historical knowledge. They were captivating, detailed, and interspersed with real people and facts. If you're a fan of realistic or historical fiction, a lover of biography, or someone who's looking to make the leap from non-fiction, these books could be for you!

When this abruptly backfires, she travels to New York to begin working for a magazine, which eventually brings her back to Europe where she discovers her true calling and passion - war photography. Amory goes on to lead several love affairs, photograph two different wars, marry Scottish aristocracy, have two daughters, and live a very long, very accomplished life. Reading this novel is like reading an autobiography, it is so richly detailed and Boyd manages to pepper the story with real people and (of course) real events. He even goes so far as to include 70 vintage photographs throughout the text, attributing them to Amory herself. This novel is compelling and nostalgic, taking historical fiction to the next level.

her mother goes insane, Malka finds herself disfigured, crippled, and orphaned. Taking pity on the girl, Salvatore Dinello (ice cream man and owner of the cart in question) brings her home, transforms her into an Italian Catholic, and teaches her everything he knows about ice cream. Years later, when she marries Jewish Albert Dunkle, she is kicked out of the family and the new couple decide to open an ice cream company to rival the now prosperous Dinello's. And that's just what they do. Through hard work and good luck, Dunkle's Famous Ice Cream becomes a household name and Lillian herself is the face of the company. While the story of Lillian Dunkle and her ice cream empire is totally fictitious, Gilman has written it in such a way that when I was finished reading it, I felt like I knew everything about the history of soft-serve ice cream. Of course, the truth was that I knew very little, but that just goes to show how engaging and effective this darkly humorous novel is.

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