i recommend you a book i read this week, "Novel with cocaine" - M. Ageyev.

it's a non-fictional book not at all boring:). it's about the life of a russian guy, presented in stages like school,his love, and at the finish. it's presented how he descovered cocaine and how this drug changed his life

about it you can also read here http://www.culturevulture.net/Books/NovelwithCocaine.htm. 

'The coming insurrection' is a good read, especially considering the european climate at the moment.

The ones i have read recently that I thought were excellent.

Hell's Gorge   by Mathew Parker.... about the digging of the Panama Canal

Fooled by Randomness by Nassem Nicholas Taleb

Team of Rivals    by Doris Goodwin

1599 by James Shapiro....about Shakespeare

How to Live by Sarah Bakewell..... this is a fantastic book.

Anything by Michael Pollan    such as Omnivore's Dilemma

Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikotter

Life Ascending by Nick Lane

The Earth by Richard Fortey

let me know if you want any more :-) 

Just a few I can think of right now

Business and Finance:

- Barbarians at the Gates

- Disneywar: the Battle for the Magic Kingdom

Popular science:

- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

- The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

- Influence by Robert Cialdini

- Freakonomics by Stephen Levitt

- Drive by Daniel Pink

- Fooled by Randomness by Nassem Taleb

Gambling:

- Bringing down the house by Ben Mesrich

In the name of identity:  Violence and the need to belong
Disordered world

By Amin Malouf, Lebanese writer, are two of my favorite recently-read books. 

 Why?

 In the first one he aims to illuminate the roots of violence and hatred, which he sees in tribalistic forms of identity. He challenges everyone’s convictions and notions of identity (at least he did challenge mine!).

 In "disordered world" he analyzes tensions between the Arab world and the West.  He maintains that this is not a "clash of civilizations." but rather that our civilizations are exhausted, declined into moral incompetence. The West has betrayed its enlightenment values, even as it “exports” democracy abroad. The Arab world, nostalgic for its golden era, has rushed toward radicalism. Being an Arab himself, he has a very rich insight into the Arab world which I find is a gift for anyone trying to understand today’s world. 

Both essays are written in a way that gives you hope and considering the mess we’re in, this is rather remarkable. He imagines that “in the face of common challenges, we might just invent a new conception of the world we all share”.

My 2011 Non-Fiction list, but I've just ordered four more, thanks to the Zürich Booklovers. I'll be back ...

http://jjmarsh.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/and-this-is-all-true/

Just finished reading 'Tis... have been on a bit of a Frank McCourt thing lately. Have read all three of his autobiographies. His most famous work: Angela's Ashes is the best, as he has managed to write from the point of view of a child, capturing the innocent and half comprehending view of a kid without sounding contrived.

His other two books are interesting but not the great works of fiction the first was. I found 'Tis to be the most honest, especially when he talks, albiet indirectly, about his failings as an adult, especially alcholism. 

All three are worth a read.

Black Swan by Nassem Nicholas Taleb

Secret Channel to Berlin: The Masson-Schellenberg Connection and Swiss Intelligence in World War II by Pierre Braunschweig

Beyond Liberal Democracy by Daniel A. Bell

All of them!  Far too many to many to mention due to my addiction and local pusher Payot!

Barbarians - Terry Jones

Homeland - Paul William Roberts: a crossover between fiction and non

COINTELPRO, Bay of Pigs DeclassifieD, Montefiore and Figes on Stalin's Russia and last but not least Dikotter on Mao's Great Famine

Every Hobsbawm, Chomsky, Zinn, Tariq Ali, Fisk, Linda McQuaig (Canadian!) on my bookshelves

Could go on but the reason is they tell me things I didn't know, are well referenced and explain how the real world works.

Affluenza by Olivier James - a must-read for most of us - slaves to the pursuit of success, defined by money, physical attraction, status, fame, 'wants' imposed on us by marketing and advertising, that replace our real 'needs', "keeping up with the Joneses", thus driven into distress, anxieties and depression. He dedicates a few very important to my mind chapters to the subject of modern parenting, gender roles, working mothers and childcare, high expectations and academic competition that we/our children face from early years, and consequences thereof.

Nudge - light and clever book by Thaler and Sunstein delivering an insight and know-how on choice architecture, for anyone from designers to salesmen to policy makers.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis - contemporary history, and probably the best book I've read on the subject of financial crisis of 2007 and those who made fortune on betting against credit bubble in US.

Also came across this list recently (Time's 100 best non-fiction books), which I'd like to be narrowed down:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2088856,00.html

Dragons Of Eden - Carl Sagan

Just read 'The Big Short' by Michael Lewis. Explains the roles of the banks and credit ratings agencies in the crash of 2007/2008.

I think the line that sums it all up, "What are the odds that people will make smart decision about money if the don't to and can get rich making dumb decisions?"

Agree with Yulia, 'Affluenza' is brilliant.

then others I recommend... are

'Freakonomics' by  S Levitt & S. Dubner. (Assume nothing, question everything!)

'The Element' (how finding your passion changes everything) by Ken Robinson...exploring the importance of nuturing human talent and how it is expressed differently in all of us. Do not assume there is only one way/route...

'The pleasures and Sorrows of work' by reknowned contemporary British philosopher Alain de Botton.

'Women who run with the Wolves' by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. (every woman AND man should read this book!) ;-))

'Are you somebody?' by Nuala O'Faolain, autobiography of well known Irish Journalist/broadcaster whose father was also a charismatic broadcaster in Ireland and UK.  Really exposing how poverty and catholocism in the 40's,50's and 60's really affected everyones access to education and the knock-on affect of that. and thereafter the heroic and courageous efforts the people of Ireland made to educate themselves at all costs even if they had to go underground or emmigrate to do it!

Oh and forgot!!...

The Hedonism Handbook!  (mastering the lost arts of Leisure and Pleasure!) 'hop off the treadmill and into the hammock!'...work less, achieve more....reject the perils of structure living....embrace the wisdom of ancient Greeks! ;-) its a fun book and not to be taken seriously! :-) opening quote of book is a quote by Plato ' No human thing is of serious importance'.... which of course is a debatable point, but it certainly puts things in perspective! There are all sorts of cheeky and entertaining perspectives in there...