Books about the Senses

I mostly read nonfiction. Occasionally there are fictional books I sincerely enjoy, but there are so many real life phenomena and stories that are fascinating to read about. Nonfiction books by Malcolm Gladwell, Chuck Klosterman, and Jon Ronson are among my favorites—they are books filled with research and stories in which psychology, sociology, history, popular culture, and relevant societal issues intersect. They are books that leave you endlessly thinking, comparing, reflecting, and googling definitions and statistics, but I wouldn't exactly classify them as books that appeal to our physical senses. 

On this page, I wanted to share some nonfiction books that both give insight into the history and science of our physical senses and multi-sensory experiences and, in addition, are so vividly descriptive that your imagination runs away on a sensory-filled adventure as you're reading them. They are the stories of people's passions and obsessions throughout time and around the world. Like those mentioned above, they are also books that leave you contemplating and searching for more.

To be perfectly honest, I have not yet read all of these books cover to cover, but I'm working my way through them and have read enough to say that they are wonderfully compatible with this blog (with the exception of not-yet-released The Senses by Matteo Farinella, of which I am eagerly awaiting). If you're interested in learning more about the senses, check them out and let me know what you think. And by all means, if you have suggestions for other books to be included here, let me know. From time to time I'll also post about books on the blog, both fiction and nonfiction, that appeal to the senses, so stay tuned! 

 

 

 

End of the page note: There is another genre of books I really like—the memoirs of 1960s and '70s musicians or others in the music industry, from managers to muses. I am floored by their drastically different lifestyles of fame and fortune coupled with their everyday human nature. Also, I LOVE hearing about how very famous songs came into existence. If you ever want a recommendation for a good rock star read, let me know. 

Book images courtesy of Amazon.com.