July 22, 2024

5 Interesting Nonfiction Books That Lifetime Learners Might Love

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

If you’re over the age of 50 and you continuously find ways to educate yourself and develop interest in new things, you may consider yourself a “lifetime learner.” Lifetime learners, or “lifelong” learners, don’t believe that age should stop them from exploring new subjects and learning new skills through formal or informal means. We rounded up five nonfiction books that lifetime learners may appreciate, depending on the area of interest they feel like diving into next.

For the Craftsperson: Making Things by Erin Boyle and Rose Pearlman

Seasoned and aspiring crafters alike may enjoy the book Making Things: Finding Use, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Crafting Everyday Objects. With tutorials for more than 100 projects, Making Things may inspire readers to get creative with repurposed items to make crafts that are practical, beautiful and sustainable.

For the Animal Lover: An Immense World by Ed Yong

There are sights, sounds and phenomena that exist in the universe outside the range of what our limited human senses can detect. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us takes readers on a fascinating journey exploring how animals perceive the world in completely different ways with their unique senses.

Not only does this book contain obscure scientific facts about animals like bats, scallops, crocodiles, songbirds and giant squid, but it may also lead readers to walk away with a different perception of the unseen, unheard, un-smelled world that surrounds us every day.

For the Gardener: Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout

As no-till gardening gains popularity with backyard gardeners, those interested may want to check out Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy and the Indolent by Ruth Stout. Published in 1961, Gardening Without Work flew in the face of conventional gardening methods for its time. And, in many ways, it still does.

Readers of this book love Ruth’s humorous, almost flippant approach to producing a good yield by simply layering on piles of mulch, particularly soured hay. To this day, experienced gardeners either raise an eyebrow at her eccentric method, or swear by its ability to suppress weed growth and nourish healthy plants with no backbreaking labor required.

For the Athletic Adventurer: Endure by Alex Hutchinson

Learners interested in athleticism, extreme sports, exercise science and the human psyche can find a lot to enjoy with Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by distance runner, physicist and writer Alex Hutchinson.

This book explores the realms where physical limitations butt up against mental endurance. Hutchinson uses a mix of scientific data and anecdotes to discuss how the mind is able to carry the body through grueling physical feats, even when the odds point to failure.

For the Chef: The Nutmeg Trail by Eleanor Ford

Those who love to try new recipes and have an appreciation for cuisine from around the world may love The Nutmeg Trail: A Culinary Journey Along the Ancient Spice Routes by Eleanor Ford. This masterful cookbook combines ancient history, art, food and travel in one place, with 80 delicious, eclectic recipes to try.

Never Stop Learning

Brookdale communities are full of lifetime learners who inspire us every day. Use these titles to spark a new hobby or experience, or add one to the lineup for your next book club meeting!