I rarely read fiction
Not because I'm some sort of book snob, just that I find made-up stories are often less exciting than some of the unusual things that happen in actual life. When I do read fiction, I like things as unrealistic as possible, like sci-fi, or reality-based police procedurals like the Rebus novels. That said, if you're looking for some interesting reads and like a bit of history, I highly recommend the following:

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

-In 19th century London, cholera is sweeping across the city like a fire. Dr. John Snow and Rev. Henry Whitehead have some fresh ideas on how to combat the long-time foe, but will the medical establishment prove as dangerous as the disease?


Tulipomania : The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash

-The 'credit crunch' looks paltry compared to the Dutch tulip craze in the 1600s, where a single bulb could make or break a fortune and a mania changed markets like nothing before it.


The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary/The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, both by Simon Winchester

-Intrigue, drama, passion and determination can all be found in dictionaries, but those words aren't usually associated with the publications themselves. Creating a work meant to be a summary of an entire language is no mean feat, though, and not something achieved without causing a few waves in the waters of academia, politics and history.


The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall

-How did a supposedly lost poem by Emily Dickinson reveal a tale of forgery, deceit, fraud and murder that traced back to a single man? The story of Mark Hofmann, a quiet religious boy who became one of the best forgers known to history, might leave all rare document collectors wondering just a little about their acquisitions.


False Impressions: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes by Thomas Hoving

-Prestigious museums like the Getty and the Metropolitan Museum of Art would never get duped by fakes or knowingly display a forged piece with a suspect provenance. Right?
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 17:51, 2 replies)

You
"like things as unrealistic as possible," so you read "reality-based police procedurals"? Are you sure?
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 19:51, closed)

Guess you missed
The ', like sci-fi,' immediately after, with the 'unrealistic' referencing that bit. Commas: Not just for decoration.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 15:52, closed)