Many volumes. Lots of text. Very little in the way of poetry or plot

There are lots of non-fiction books that read like fiction, and there are lots of fiction books which are loaded with facts and true information.
Perhaps start with some good columnists?
Take it in small bites.
Decide if you like facts or opinion, start there, perhaps.
Once you find an author or topic you like, the books will follow.

reading while doing non-fic. And I feel that a lot of popular non-fiction is very badly written.

I am a nonfiction reader who has been trying to get myself to read more fiction, poetry, and drama. If I had to explain why I don't read more fiction, it would be an answer close to yours: I'm afraid of what I might be missing in nonfiction.

I've read three fiction books this week, though, and I am enjoying it immensely. I spent a huge amount of time browsing for writers I thought I'd like. That and a little serendipity did the trick!


Cher

My sister and I both read a biography of every US president, in order, from Washington through Carter.

I stopped at Carter because it became very difficult to find a scholarly, non-partisan work starting with Kennedy. Schlesinger started the whole "Camelot" myth, and hagiography, and the concomitant hack attack pieces, became the norm. I was able to get a good one on LBJ.

I actually read a Nixon bio from Regnery Press, as I wanted to see if they'd be able to spin it. They tried, but had to admit he was a horrible, horrible person. Had some good points (started the EPA, for example), but was a fascist thug at heart.

Ford was nigh impossible. I found one quickie bio written up to his ascension to the VP slot that was churned out in a matter of weeks, from the looks of it. And found one written on just his presidency and post-presidency that was decent. (Did you know Ford was the first president to take money for speaking engagements after he left office? Nixon was appalled.)

Virtually everything I found on Carter was a hack job. Don't even think about finding something decent on Reagan. For fun, I bought "Tear Down This Myth", which did a nice of just that.

My favourite presidents now are the Roosevelts, Lincoln, Washington, van Buren (actually tried to reduce the President's power during the War of 1812), and Polk. Best name for a President has to be Rutherford B Hayes. It just makes me giggle.

...between the ages of like 6 and 8. The library had these slim red volumes on each President. I credit it with my passion for history; well that and geographical place mats and puzzles.

Wikipedia is a good resource for trying to do this general sort of overview.

I read a lot of non-fiction, but they're all books about things I find interesting. I watch a show about King Henry VIII, well I feel like I want to know more, then I search for a good book about him.

I watched the movie "Into Thin Air" so I ended up picking up the book too. I've also recently read Malcom Gladwell's "Outliers".

I use Amazon to search for books (even if I don't buy from there) and I find that they always suggest good books for me. Non-fiction doesn't have to be boring. I picked up the book "Sin in the Second City" which was about a famous brothel in Chicago.

It shouldn't hurt.

a little more fiction.

I find that looking at book reviews or sometimes just reading an article in a magazine or on line gives me the names of more new (non-fiction) books to read than I can possibly finish. It's so frustrating. So many books, so little time.

Just avoid polemics and textbooks. There is lots of good historical writing out there, and it will lead you to other things ...

That's exactly what I've been trying to do. My book projects lately include one on Augustine, one on the 1930s and "Swerve: How the World Became Modern."

I found Tacitus surprisingly modern in his outlook. But it's very much something to be done to suit oneself.
Good luck.

Maybe this will help.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=17019