I don't know how it happened, but I've found myself pouring over a genre that I like to call "business disaster books." These are basically exactly what they sound like: non-fiction novels telling the story of something going wrong.
On the surface, saying "I learn a lot from these!" might come across the wrong way, but: I learn a lot from these! Let me explain.
I'm certainly not using any of these books as a how-to guide. But each one has information I've never been exposed to: the language and techniques of specific business sectors, ideas for managing ideas, and, frankly, scams not to fall for. I think it's totally fair to learn more than what not to do from these books, be it in the realms of history, project management, or even leadership.
More importantly, though, I find most of these books incredibly exciting. I read a lot for fun, and this has been a habit I've had for a good, long time. If you're the type of person that ends up scrolling Wikipedia for hours, you'll understand this: the added layer of learning new things is like a spicy dimension that makes a good dish even better.
All of this together means that I often stick with books in this genre which aren't written in styles that I like. Even if I find the prose clunky or frustrating, I have a good time, because I'd likely be deeply absorbed in the book if it were written as a list of bullet points of facts.
So, with that said, here are some books I've read in this genre and think are worth checking out.