I am not a historian by education, but I enjoy reading about history. That being said, dense academic writing is obviously difficult for me - I'm more of a Mike Duncan kind of person. Are there any books on the Etruscans that would be accessible to me? If not - what more academic books on the topic would you recommend for someone with little previous knowledge? I haven't been able to find any on the book list nor by searching in other subs.
I've got a few recs!
The most recent popular work that I know of and have read through is Lucy Shipley's The Etruscans (2017), written specifically for a popular audience. The book is pretty bite-sized (under 200 pages, and well illustrated), and divided into themes rather than running chronologically, so you can dip into chapters about women, houses, religion, etc. I've read this cover to cover and found it really engaging.
There is also Sybille Haynes' Etruscan Civilization (2005), which has your more standard chronological approach. I've both been taught from this book and have used it in courses I taught and found it very frustrating, in part because it goes very in depth in some areas and skims across the surface of others, and doesn't always provide references or full explanations - she occasionally drops a tiny bit of really compelling information and then just moves on as if the reader knows the details of what she's alluded to, which I find maddening - but on the whole, the book is pretty solid. This one is lengthy - 389 pages of text - but it starts with the earliest traces of their society and goes until the Hellenistic Period, when Etruscan lands were securely under Roman rule, which is satisfying in its own right. Also, as a Getty publication, it's beautifully illustrated (but that's reflected in the price!).
Older (2000), but still relevant, is Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen's The Etruscans, which blends a thematic approach with a chronological one. I've found this to be satisfying reading, and the authors base their work in part off of a major project they did in Tuscany a few decades ago - their work is very reasonable and well-grounded. The book is b&w, though, and the illustrations leave a bit to be desired, which can be a difficulty when trying to envision the places and things of a culture one isn't familiar with.
One other work that you might find appealing: Etruscan Myths, by Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling (2006). The authors focus on what we know of Etruscan mythology - not as much as we'd like, unfortunately - and the sources of that knowledge. You come away with a decent sense of Etruscan ideas of the wider universe, as well as the difficulties facing scholars who research in this area - and all in a very short 78 pages!
Hopefully these are enough to get you started; happy to answer any other questions you might have, as well, or look for other recommendations!