What Was The Last Good "science Book" You Read?

[AB Editor]

I am reading The 4% Universe by Richard Panek. It's an "easy access" romp through the history of cosmology and astrophysics (at this point, 100 pages in) and focuses on those who have searched for dark matter, energy "and the race to discover the rest of reality".

And it's pretty good! I'm enjoying the lightness of something which could, potentially, be a bit tricky to grasp. I'm currently in the mid-80's when they were trying to find a way to use SuperNovae as "standard candles".

Anyway, I wondered if you could offer your own recommendations of "Science Books" - ones which you have read recently, or just your favourites - fire away!

(Just to note: recently I've read Pinker's Better Angels of Our Nature, This Explains Everything (edited by John Brockman) and before that I read Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein - I am not sure if any of these count as a "science book" but they were excellent none the less.)

[LazyGun]

"Creation" - Adam Rutherford
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/06/creation-origin-life-rutherford-review

"Why Evolution is True" - Jerry Coyne
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0143116649

"Bad Pharma" - Ben Goldacre
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Pharma-companies-mislead-patients/dp/0007350740

And more generally, anything from Richard Feynman. Cosmos and Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan should be required reading for, well everyone really, and for an excellent touch base summation of pretty much all science, you could do a lot worse than read Bill Bryson

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/0552997048

One last one, again not brand new, but worth reading. Included because it is one of the areas I am most interested in

Trick or Treatment - Edzard Ernst and Simon Singh.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trick-Treatment-Alternative-Medicine-Trial/dp/0552157627
Facts and figures about pretty much all of the complimentary or alternative treatment programmes out there.

[AB Editor]

I do keep meaning to read some Sagan. I'll put those on my list for sure.

I don't need much more evolution, but I might pick up "Bad Phrama". Thanks!

The reason I don't need much more evolution stuff is I have this sitting on my desk waiting for me:

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[sunny-dave]

The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean

Alex's Adventures in Numberland - Alex Bellos

Hoard of Mathematical Treasures - Ian Stewart

[Sharingan]

I read Cosmos and loved it and also Stephen Hawking's Brief history of time. I've got The Grand Design to read but haven't read it yet. I like the odd heavyweight factual book but only one at a time and between large doses of literature and fantasy.

[EvianBaby]

Electrified Sheep by Alex Boese.

I learnt stuff. Which is saying a great deal about that book.

[AB Editor]

That looks good Methyl! I like a bit of the Moon.

Speaking of which:

[Old_Geezer]

I don't know if it is my age but I seem to find it difficult to get through books at all over the last few years. But also it's difficult to find those that pitch it at the right level. Not so deep such that it needs one to be studying the subject at Master's level to follow, but not so frivolous that it bores. I've stopped reading a number of books because of that.

Not saying it's either good nor bad but vascop has got me reading (gradually) through "Black Holes, Worm Holes,and Time Machines" by Jim Al-Khalili; and it seems a reasonable book even if, as usual these days, it tends to remind me of things I've read before but forgotten the details of.

I wish I had a better memory; the number of times I need to go back and re-read an explanation of something I know I've read and understood previously, well ..... :-(

[chrisgel]

Probably a bit basic for you but for what it's worth I really enjoyed Bill Brysons
A Short History of Nearly Everything which I read recently.

[woofgang]

the Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen "Science of" series are excellent.

[jim360]

John Gribbin's "In search of Schrodinger's Cat" and "Schrodinger's Kittens" are both pretty good as introductions to Quantum Mechanics. Though perhaps I disagree with some of his points, I'd recommend them and probably most of his other work.

[jake-the-peg]

I find it hard to find good books that go beyond the pop science level but aren't full scale University text books.

this was a very good one


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Facts-Mysteries-Elementary-Particle-Physics/dp/981238149X

And I'm still wading through Roger Penrose's 'the road to reality' which is quite mathematical but leads you through iit in a fairly careful manner - If your maths is sort of A level or above and you want to get a proper grasp of things that's very good.

Alternatively so many really good lectures are now on-line for example Leonard Suskins Lectures on Quantum Mechanics at Stanford were all filmed and put on youtube

See here

[vetuste_ennemi]

Introducing Quantum Theory by McEvoy & Zarate. (It's got pictures!)
A Universe from Nothing - Krauss.
The vulgarly named Greatest Show on Earth - Dawkins
Thanks for your list, LG. I've read only the Coyne one and to my shame have read nothing by my hero Sagan.
Have you read In Praise of Older Women, by the way? Or perhaps you wrote it.

[Clanad]

An oldy, but goody (published 2003) is "Rare Earth"... (Brownlee and Ward).

http://www.amazon.com/Rare-Earth-Complex-Uncommon-Universe/dp/0387952896

[vascop]

Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines 2nd Edition by Jim Al-Khalili.
Excellent book which covers almost all the questions ABers ask from time to time, and written for people who are not experts in the field.
The books which accompany Brian Cox's three TV programmes:
Wonders of the Solar System
Wonders of the Universe
Wonders of Life
Mathematics of Life Ian Stewart, although you need some maths to follow this one.

[webbo3]

A short History of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.




Dave.

[Welling]

Add to the list "Seeing Further" by Bill Bryson, "The ten most beautiful experiments" by George Jackson and "The Eart, an intimate history" by Richard Forte. Also any book by Richrd Dawson

[FredPuli43]

"How I Killed Pluto; and why it had it coming" by Mike Brown How the discovery of a tenth 'planet' led to the demotion of Pluto, told by the man responsible for finding the tenth. This is amusingly written, gives an insight into the sweat and toil behind discoveries, tells of skullduggery, the difficulty in getting anything accepted and how something can become an obsession. Oh, and there's a bit of romance in it too