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BooksIMightWantToReadFrom a Slashdot article about good science books. All paragraphs are snippets of text from Slashdot comments on that article. Recommend "Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West" instead. That book was DAMN creepy, though beautifully written. No Country For Old Men was also good, as was "The Crossing", which also was haunting, but dark. Not science books though. I like the "Einstein File", "The Mismeasure of Man" (can't go wrong with Gould), and the book on eugenics by the guy who wrote "IBM and the Holocaust". Good cautionary, or eye opening, tales of when science gets mixed with politics, for good or ill (ill for mankind, or Einstein's reputation) As for more "pure" science, "Goedel, Escher, Bach." is up there, I recommend it to anyone who can sit through it without bleeding through their ears. Sagan's Demon Haunted World, and Dragon's of Eden are also winners (anything by Sagan, like Gould, is gonna be good). "The World Without Us" was also brilliant, even if contentious. Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan "The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark" (1996) Carl Sagan "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space" (1994) If I had to pick just one book it would be Demon Haunted World. If I could pick a second I would add Dawkin's "Unweaving The Rainbow" to counter the common belief that only the religious can trully appreciate the awe inspiring beauty of the Universe. Also it's hard to go past Brownowski's "The Acsent of Man" for a general history of science. Feynman was a character, wasn't he? "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" doesn't really fall into the category of a science book per se, but it was a great read. Safecracking at Los Alamos as a practical joke? Priceless. "The Science Class You Wish You Had" http://www.amazon.com/Science-Class-You-Wish-Had/dp/0399523138 It covers a LOT of ground in very short time, and makes everything accessible. This is definitely for people who think that Harry Potter is the #2 best book of the last 25 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED_(book) came out in 1985, making it only 23 years old. It'd definitely go on my favorite science book list. It explained virtual photons and summing of probability amplitudes quite well, I though, without calling in the heavy math. I'm also a fan of The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. --sabre86 Gravity, George Gamow Suggested reading: The Speed of Dark (Score:5, Interesting) On the topic of Autism, I suggest everybody read "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon. It puts the condition into a very approachable context that allows the reader to live through the eyes of an Autistic. It also has a great science/research back story that us geeks like. Table of Contents | Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking Book Review: Ghost In the Wires - Slashdot New Society Publishers - A Nation of Farmers Book Review: 15 Minutes Including Q&A - Slashdot The Neanderthal Parallax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir:Amazon:Books Book Review: The Clean Coder - Slashdot Rainbows End - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ted Chiang: List of Works - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hugo Award Winners: The City and the City, The Graveyard Book, and The Yiddish Policemen's Union Reamde: Neal Stephenson The Lights In the Tunnel - Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future (Free PDF) Amazon.com: Interface (9780553383430): Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George: Books Amazon.com: "e": The Story of a Number (Princeton Science Library) (9780691141343): Eli Maor: Books Ask Slashdot: Good, Forgotten Fantasy & Science Fiction Novels? - Slashdot Aspectj in Action: Enterprise AOP with Spring Applications: Amazon.ca: Ramnivas Laddad: Books The (Mis)Behavior of Markets by Benoît B. Mandelbrot - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists Book Review: Google+: the Missing Manual - Slashdot Book Review: Digital Vertigo - Slashdot Amazon.com: 1Q84 (9781455830503): Haruki Murakami, Alison Hiroto, Marc Vietor, Mark Boyett: Books I've Got Nothing to Hide and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy" (paper available online) Daemon: Amazon.ca: Daniel Suarez: Books Book Review: Everyday Cryptography - Slashdot A Short History of Nearly Everything: Amazon.ca: Bill Bryson: Books Lauren Beukes's Shining Girls: a serial killer thriller with a time-travel twist - Boing Boing Bill Gates says you should read these 5 books in 2013 - GeekWire If you have not read [Gene Wolfe], do it. The Book of the New Sun is a literary masterpiece independent of genre. But he wasn't a one hit wonder, Home Fires (his latest) is amazing. Gene Wolfe is the kind of author that puts most pieces of "literary" fiction to shame. Book Review: The Plateau Effect: Getting From Stuck To Success - Slashdot Book Review: The Healthy Programmer - Slashdot Ten books about negotiating to put on your shelf - The Globe and Mail martiLaney.com » The Introvert Advantage Blood Music (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Pragmatic Bookshelf | Seven Languages in Seven Weeks Musicophilia | Oliver Sacks, M.D., Physician, Author, Neurologist Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sports from Hell: My Search for the World's Most Outrageous Competition By Rick Reilly The Glass Bead Game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index « Astronomical Society 25 YA Novels Everyone — Even Adults — Should Read – Flavorwire The Better Angels of Our Nature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes: Maria Konnikova: 9780670026579: Amazon.com: Books Book Review: Countdown To Zero Day - Slashdot Blood Music (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Telling Writing: Ken Macrorie: 9780867091533: Amazon.com: Books Dave Eggers' novel The Circle "The Three Body Problem" by Liu Cixin Diaspora: A Novel: Greg Egan: 9781597805421: Amazon.com: Books Schizophrenia Finds Its Virgil - Download The Universe Hooked:how To Build Habit-forming Products: Nir Eyal: 9780670069323: Books - Amazon.ca Amazon.com: The Cartoon Guide to Statistics (9780062731029): Larry Gonick, Woollcott Smith: Books |