next »

[neutralname]

I'm sure there was a thread on this at some point, but I don't see it.

The best books of the year lists are coming out, and they are useful for gift ideas.  I've seen the ones from the NY Times.  Are there other useful lists?

I'm looking especially for non-fiction geeky science books.  In the past, The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements and Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc have gone over well. 

But other geeky non-science books would be interesting too. 

[wanna_writemore]

BookBrowse has nice reviews and lists of recommendations.  There's a paid version, but I find the free parts more than adequate. 

[liquidambar]

I might be able to help with the non-fiction geeky science books, since this is the genre we give my dad.  Here are a few suggestions based on previous years' gifts...

"Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach - very entertaining and interesting (I assume her other books would be good too.  My mother liked "Stiff," IIRC.)
"The Coming Plague" by Laurie Garrett - thorough, interesting, scary
Almost anything by Oliver Sacks - fascinating case studies in abnormal psychology (My favorite is "The man who mistook his wife for a hat." I wouldn't recommend "Awakenings" because it is more dry.)
"Fermat's Enigma" by Simon Singh - Interesting history of math that starts long before Fermat (Singh has other books too but I haven't read them.)
"Journey to the Ants" by Holldobler and Wilson - I haven't read it, but my dad keeps rereading it
"Elephants on Acid" by Alex Boese - lots of interesting (and bizarre) anecdotes
Richard Feynman's autobiographical books were also favorites.

This year we're trying "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, which was highly recommended to me by a friend.  It has potential, but I fear it'll focus too much on the social aspects and not enough on the scientific aspects of the story.  I also ordered "Inventing Ironman" by E. Paul Zehr, since he wrote a piece for the Chronicle a few weeks ago.

I could probably think of more ideas if you're interested, or I could ask my dad what he's read lately.

[txgalprof]

I liked "Bonk" by Mary Roach too! :)

"Ghost in the Wires" was a great book about computer hacking.

"The Master Switch" was a fascinating look at the beginning of the information technology industry.

"The Poisoners Handbook" takes a scientific look at historical poisoning and forensic science.

"Extra Lives" is about the benefits of video gaming.

I have found Sarah Vowell's books to be witty and enjoyable, but about geeky historical trivia, not so much science.

"Mapheads" and "Brainiac" are by Ken Jennings, and geeky trivia stuff.

"Sex at Dawn" deals with evolutionary biology, as does "Catching Fire"

"The Deadly Dinner Party" details medical mysteries and how they were solved.

I could go on....