The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson

This is a classic biology book I picked up to fill a nonfiction slot in a summer reading program. Plus, Wilson has won two Pulitzer Prizes so the writing must be pretty good.

Published: 1992

Genre: nonfiction science

Length: 424 pages

Recommended Science books

I like to read science nonfiction books – they feed my inner scientist. Sometimes it’s hard to pick out the really interesting books from the “you’ll only love it if you’re already a fan of the topic.” Today, I thought I’d put together a post of some of my favorite science books. All these books fall into the “fascinating” category. Be careful  – you’ll want to share random bits of information with your nearest friends and relatives.

If you click on the title, you’ll be taken to my original review. If you click on the cover photo, you’ll be taken to an Amazon page where you can buy the book yourself (and thanks for supporting my blog!).

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

Here’s your first book full of tidbits. In this case, it’s all about the periodic table of the elements. You get everything from how the periodic table was put together to the discovery of elements, both natural and synthetic. My favorite part was discussing the origin of element names.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

I like pretty much every book Mary Roach has written. In this case, she’s writing about long-term stays in space. This is even more appropriate now since there are several organizations working on sending people to Mars. A trip to Mars will involve a new series of issues, and Roach discusses many of those issues in this book. She’s not afraid to discuss any bodily function, either, so don’t be surprised by the topics covered!

A Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

Let’s bring the books back to Earth, but still stay timely. This is the oldest book in the list, and it was inspired by the anthrax attacks in 2001. The book is all about smallpox. While smallpox has been eradicated from the wild, it still exists in at least a couple of labs and could be used to create a biological weapon if the wrong group gets a hold of it.

Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson

This is my submission for the single topic science book. You know what you’re going to get when you pick up the book – it’s all about feathers. However, the author does a great job of alternating between how birds and humans use feathers. There’s also a bit on the evolution of feathers, that probably needs an update by now, but is still interesting.

Anything sound good to you? Anything you think I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments!

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, you can click on the cover image to follow an Amazon affiliate link to the book and thanks for supporting my blog!

Mission Control, This Is Apollo by Andrew Chaikin

Tomorrow is our last meeting of American History Club for the school year. We’re doing a second session on the space program. It’s surprisingly difficult to find a YA level book about astronauts/the space program/space race. I ended up choosing a nonfiction book instead of our usual fiction or narrative-driven nonfiction book because that’s all I could find in our library system.

Subtitle: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon

Published: 2009

Genre: nonfiction history

Length: 105 pages of text, 114 pages total

What I Will Be Reading #31: from the Modern Mrs. Darcy

Between listening to What Should I Read Next and reading Modern Mrs. Darcy’s blog, I could keep my to-be-read list in an ever-growing state of wishing for more time. I’ll share a few of the books I’ve recently been interested in from her site.

I try not to add every book I hear Anne describe on her podcast, but she’s great at making books sound interesting. For the one-year anniversary (episode 62), Anne gathered suggestions from the listeners of what she should read next. I thought several of the books sounded good, including:

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

I saw (and loved) the movie and wanted to read the book it was based on. When there was a Kindle sale of the book, I bought it. I read it now to see if it would work for our next American History Club meeting about the space race.

Subtitle: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

Published: 2016

Genre: nonfiction science biography

Length: 267 pages of text, 368 pages total

Setting: In and around Langley, Virginia, 1940s-1960s

Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte & Rachel Harris

This book was given to my husband by one of his adult students who enjoyed his class and thought the book might be appreciated. The kids were four and one at the time, so I was still in the middle of babies and toddlers and was still quite uncertain as to how to be a good mother.

Subtitle: Parenting to Inspire Values

Published: 1998

Genre: nonfiction parenting

Length: 224 pages

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long and Jim Demonakas

I saw this reviewed elsewhere on the web and thought it would be a nice complement to the three March books.

Artist: Nate Powell

Published: 2012

Genre: nonfiction graphic novel

Length: 199 pages

Setting: Houston, Texas, 1960s