Books. I read them. When I’m not reading Diana Gabaldon, Janet Evanovich, or Spider Robinson novels, I’m reading non-fiction. It’s really hard to read non-fiction because there’s no plot and no characters to suck you in, but I’ve found some pretty good books, some of which I’ve already mentioned on this blog. Without further ado, here are five of my favorite non-fiction, science-related books (not in any particular order):
1.      Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin
Some of the biggest opponents of evolution like to accuse paleontologists of having huge “gaps” in evolutionary history. While this may be true, there is one missing link that was found by paleontologist Neil Shubin and his team. It was a fish…but it had legs and a flat head. There were fins, but inside the fins were bones like fingers. This new fossil is named the Tiktaalik, and is one of the most important missing links every found – the day fish crawled onto land. In his personal account of discovery, Shubin takes you on a journey of evolution all the way back to even before Tiktaalik’s life. One of my favorite things about this book is how he writes – it’s not like a textbook, and more like a narrative. He uses language that a non-science-oriented would definitely be able to understand. If you’re into evolution and genetics, I would definitely recommend this book.
2.      Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane
Mike Mullane was a member of the first group of “space shuttle astronauts” in 1978, a group that would make history multiple times. Riding Rockets is his personal account of becoming an astronaut. The first thing about this book: it’s hilarious. Mullane is a comedic genius. It’s informative, interesting, and a doozy of a narrative. One of my favorite passages is when he describes his enema. If you’re just starting out with non-fiction, or need something that’ll be educational and make you laugh at the same time, I would say read Riding Rockets.
3.      The Blind Descent by James M. Tabor
This is the story to discover the deepest cave on Earth. American caver Bill Stone’s story is based in Mexico and its famous Cheve cave system. He’s spent the latter half of his life battling Cheve’s deep crevasses and has lost multiple team members in the process. Some people call him overly gregarious, aggressive, too ambitious to care about people’s lives. And yet cavers follow him into the abyss. On the other side of the world is Alexander Klimchouk, a Ukranian exploring Krubera cave in the Republic of Georgia. Just as good a leader, but also quieter and nicer than Bill Stone. This was the most heart-pounding, gasp-emitting, scream-inducing non-fiction accounts I’ve ever read. It kept me hooked into the wee hours of the morning. It’s harrowing, and it’s triumphant. The writing is pretty good, and there are few boring moments. Tabor is fantastic at making a story out of real life events. If you’re not too sensitive to the horrors of complete blackness and lack of sunlight, read this book!
4.      Any book by Mary Roach
The first Mary Roach book I read was Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. The title says it all. This book is her exploration into the sexual lives of humans and occasionally other animals (never read it before bed – pig sex dreams aren’t fun). Mary Roach has a reputation for finding perspectives one would not normally think of, like how a dead body decays (In Stiff), and the journey of the afterlife (in Spook).
In her newest book (which I’m currently reading), Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, much like Mullane, she puts a fresh perspective on becoming an astronaut. Mary Roach is my idol when it comes to science writing. She always puts herself into situations, rather than sitting back and writing about them (of course, she could actually die for Stiff and Spook, but she did have sex while wired to a machine in Bonk). Once again, if you need some education and a laugh, read anything by Mary Roach.
5.      Octopus by Jennifer A. Mather, Roland C. Anderson, and James B. Wood
This books is a natural history of the octopus. The chapter order is designed to follow the life and struggles of the octopus, both in the wild and in captivity. It’s not a personal account, although the authors usually provide some sort of personal experience of dealing with octopuses (yes, it’s octopuses, not octopi). It’s not as funny as the other books I’ve mentioned, but if you’re at all interested in really awesome animals, you should read it. Octopuses are one of the coolest animals alive. The writing isn’t nearly as dynamic or funny, but it’s still a nice, short little read about octopuses.