Five Books To Make Science Fun

by Brian Clegg
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5 books
When I tell people I write science books, they assume it’s about dull textbooks. But there are so many great books out there now that make science more accessible. And why wouldn’t you want to know more about the universe, or life itself?
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Why Don't Things Fall Up?

and Six Other Science Lessons You Missed at School
Alom Shaha, 2023
This is a science book for people who don’t read science books. Shaha takes seven apparently simple questions, such as “Why does ice cream melt?” and “Are fish animals?” and uses them as a starting point to dive into a whole range of scientific concepts. We start at the most basic level, but the topic is developed in a chatty, approachable fashion to a deeper understanding.

What's Gotten Into You

The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner
Dan Levitt, 2023
Takes the reader from the big bang to the development of complex life, tracing the atoms that have come from stars and supernovas to make up everything we experience. This is not just about the science, but gives us the stories of those involved on the discoveries, from the well-known to the fascinatingly obscure.

The One Thing You Need to Know

The Simple Way to Understand the Most Important Ideas in Science
Marcus Chown, 2023
Reading a Marcus Chown book is like getting a big science hug: he makes complex science as simple and approachable as possible. This book was inspired by planning a talk starting from “What is the one thing you need to know… the one thing from which everything else follows?” The result is 21 engaging short pieces on science topics ranging from gravity to the Big Bang, via global warming, quantum theory and evolution.

Wonderdog

The Science of Dogs and Their Unique Friendship with Humans
Jules Howard, 2022
There have been plenty of books about what makes a dog tick, but Jules Howard takes us into the roles that dogs have played in advancing science. The first section, on the use of dogs in the development of medicine can be gruesome, though even here Howard ties in the history with engaging stories. The other two parts take on dog sociology and minds, and what it’s like to be a dog, including play and emotional connection. All together a delight if you have an interest in these amazing animals.

Astroquizzical - the Illustrated Edition

Solving the Cosmic Puzzles of Our Planets, Stars, and Galaxies
Jillian Scudder, 2021
Described as 'solving the cosmic puzzles of our planets, stars and galaxies', Astroquizzical, takes the very positive inspiration of questions asked about the universe on Scudder's blog and helps solve those puzzles in light, readable prose. It's a kind of astronomical family tree with Earth as our parent, the Sun as our grandparent, then the Milky Way and finally the universe. We work outwards in a genuinely entertaining exploration of our cosmic habitat. Pure sense of wonder stuff.