Science

Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress (Hardcover)

By Christopher Ryan

$28.00

ISBN: 9781451659108

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Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - October 1st, 2019

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Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress is an excellent exploration of what true quality of life really is. It dispels many myths about hunter/gatherer societies and the modern myth of perpetual progress. Is being overworked, stressed out, disconnected and anxious about the future better than having lots of free time and being intimately connected to community? It is time to question some assumptions about the society we have created, often on the back of false narratives of the past. Civilized to Death helps clarify the realities of the past and the stories we tell ourselves about the present in lively and readable ways, provoking new questions and potential answers. Highly recommended. ~ Reviewed by Chris Morrow

The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook: A History of the Renaissance Mathematics That Birthed Imaginary Numbers, Probability, and the New Physics of the Un (Hardcover)

By Michael Brooks

$26.00

ISBN: 9781947534810

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Published: Scribe Us - September 3rd, 2019

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Brooks uses quantum physics as a foundation for this extremely engaging and highly original work of science and literature. He imagines himself in conversation with 16th Century polymath Jerome Cardano, and succeeds in making an exceedingly difficult topic a pleasure to read. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare

The Body: A Guide for Occupants (Hardcover)

By Bill Bryson

$30.00

ISBN: 9780385539302

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Published: Doubleday - October 15th, 2019

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Bill Bryson has done it again! With his trademark charm and stylistic wit, Bryson offers a unique system-by-system tour of your own body. While his previous foray into science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, offered an expansive look outward, here he focuses inward. With frequent detours highlighting fascinating medical innovations and oddities along the way, he’s able to capture the fullness of the bodily experience in ways both incisive and entertaining. A perfect gift for the curious. ~ Reviewed by Joe Michon-Huneau

How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (Hardcover)

By Randall Munroe

$28.00

ISBN: 9780525537090

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Published: Riverhead Books - September 3rd, 2019

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In What If?, Randall Munroe gathered absurd questions and answered them at the greatest heights that serious scientific rigor would allow. Now, in How To, he flips the formula and takes serious real-world tasks and ponders the most absurd (and yet still scientifically rigorous) processes to complete them. Many solutions cross-reference each other ("How to Fill a Pool" tells you that first you'll need an empty pool to fill and directs you to "How to Dig a Hole"), and a few reference What If?, to the point of one even directing you to a web address for one that wasn't in the print edition. This makes for delightful reading and flipping back and forth - the closest I've come to falling down a Wikipedia hole in print media in a long time. I'd expect nothing less from Munroe. ~ Reviewed by Andrew Bugenis

Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World (Hardcover)

By John H. Halpern, MD, David Blistein

$29.00

ISBN: 9780316417662

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Published: Hachette Books - August 13th, 2019

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Opium and its many offspring, including morphine, heroin, and chemically created concoctions like OxyContin, have seduced, enchanted, enthralled, and destroyed millions. The authors pull opium up by its roots, revealing that its centuries-long potency, allure, and potential for healing have repeatedly been dwarfed by its addictive power of destruction. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare

Three Women (Hardcover)

By Lisa Taddeo

$27.00

ISBN: 9781451642292

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Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - July 9th, 2019

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A compelling expose that follows the story of three women whose lives were profoundly influenced by the male relationships they had in their formative years. Their honesty in revealing these often painful and deeply personal stories shows how their futures were shaped and how they live now. ~ Reviewed by Whitney Kaaz