Recommend me some cool books (non-fiction please!!!)

[fyodor]

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Right now I'm reading Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. So far so good.

GoT

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I think you need to start with The Elegant Universe. Fabric Of the Cosmos is the second book. (But perhaps you can read them out of order.) In any event, I agree, great stuff. Best explanation of relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory I've ever read, all without the overwhelming mathematics.

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Yeah, I've read The Elegant Universe. And for anybody who hasn't seen it, I highly highly highly recommend watching Nova's series based on it.

GoT

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A few years back when I was reading elegant universe I met a friend for drinks. He runs one of the largest speaker agencys in Canada and has offices in the USA as well. I wanted to reccomend Greene to him.

Before I could begin he launches into "the idiots that work for me" tirade. A brilliant scientist and author had been attempting to get my friend to represent him. My friend presented it to his sales force at a meeting and they unanimosly rejected the idea saying the guy was unsaleable to thier clients. My friend disagreed but decided to bow to the united resistance. If they blieved they couldn't sell they probably wouldn't sell.

The client was of course Brian Greene, the same guy I was about to recommend. I begged him to overule but he had already talked to Greene and declined.

I was just hoping to get a free pass to a lecture.

[thatpfunk]

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs if you have any sort of interest in pop culture.

amazing stuff.

[Chaostracize]

Yup, good book.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers is also great, if you haven't read it.

[Bulldog]

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Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs if you have any sort of interest in pop culture.

amazing stuff.

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Seconded.

[Slow Play Ray]

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Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs if you have any sort of interest in pop culture.

amazing stuff.

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Seconded.

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While I feel "amazing" is a stretch, it does make for quick, interesting bathroom reading.

[SmileyEH]

Ishmael is a book I think everyone should read. It's heavy, but well suited to reading a few chapters at a time, then mulling over the ideas. It's presented as fiction, but it's not a novel-more like philosophy.

A Beautiful Mind was also very good. Very easy to read.

-SmileyEH

[Randy_Refeld]

Trade-Offs : An Introduction to Economic Reasoning and Social Issues (Paperback) by Harold Winter.


I haven't actaully read this yet, but it is by my favorite prof from college. I would be shocked if this book isn't awesome.

[callydrias]

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Hmm, it seems my taste in nonfiction may be driven by the need to read books with subtitles.

[Yeti]

I loved A Walk In the Woods, and all Bryson's stuff for that matter. I have been thinking about buying Freakonomics for some time. Will check out the rest now.

[callydrias]

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I loved A Walk In the Woods, and all Bryson's stuff for that matter. I have been thinking about buying Freakonomics for some time. Will check out the rest now.

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I've never read anything else by Bryson, although I've heard good things. I read another Jon Krakauer book, but I can't remember what it was. I think it was good though. Into the Wild maybe? Anything by Sagan gets my vote as well. Oh yeah, read David Sedaris too.

([img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for italicizing book titles)