On the 10th day of Christmas, my father gave to me... ten 10€ Amazon Book vouchers.
I'm going to buy Kindle versions of the books (it's a first for me) so they'll come cheaper, so I'm guessing I can get about 10-15 books.

Now I already have all the old classics (Goethe, Schilller, Shakespeare, Wilde, etc.) so that's not what I'm looking for. Instead, I'd need a list of some excellent books on economy, logic, science, education... whatever comes to mind. Textbooks, pop-science (as long as it's accurate), etc.
What I don't want are suggestions for novels, fantasy, etc. I've got enough of those.

Funny enough, our "recommended reading" doesn't sport a list of science/etc. books. That must be fixed!

Already on my list:
Taylor Mali - What teachers make
Lawrence Krauss - Quantum Man

possibly
Brian Greene - The Elegant Universe

Greetings,

Be aware, Inferno, from what I've seen/heard, Kindle editions don't necessarily have pictures/illustrations. I've seen a number of reviews complaining that they don't have photographs, like the hardback/softback versions.

There's a new book, which is a collection of articles, on thinking edited by John Brockman: Thinking: The New Science of Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and Prediction [Hardback only].

All the usual authors in the field are represented.

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them may also be of interest.

I've got both on order from The Book Depository, along with The Primate Mind: Built to Connect with Other Minds.

Kindest regards,

James

I will share some of the books I have on my wish list. They are all available for Kindle.

Science Under Siege – Kendrick Frazier
Why Darwin Matters – Michael Shermer
Thomas Jefferson – Christopher Hitchens
Evolution vs. Creationism – Eugenie Scott
The Fossil Trail – Ian Tattersall
Abominable Science – Daniel Loxton and Donald Prothero
Cryptozoologicon – Darren Naish and John Conway

There are several more if you would like me to keep sharing.

Dragan Glas wrote:Be aware, Inferno, from what I've seen/heard, Kindle editions don't necessarily have pictures/illustrations. I've seen a number of reviews complaining that they don't have photographs, like the hardback/softback versions.

This is untrue. I have been reading Kindles for years now and they come with pictures/illustrations.

he_who_is_nobody wrote:Evolution vs. Creationism – Eugenie Scott

There are several more if you would like me to keep sharing.

That one's already in my bookshelf.
Yes, please keep sharing.

Thanks DraganGlas, I'll take a look at those.

Inferno wrote:Yes, please keep sharing.

Bully for Brontosaurus – Stephen Jay Gould
Idiot America – Charles Pierce
The First Human – Ann Gibbons
Life Ascending – Nick Lane
Flock of Dodos - Barrett Brown
Flim-Flam! Psychics, Esp, Unicorns, and Other Delusions – James Randi
The Faith Healers – James Randi & Carl Sagan
Demon-Haunted World – Carl Sagan
The Science of Good and Evil – Michael Shermer
The Believing Brain – Michael Shermer
Lucy’s Legacy – Donald Johanson & Kate Wong
The 10,000 year Explosion – Gregory Cochran & Henry Harpending
Science Friction – Michael Shermer
Lies my Teacher Told Me – James Loewen
How Evolution Is Science – Shane Killian
An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural – James Randi
Why Evolution Is True – Jerry Coyne
The Portable Atheist – Christopher Hitchens
The Universe Within – Neil Shubin
The Rocks Don’t Lie – David Montgomery
The Great Agnostic – Susan Jacoby
Discovering Fossils – Frank Garcia & Jasper Burns
Reality Check – Donald Prothero, Michael Shermer, and Pat Linse
Among the Creationists – Jason Rosenhouse
David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
Dinosaur Odyssey – Scot Sampson and Philip Currie
All Yesterdays – Darren Nasih, C. M. Kosemen, John Conway
Search for Sasquatch – Brian Regal
Myth and the Greatest Generation – Kenneth Rose
Tracking the ChupaCabra – Benjamin Radford

I am sure some of those are on your shelf already, but that is my Kindle wish list.

he_who_is_nobody wrote:I am sure some of those are on your shelf already, but that is my Kindle wish list.

Surprisingly few, actually.

I've stopped reading Malcolm Gladwell. Even though his books are fun to read, they're based on some of the shoddiest research I've seen in quite some time. Especially "Blink"... Jeez, what a load of...

Inferno wrote:

he_who_is_nobody wrote:I am sure some of those are on your shelf already, but that is my Kindle wish list.

Surprisingly few, actually.

I've stopped reading Malcolm Gladwell. Even though his books are fun to read, they're based on some of the shoddiest research I've seen in quite some time. Especially "Blink"... Jeez, what a load of...

When you are dySlEXiC, that list is a daunting task.

That will be the first Malcolm Gladwell book I will ever read. I saw him on the Daily Show talking about this book and it seemed like something I would enjoy.

Greetings,

Thanks for the correction HWIN, though I had seen a lot of complaints about Kindle.

Strange you should mention not bothering with Gladwell, Inferno.

I'd - finally - bought all four of his books (prior to his latest) and then Jerry Coyne did a piece on such books and included review of one of them by Steven Pinker, where he panned it for its less-than-academic rigour. Gladwell then joined in the comment section discussion - and got panned by commenters.

I've since given all four of them away to a charity bookshop without reading any of them.

Any books with a five-star review from either "Stephen A. Haines" or "Sphex" on Amazon UK are well worth reading.

In fact, I've bought a number of books based on both of them giving it five stars!

Kindest regards,

James

Inferno wrote:I've stopped reading Malcolm Gladwell. Even though his books are fun to read, they're based on some of the shoddiest research I've seen in quite some time. Especially "Blink"... Jeez, what a load of...

Dragan Glas wrote:Strange you should mention not bothering with Gladwell, Inferno.

I'd - finally - bought all four of his books (prior to his latest) and then Jerry Coyne did a review of one of them, where he panned it for its less-than-academic rigour. Gladwell then joined in the comment section discussion - and got panned by commenters.

I've since given all four of them away to a charity bookshop without reading any of them.

Well, you both have convinced me to take that book of my list.

I'm trying to mentally go through my bookshelf and pick out what I think are the best Christmas reads.

Doubt: A History - Jennifer Hecht
Looks at doubt throughout the ages by examining the 'in-between' bits of history where stability was upended into turmoil - fascinating.

The Ancestor's Tale - Richard Dawkins
A pilgrimage backwards through time as we are introduced to our common ancestors. By far the most beautiful of Dawkins' works.

What is this Thing Called Science? - Alan Chalmers
Examines the different philosophies of science and exposes their weaknesses. Ultimately a bit unsatisfying as there is no obvious answer to the question of what science is grounded on.

The Comprehensible Cosmos - Victor Stenger
Explains where the laws of physics come from without the use of math. It's still difficult to follow but he succeeds in his goal.

Daring Greatly - Brene Brown
Read this one recently and loved it. Self-help with out the self-helpy mushiness.

Greetings,

Aught3 wrote:I'm trying to mentally go through my bookshelf and pick out what I think are the best Christmas reads.

Doubt: A History - Jennifer Hecht
Looks at doubt throughout the ages by examining the 'in-between' bits of history where stability was upended into turmoil - fascinating.

The Ancestor's Tale - Richard Dawkins
A pilgrimage backwards through time as we are introduced to our common ancestors. By far the most beautiful of Dawkins' works.

What is this Thing Called Science? - Alan Chalmers
Examines the different philosophies of science and exposes their weaknesses. Ultimately a bit unsatisfying as there is no obvious answer to the question of what science is grounded on.

The Comprehensible Cosmos - Victor Stenger
Explains where the laws of physics come from without the use of math. It's still difficult to follow but he succeeds in his goal.

Daring Greatly - Brene Brown
Read this one recently and loved it. Self-help with out the self-helpy mushiness.

Got most of those bar Chalmers' and Brown's.

I have all of Stenger's books - great reading.

Cromer's "Uncommon Sense" and Dunbar's "The Trouble With Science" are also worth reading.

"And Man Created God" is another good read.

Kindest regards,

James

Dragan Glas wrote:Got most of those bar Chalmers' and Brown's.

I have all of Stenger's books - great reading.

Cromer's "Uncommon Sense" and Dunbar's "The Trouble With Science" are also worth reading.

"And Man Created God" is another good read.

I've gone on a bit of a self-improvement junket this holiday. My list is:
Read
Daring Greatly - Brene Brown
The Gifts of Imperfection - Brene Brown
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Richard Carlson
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven Covey
Mastermind - Maria Kornikova

Unread
The Now Habit - Neil Fiore
How to Stay Sane -Phillipa Perry

Also threw in a bit of taxidermy as a secondary topic:
Still Life - Melissa Milgrom
Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads - Stephen Asma

Greetings,

What's your opinion of Brown's three books?

Kindest regards,

James

I've only read two but I think they are excellent. Both are short but the ideas contained within are both simple yet difficult to master.

The Gifts of Imperfection is more about how an individual can live a more authentic life. That is how to be who you really are. She talks a lot about the things that get in the way and how to overcome the typical responses to those problems.

Daring Greatly takes a look at how an authentic individual will be reacted to by the people around them (typically criticism, cynicism, or cruelty by those that don't know them) and how one should respond to that to keep living an authentic life.

If you feel like you always have to put on a mask or 'armour up' before interacting with the world The Gifts of Imperfection will probably be more useful. If you already know who you are but struggle with how people are responding to you then Daring Greatly is probably the better choice.

I'm planning some blog posts on these and related topics ASAP.