Birding Is My Favorite Video Game★★★★★
Rosemary Mosco A fun collection of cartoons about nature (not just birds!) collected from Bird and Moon. Mostly funny, a few serious.
A City on Mars★★★★★
Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Accessible and intricately researched, with scattered humor to keep the reader’s interest. Getting to space is the easy part. Staying there is going to be a lot more complicated.
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)★★★★★
Katie Mack An engaging read for the general audience about what we currently know about the history and structure of the universe and what that knowledge – and the pieces we don’t know – might mean for its future and eventual end.
Four Lost Cities★★★★★
Annalee Newitz Fascinating look at how cities form, live and die, seen through archaeological discoveries at Pompeii, Angkor, Cahokia and Çatalhöyük.
The Great Typo Hunt★★★☆☆
Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson A cross-country road trip with a Sharpie pen, correcting grammatical and spelling errors in road and shop signs. I’ve mellowed on the subject since it came out, but it’s still interesting.
The Old Iron Dream★★★★★
David Forbes An extended essay tracing the strand of military authoritarianism and white male supremacy in science-fiction, from John Campbell through Heinlein, Pournelle and other major names up through the then-present of 2013.
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching★★★★★
Rosemary Mosco A fast, funny, informative read about pigeons, their long history with humans, appearance and behavior, and even modern extreme pigeon breeds.
Soonish★★★★★
Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Fascinating, accessible, funny, and still relevant overview of cutting-edge tech, even though it took me 7 years to get around to reading it.
Under Alien Skies★★★★★
Philip Plait A fun look at what it would be like to visit other planets or star systems, weaving together sci-fi scenarios, the science behind them, and the history of how those discoveries were made.
Under the Influence★★★★☆
Trey Ratcliff Trey Ratcliff details a fascinating look at a side of Instagram that I’ve mostly ignored.
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You★★★★★
Janelle Shane A fun, accessible introduction to how artificial intelligence works…and how it sometimes doesn’t!
