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!
