List

Science Books Worth Reading

A tight science books worth reading shortlist - built for quick decisions, not endless scrolling.

Last refreshed 2026-02-27. We keep tuning this list as new titles land and reader interest shifts.

1. Unthinkable
Helen Thomson
Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains
2. What Is Real?
Adam Becker
What Is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics
3. Quantum Supremacy
Michio Kaku
Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything
4. The Beekeeper's Lament
Hannah Nordhaus
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
5. The World in a Grain
Vince Beiser
The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization
6. Almost Human
Lee Berger, John Hawks
Almost Human: The Astonishing Tale of Homo naledi and the Discovery That Changed Our Human Story
7. The Simulation Hypothesis
Rizwan Virk
The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics, and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are in a Video Game
8. Reentry
Eric Berger
Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age
9. Myth of Artificial Intelligence
Erik J. Larson
Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can't Think the Way We Do
10. Strange Bedfellows
Ina Park
Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs
11. Thunder & Lightning
Lauren Redniss
Thunder & Lightning: Weather Past, Present, Future
12. Here Comes the Sun
Bill McKibben
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
13. The Catalyst
Thomas R. Cech
The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets
14. A Brief History of the Female Body
Dr. Deena Emera, Deena Emera
A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be
15. The Planets
Nirmala Nataraj, NASA
The Planets: Photographs from the Archives of NASA (Planet Picture Book, Books About Space, NASA Book)
16. The Lagoon
Armand Marie Leroi
The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science
17. The E-Myth Contractor
Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors' Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
18. A Different Universe
Robert B Laughlin, Robert B. Laughlin
A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics From the Bottom Down
19. The Art of Tinkering
Karen Wilkinson, Mike Petrich
The Art of Tinkering: Meet 150+ Makers Working at the Intersection of Art, Science & Technology
20. Freakonomics Revised and Expanded Edition
Steven D. Levitt
Freakonomics Revised and Expanded Edition: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
21. What If? 10th Anniversary Edition
Randall Munroe
What If? 10th Anniversary Edition: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
22. A Brief History of Time
Stephen W. Hawking
A Science pick for readers exploring A Brief History of Time.
23. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
Oliver Sacks
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
24. Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

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