What have you read recently/are you Reading at the Moment?

D0nners

Im reading "Sex, Drugs and DNA" at the moment. Not the most interesting read but enjoyable nonetheless.
I will probably delve into one of the Dawkins books I bought recently once I finish.
The Blind Watchmaker is strong contender at the moment.

TheManWho

I read Parallel Worlds by Michu Kaku a while back, very interesting but I don't have much to compare it to.

I recently read The God Delusion simultaniously with Hitchens God is Not Great and I was more impressed with the latter.

BendiBus

Currently reading "The Trouble with Physics" by Lee Smolin. Very interesting but I have to read it slowly. And a second time!

Also carrying around a short pocket-sized book called "Einstein and the Birth of Big Science" by Peter Coles which I picked up for €1.99 in Chapters. A much simpler read.

Porkpie

Currently reading Quirkology by Richard Wiseman. Read about 50 pages, very interesting and entertaining so far. He gives an account of some really interesting and amusing psychological experiments carried out in the name of science.

maninasia

Ditto Hyperspace and Parallel Worlds by Michio Ikaku, a really inspiring storyteller who isn't afraid to wonder at all the possibilities. He's also great to catch in a seminar if you get the chance even if he does talk about himself a tad too much!

The Black Swan by Nicholas Taleb is an excellent book for examining what we don't know we know and what we think what we know but probably don't.
Read it 2 or 3 times and it gets you thinking....

BendiBus

Just finished Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman.

Went straight out and bought Six Not-so-easy Pieces this afternoon!

Technodrome

Just finished Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku, pretty interesting stuff in there, especially if you're a sci-fi fan!

Ronanc1

reading "oxygen the molecule that made the world" by nick lane, really very interesting but can be a slight bit heavy in some spots

Macha

Just finished Leviathan by Philip Hoare. It won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. I'm a sucker for an award and it was recommended by a friend.

It's basically a book about whales. From the most famous book about whales, Moby Dick and it's author, to a depressing history of whaling and recent conservation efforts. But it's also an amazing read full of fascinating facts and you're left with a deep respect for the enormous intelligent animals and a sadness at the fate they've suffered at human hands (at the industry's peak in the 1930s, 50 000 whales were killed every year) as well as a realisation of how little we really know about them.

A definite recommended read from me.

Helix

midway through The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene its a very enjoyable read. getting on a bit at 11 years old though, the most up to date stuff from it seems to be the mid to late 90s, but id recommend it as a nice introduction to string theory and the search for a theory of everything. some really nice background stuff

Agricola

The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. Good introductions to the main areas of physics. Easy to read, the simple everyday examples really illuminate concepts that would be otherwise pretty hard to grasp.
Finishes up with interesting stuff like the possibility of timetravel in the future.

maninasia

Brian Greene's books are excellent to get a good basic understanding of fundamental physics. Michio Kaku's Hyperspace was an awesome read and goes into a lot of string theory ideas.

SeaFields

Just finished Cosmos. It was a great read. Its a shame Carl Sagan is still not around to bring out an up to date edition.

Am going to get Pale Blue Dot later today!

KittyeeTrix

Trying to get through Richard Dawkins "The Greatest Show on Earth" but college keeps getting in the way. Thoroughly enjoying it and will try the "God Delusion" next

Brian CivilEng

I've just finished "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins which I enjoyed, although I believe his writing style does grate a little. I have On The Origin of Species going at the moment, though I am simultaneously reading a book about trains so it's going slow. Sitting on the coffee table waiting for my attention are "The Selfish Gene" also by Dawkins and "The canon" by Natalie Angier.

moylaghshergar

Lately i've been doing quite a bit of reading.

I've read the following in the last 3 weeks or so:

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

And at the moment I have two books on the go

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
Pol Pot - The History of a Nightmare - Phillip Short

Both Dawkins books are very interesting but they certainly aren't easy reading. Gladwell writes popular science and both books are very interesting and at the same time easy reading. Pol Pot although not science is a very interesting read, at times it is heavy going and goes into much detail

Dave!

Currently reading Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works

madmaggie

I am currrently reading Eating the Sun, how plants power the planet, by Oliver Morton. It concerns the discovery of the process of photosynthesis, and the impact of this discovery to the fields of chemistry, biology and physics. If I had to study it for an exam I would have given up ages ago, but reading it for pleasure makes it much more appealing.

Passenger

Was going to create a new thread about what people are reading or have read as I've been meaning to catch up on some new writing in Popular Science but this will do if it's ok with the mods.

Been re-reading Visions by Michio Kaku. I read it a few years ago and it's amazing how some of his predictions have actually materialised. I quite like the way Kaku writes, it's informative and digestible without ever really being condescending either. Kinda reminds me of how Carl Sagan wrote.

Ruu

My library recently subscribed to Zinio so that means free Popular Science periodicals for me. Trying to catch up a little bit.