Animals

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin uses the mysteries of autism to decode animal behavior. She is a world reknown expert in animal husbandry who believes her ability to understand animals is due to her autism. (My personal favorite. This is one of the best books I've ever read!)

The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller and Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan are the two best dog training books I've ever read. Both authors have a deep and meaningful understanding of dogs. Their tips are easy to implement and best of all, they work!

Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched by Amy Sutherland is a look inside the gates and behind the scenes of the world's best exotic animal trainer school. Students learn how to care for and train various species of wild animals. The students go on to work on Hollywood sets, in sanctuaries and zoos.

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr. Nick Trout chronicles memorable clients and their owners. Dr. Trout is a veterinary surgeon - the modern version of James Herriot.

Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo tells of the events of the summer of 1916 along the New Jersey shore when a rogue white shark attacked swimmers.

A Buffalo in the House by R.D. Rosen tells the story of a couple who raise an orphaned buffalo and by doing so highlight their tragic history and make a case for the protection of this massive and beautiful animal.

A Lion Called Christian by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall is the true story of the remarkable bond between two friends and a lion. Purchased at Harrods in 1970s London, the cub quickly grew. Plans made to reintroduce him to the wild in Africa resulted in the establishment of rehabilitation programs for lions and new national parks for that continents wildlife.

Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin explains how any animals core emotions - Seeking, Fear, Rage and Panic - relate to its behavior. By creating environments that encourage seeking while reducing the others, humans can provide better living conditions, emotional health, and more satisfying relationships for wild, farm and pet animals.

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz allows you to see what dogs see, smell and know. By entering the sensory world of man's best friend, the reader gains a greater appreciation of the differences, similarites and bond between our two species.

Fields and Pastures New and A Friend of the Flock both by Dr. John McCormack are collections of stories of rural life in the 1960s. The author, a country veterinarian, is a storyteller. He uses a warm and witty style to engage the reader in tales of tending to animals - and people - in Alabama. In addition to dogs and cats, a cast of characters in the form of sheep, cows, pigs, mules and even a parakeet populate his comical and heartwarming stories.

The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts is an autobiography of the life of a pioneer in the humane and thoughtful method of "breaking" horses. Mr. Roberts chronicles how he learned to communicate with horses and persuade them to befriend people. A genetic disability was likely responsible for his uncanny abilities. The groundbreaking work with horses - and deer - led to a friendship with the Queen of England. He is described as part James Herriot, part Bill Gates, and part John Wayne. Very apt!

Cod by Mark Kurlansky is a real fish tale! The author traces the history of Europe and the Americas through the quest for this once plentiful but now endangered fish. The economic forces that led to tragic environmental failure are explained simply and starkly. There are many recipes included in the book - if you can find any cod with which to make them!

Scent of the Missing by Susannah Charleson is about the love and partnership with a search and rescue dog. The author chronicles her adoption of Puzzle, a Golden Retriever, whom she trains from puppyhood to become a certified and highly skilled search and rescue dog. Susannah and Puzzle are part of an elite volunteer team based in Dallas called MARK-9.

Zoo Story by Thomas French takes you inside the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida once named the best zoo for children in the United States. The reader follows elephants as they move from the African savannah where they face death to a zoo where they face captivity. Is a zoo a sanctuary or a prison? Animal by animal, and keeper by keeper, the author introduces you to all of the characters and lets you decide for yourself.

Biology and Medicine

The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr is about Luca Turin, a brilliant scientist who develops a new theory for how smell works. He goes for a Nobel prize but is met with suspicion by scientists less brilliant than he with a lot to lose if he's right. The author shows corruption in scientific peer review process and provides insight into the perfume industry, scientific secrecy and corporate greed.

The Great Influenza by John Barry is a historical account of the development of the medical profession, laboratory science and medical training as a result of the influenza pandemic that occurred in the early 1900s.

Awakenings by Oliver Sacks is the true story of a doctor's discovery that comatose patients in a mental ward could be animated by a newly discovered drug. Robin Williams starred as the doctor, Oliver Sacks, in a movie based on the book.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is a true story of an outbreak of the Ebola Virus in Reston, Virginia.

The Life of the Skin by Arthur and Loretta Balin, two dermatologists, take the reader on a tour of the heaviest organ, our skin. They tell us what our skin hides, what it reveals, and how it communicates.

The Great Mortality by John Kelly is an intimate history of the black death, the most devasting plague of all time.

Lab 257 by Michael Carroll is the disturbing story of the government's secret germ laboratory on Plum Island, off of the coast of Long Island, NY.

The Immortalists by David Friedman tells the fascinating and unknown story of the collaboration between Charles Lindbergh (first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and NJ native) and Dr. Alexis Carrel (winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1912). Together they maintained body parts alive outside of the bodies they belonged to in their quests for immortality.

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston is the story of the eradication of smallpox and the fight to protect us against biological weapons by finding a cure for this disease.

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson is the story of London's most terrifying cholera epidemic. In 1854, two million people lived in London. Reverend Whitehead and Dr. Snow defy convention and look for the path of transmission. The book is as much about scientific understanding as it is a horror story of urban terror.

An Alchemy of Mind by Diane Ackerman seeks to explain how the human brain functions. Using many anecdotes the author reports on discoveries in neuroscience.

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Trace Kidder is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer's quest to bring decent medical care to the poor. In particular, Dr. Farmer has been responsible for the establishment of worldwide protocols for the treatment of tuberculosis and AIDS in order to stop the spread of these two diseases.

Panic in Level 4 by Richard Preston is a collection of true stories. I particularly enjoyed the Chudnovsky brothers search for pi by building their own supercomputers from scratch in their NYC apartment. Other esoteric items include genetic defects for self-cannibalism, the search for the Ebola virus, and the death of our forests. Science comes in so many forms!

Genius on the Edge by Gerald Imber, MD tells the story of Dr. William Halsted, the father of surgery who transformed medicine from a horrific practice in which many patients died to a miraculous art capable of saving lives. Halsted was the first to use surgical gloves, repair hernias, and perform mastectomies. He established the residency system for medical training and was the first Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. The author also delves into the complex and mysterious personal side of the man, which included struggles with drug addiction, an odd marriage, and long disappearances.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is an odd, very funny look at the strange lives our bodies have after death. For thousands of years, bodies have been involved in science and weirdness. The author's humorous style does no disrespect to the dead. Rather, a reader comes away with a sense of the good deeds the dead do.

This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel Levitin is a study of the relationship between the mind, the brain, and music. Levitin was a successful rock musician and studio producer before earning a doctoral degree and becoming a researcher in how our brains interpret music. If you have a background in music theory, and you like math and science, this book is for you. It is a great introduction into the science of the art that makes us human.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a woman known around the world in scientific circles only as HeLa. She was a poor, black woman from the south who cancer cells became one of the most important tools in medicine. There are more of her cells in the world now than were ever in her entire body yet neither she nor her family received compensation. This bestseller tells a tale that includes ethics, race, science, medicine, and faith.

Asleep by Molly Caldwell Crosby tells the story of the forgotten epidemic that remains one of the greatest mysteries of medicine. During the first world war, attention was focused on the influenza pandemic. This event overshadowed another bizarre disease that was named epidemic encephalitis lethargica, commonly called sleeping sickness. To date, scientists do not know what causes the disease nor how to treat it, leaving us at the mercy of another attack.

Chemistry

Uncle Tungsten is an autobiography of Dr. Oliver Sacks. It has fine detail about the periodic table and the experiments we wish we could do in class but can't because they're too dangerous!

Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules that Changed History by Le Couteur and Burreson is a novel look at history and the chemicals that made it happen.

Obsessive Genius by Barbara Goldsmith is a biography of Marie Curie, nobel prize winner in chemistry, for her work on radioactivity.

The Radioactive Boyscout by Ken Silverstein is the frightening, true story of a whiz kid who, as a teenager, built a nuclear reactor in his backyard.

The 13th Element by John Emsley is a tale of murder, fire and the quest for phosphorus. Phosphorus is the 13th element on the periodic table of the elements. It is one of nature's deadliest creations.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles by Dr. Joe Schwarcz is a collection of essays commenting on the chemistry of everyday life. The author is quite witty and able to explain complex concepts in lay terms, making the book both funny and easy to understand. Yes, he does explain why cookies crumble!

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean contains true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world as seen through the Periodic Table of the Elements. The periodic table is a collosal scientific achievement but within its little boxes of information one can discover stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The author - who collected mercury from broken thermometers as a child - fuses science with history in an engaging story telling fashion. A fun and educational read!

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum is a history of the Jazz Age that took place at the turn of the last century as told through crimes and accidents involving poison. In 1918, the corrupt Tammany Hall government was turned upside down by two men who believed that science had a place in the judicial system. They invented forensic chemistry. Some of the stories point to the development of occupational safety rules to protect workers from harmful exposures. Many of the stories take place in and around New Jersey.

Earth Science (Geology, Meteorology, Astronomy, Cartography)

The Map That Changed the World by Simon Winchester is a rather dry read but presents the interesting story of William Smith, the inventor of the geologic map and the father of the science of geology.

Bold Endeavors by Stuster is a look at the history of exploration and the lessons learned that apply to a mission to the planet Mars.

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson tells the tale of the hurricane that leveled Galveston, Texas in 1900.

The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin is the heartbreaking account of the 1888 blizzard in our nation's prairies.

The Great Hurricane of 1938 by Cherie Burns is an account of one of the worst storms of the century. The hurricane hit Long Island and New England.

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester is the story of the 1906 earthquake that destroyed most of San Francisco.

Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown tells the story of the Great Hinkley Firestorm of 1894. The fire ravaged northern Minnesota, growing so large that it created its own weather. As a result of the loss of life and property, the federal government created the agencies that monitor and fight wildfires.

The Perfect Storm by Junger is the true story of the convergence of three major storm systems at sea. A movie by the same name starred George Clooney.

The Riddle of the Compass by Amir Aczel is about the invention that changed the world by making the Italians the rulers of the seas in the 12th century.

Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair by Matthew Hart follows the diamond trail. This book reveals the truth behind the movie.

Krakatoa by Simon Winchester is a story of the horrors of the eruption of this volcano in 1883 and the tsunami that followed. The eruption helped trigger the anti-Western militancy we struggle with today.

The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester is a biography of Joseph Needham, an eccentric Cambridge scientist who proved that the Chinese were responsible for the invention of hundreds of familiar innovations. Needham's encyclopedia of China grew to 17 volumes and remains the best source of informatin about China.

Salt by Mark Kurlansky tells the world history of the only rock we eat. The contributions made by this mineral to history of civilization are surprising. The author blends economics, science, politics, religion and cooking into a spicy story.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach includes the funny and weird stuff about the space program. Exploring space is also an exploration of what it means to be human. In addition to gravity, how much can a person give up? What happens if you vomit in your space suit? How do you train an astronaut to use the shuttle toilet? These and many more interesting questions are answered in this book.

How I Killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming by Mike Brown is a funny and delightful look into the life of the average astronomer. The reader discovers that this life includes staying up all night, obsessing about the phase of the moon, skullduggery, and upsetting people everywhere. Research into the outer solar system revealed the existence of several previously unknown objects, the discovery of which led to Pluto's demise as a planet.

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich has nothing to do with sex. It does, however, have a lot to do with the moon. The author tells the amazing story behind the most audacious heist in history - the theft of moon rocks from NASA - committed by a gifted but misguided romantic college student. His plan was foiled by an unassuming rock collector in Belgium who alerted the FBI.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is an autobiography of a gifted youth living in abject poverty and famine in Malawi, Africa. He used only the resources available to him - mostly scrap metal and discarded parts - to build a windmill to provide electricity to his home. In doing so, he lifted the spirits of the members of his community. William got the idea from a book in the town library - one bookcase of forgotten textbooks. Others called him crazy but he became an inspiration to others around the world.

Forensics

No Stone Unturned by Steve Jackson is about forensic science and its use to solve many national and international cases, including determining the identity of the bodies believed to be those of the last Russian czar's family.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr tells us the story of the first use of profiling to capture a serial killer. The term "alienist" is an old fashioned term for what we now call psychiatrists.

Unnatural Death by Dr. Michael Baden is a fascinating look into the mechanics of forensics. Tha author hosted HBO's hit documentary series called Autopsy. He concludes that the search for scientific truth is often sullied by the pressures of expediency. Politics, influence peddling, and professional incompetence have created a national crisis in forensics.

Miscellaneous

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester chronicles the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary. While not precisely a book about science, the need to categorize and classify is essential for many disciplines, including science, and the story is vivid and compelling.

Five Equations that Changed History by Guillen condenses several centuries of mathematical and scientific discovery to five noteworthy achievements.

Dinosaurs in the Attic - An Excursion Into the American Museum of Natural History by Douglas Preston is a fascinating look behind the displays and into the people who collected and created them.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - Marconi invented wireless communication at the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. His story is inverwoven with another headliner from the time period.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson tells the story of the architecture of the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago. Another story, that of a serial killer, is interwoven to give the reader a real sense of what life was like at the turn of that century.

The Ig Nobel Prizes by Marc Abrahams. There are two of these books. Both are collections of the world's unlikeliest research. The actual prizes are handed out at Harvard University in a ceremony that includes the audience throwing paper airplanes and real Nobel Laureates singing silly songs.

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman provides a new perspective on childhood and new thinking about children. There are chapters on the inverse power of praise, the effects of losing even just one hour of sleep, race, lies, testing for giftedness, siblings, teen rebellion, self-control, play and speech development. You'll never look at a child in quite the same way again.

Dry Storeroom No. 1, The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey explores behind the scenes at the British Natural History Museum in London. The journey takes the reader through the premiere scientific accomplishments of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries while exploring the fossils, jewels, rare plants, and exotic species housed in massive collections hidden from public view.

There's More to New Jersey than the Sopranos by Marc Mappen is a collection of historical firsts featuring the Garden State. Several scientific tales are included, such as the mastodons, Martians, Thomas Edison, and many more. Each is written with a wit that serves to accent the author's warm feelings for his home state.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn is not a science book to read for fun. Rather, the book details the "central moral challenge of our time," that of helping women in the third world. The most effective means to fight global poverty is to encourage and support women.