In the spirit of Nathan Giede's column elsewhere on this page, here are my favourite reads of 2015, for what they're worth:
- What If? Serious Scientific Answers To Stupid Hypothetical Questions: Funny and strangely insightful. Doesn't everyone want to know the firepower needed in the guns to shoot them in the ground and launch themselves in the air just like a furious Yosemite Sam does?
- The Knowledge: How To Rebuild Our World From Scratch by Lewis Dartnell - A great read to learn what is essential technology for human survival on Earth and how fragile and co-dependent so much of our modern technology is.
- Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? by Timothy Caulfield - The answer from the University of Alberta professor is an emphatic "YES" when she's peddling her healthy living goods. He tested each one of them on himself as part of his exploration of why people put so much trust in how celebrities tell them how to live. Turns out our brains are hardwired to think that way, from our pre-historical primate days when the smart ones imitated the behaviour of the most successful members of the clan. It's possible to resist but it's not easy, which is why a multi-billion dollar celebrity endorsement industry continues to rack up the sales.
- Powers of Two by Joshua Wolf Shenk - This book refutes the common misbelief that greatness resides in individuals. Using numerous examples from science, the arts, business and sports, Shenk makes a powerful case that behind every transformative genius is the partner whose support paved the way to glory.
- The Wages of Wins by David Berri, Martin Schmidt and Stacey Brook - This trio of statistical analysts channel their sports geek into explaining why some of the highest-paid elite players are still underpaid while their counterparts are overpaid, how to properly value a sports franchise and how to predict the future performance of a team or an athlete, based on athlete salaries and the status of their contracts.
- Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex and Love by Marina Adshade - The UBC professor shows how economic principles are at work during every step of intimate human relations, from who pays on the first date to how personal wealth influences how attractive someone is.
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson - The author of the hugely success Steve Jobs biography follows up with a broader look at Jobs and all of the personalities behind the development of the computer, beginning with the Victorian lady who started it all.
- On Immunity by Eula Biss - A powerful and deeply personal testament about the value of immunization, not just for the sake of your own child but for everyone's children.
- @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex by Shane Harris - The Third World War is in full swing online, as nations, multinational corporations and terrorist groups turn to the Internet for spying, espionage and even outright attacks. Science fiction that's not fiction, which makes it all the more frightening.
- The Song Machine: Inside The Hit Factory by John Seabrook - The names you've never heard of behind so many of today's hits and the formulas and technology they use to make sure you've hooked by the end of the first bar and why you tolerate songs you say you're sick of hearing.
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - For the faithful, the story of how a carpenter's son from a tiny village in Galilee became the Christ. For those who do not believe, an insightful analysis of how the unique message from a martyr was transformed first into myth and then into a religion that changed the world.
- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach - One of the top popular science writers tackles sex head-on, explores how research into human sexuality is still frowned upon by prudish university administrators and convinces her husband to have sex with her while doctors are taking ultrasounds.
- Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland - Written before she became a Liberal MP and then Justin Trudeau's international trade minister, this book shows how vast the inequality of wealth distribution has become and why it's getting worse, both at home and abroad.
More on the night table for 2016. Can't wait.
