A Short History of Nearly Everything author: Bill Bryson rating: asin: 076790818X binding: Paperback list price: $16.99 USD amazon price: $16.19 USD

Bill Bryson, a popular travel writer, in this book turns his attention to the history of how we (Homo Sapiens) and our planet came to be.

It is not, as you might suspect, a hard core science book. Rather it is a breezy layman's summary of what we know about Earth and our place on it. Those of us who regularly consume publications like New Scientist or Science magazine, or who have read more in depth popular science books may find the book too light, and a review of what they already know well.

However for those who want to know more about science and how we came to know what we think we do, the book is an excellent and light-hearted read. It would make a great introductory tome for young adults wanting to get a taste of science. It also does an excellent job of conveying the wonder and majesty of the universe - the vastness of space, the depth of the oceans, and so on. Perhaps most importantly, it stresses what we don't yetknow and understand, which is a great deal.

Does Anything Eat Wasps?: And 101 Other Unsettling, Witty Answers to Questions You Never Thought You author: New Scientist rating: asin: 0743297261 binding: Paperback list price: $12.00 USD amazon price: $10.85 USD

This is one of those books that's great to read during your morning commute or if you're going through a period in your life where you find yourself spending a lot of time in waiting rooms. It's a book you can pick up and put down again without losing your place in a plot or dropping the main theme of an argument.

The book consists of interesting questions posed (and answered) by readers of New Scientist magazine in their recurring "The Last Word" column. Examples include "How fat do you have to be to become bulletproof?" and "What would happen if the moon suddenly disappeared?" Some of the questions are serious; some are silly. However even the most inane queries can sometimes lead to intriguing answers, like the question about the interaction of Tia Maria (an alcoholic beverage) and cream, which resulted in a paper on fluid dynamics.

The Science of Discworld II: The Globe (Discworld) author: Terry Pratchett Ian Stewart Jack Cohen rating: asin: 0091888050 binding: Paperback list price: $8.70 USD amazon price: $21.16 USD

This is the second in a trilogy of books by Pratchett, Stewart and Cohen. I'd link to the first, but it appears to be out of print in the US. (UK bookstores online probably still stock it; there is also Abebooks.com.)

Unlike other "the science of" books, these books do not attempt to paste scientific explanations onto an existing fantasy world (ie., how would Harry Potter's broom work in real life?). Instead, this series intersperses a short, standalone story by Pratchett with Stewart and Cohen's thoughts on science.

The original Science of Discworld centered around a story about the wizards of Discworld, wherein they accidentally witness the creation and evolution of our universe. Cohen & Stewart non-fiction discuss Big Science.