Science & Tech reading

Continuing with my attempt at making my reading a little more systematic (see sci-fi reading). I’ve consistently ended up with hundreds, or even thousands, of books on my reading lists over the years. So I’ve decided to prioritize the lists, get some public input (sadly, there are only so many books we can read in a lifetime!) and make myself somewhat ‘accountable’ by keeping track of what I’ve read so far and note my brief thoughts on the books.

So here goes my section on non-fiction reading related to science, technology and math. As usual, this reflects my biases. For example, I enjoy math and physics and know more math and physics than, say, biology which might be reflected in the quantity and types of books chosen below. And this might not include some ‘classics’ or very well-known books because I’ve already read them (e.g., Brief History of Time) and I’m not inclined to re-read them (e.g., A Beautiful Mind). But I’d love to hear from you if you think I really ought to consider reading/re-reading some books - old, new, well-known, obscure - everything is welcome.

The order below is roughly the order in which I intend to read these books. If you do find some glaring omissions in what I’m reading, please do leave me a message. I’d love to hear from you.

Completed

Stuff Matters Mark Miodownik Stuff Matters ★★★★★
Liquid Rules Mark Miodownik Liquid Rules ★★★★★
Sid Meier's Memoir! Sid Meier Sid Meier's Memoir! ★★★★
Genius Makers Cade Metz Genius Makers ★
The Grid Gretchen Bakke The Grid ★

Physics

Higher priority

Quantum Computing Since Democritus Scott Aaronson Quantum Computing Since Democritus
Quantum Reality Jim Baggott Quantum Reality
Beyond Weird Philip Ball Beyond Weird
Something Deeply Hidden Sean Carroll Something Deeply Hidden
The Second Creation Robert P. Crease, Charles C. Mann The Second Creation
The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing Richard Dawkins The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing
It Must Be Beautiful Graham Farmelo It Must Be Beautiful
The Universe Speaks in Numbers Graham Farmelo The Universe Speaks in Numbers
QED Richard Feynman QED
The Character of Physical Law Richard Feynman The Character of Physical Law
Einstein's Telescope Evalyn Gates Einstein's Telescope
The Fabric of the Cosmos Brian Greene The Fabric of the Cosmos
Lost in Math Sabine Hossenfelder Lost in Math
Quantum Generations Helge Kragh Quantum Generations
The Greatest Story Ever Told - So Far Lawrence M. Krauss The Greatest Story Ever Told - So Far
Quantum Manjit Kumar Quantum
Where Does the Weirdness Go? David Lindley Where Does the Weirdness Go?
Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos Dennis Overbye Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos
The Cosmic Code Heinz R. Pagels The Cosmic Code
Einstein 1905 John S. Rigden Einstein 1905
From Falling Bodies to Radio Waves Emilio Segre From Falling Bodies to Radio Waves
From X-Rays to Quarks Emilio Segre From X-Rays to Quarks
In Search of the Ultimate Building Blocks Gerard 't Hooft In Search of the Ultimate Building Blocks

Lower priority

The Five Ages of the Universe Fred Adams, Greg Laughlin The Five Ages of the Universe
Quantum Mechanics and Experience David Z. Albert Quantum Mechanics and Experience
Time and Chance David Z. Albert Time and Chance
The Particle at the End of the Universe Sean Carroll The Particle at the End of the Universe
The Fabric of Reality David Deutsch The Fabric of Reality
Every Life Is On Fire Jeremy England Every Life Is On Fire
The Feynman Lectures on Physics Richard Feynman The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field Nancy Forbes, Basil Mahon Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field
The Age of Entanglement Louisa Gilder The Age of Entanglement
The Elegant Universe Brian Greene The Elegant Universe
The Inflationary Universe Alan Guth The Inflationary Universe
The Grand Design Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow The Grand Design
A Universe from Nothing Lawrence M. Krauss A Universe from Nothing
Atom Lawrence M. Krauss Atom
The Road to Reality Roger Penrose The Road to Reality
Knocking on Heaven's Door Lisa Randall Knocking on Heaven's Door
Warped Passages Lisa Randall Warped Passages
Deep Down Things Bruce A. Schumm Deep Down Things
Einstein's Unfinished Revolution Lee Smolin Einstein's Unfinished Revolution
Black Holes and Time Warps Kip S. Thorne Black Holes and Time Warps
The Emergent Multiverse David Wallace The Emergent Multiverse
Dreams of a Final Theory Steven Weinberg Dreams of a Final Theory
The First Three Minutes Steven Weinberg The First Three Minutes
Third Thoughts Steven Weinberg Third Thoughts
To Explain the World Steven Weinberg To Explain the World
A Beautiful Question Frank Wilczek A Beautiful Question


From Eternity to Here Sean Carroll From Eternity to Here
The Big Picture Sean Carroll The Big Picture
The Particle Odyssey Frank Close, Michael Marten, Christine Sutton The Particle Odyssey
The Strangest Man Graham Farmelo The Strangest Man
The Perfect Theory Pedro G. Ferreira The Perfect Theory
The Hidden Reality Brian Greene The Hidden Reality
Alien Oceans Kevin Peter Hand Alien Oceans
Spooky Action at a Distance George Musser Spooky Action at a Distance
Inward Bound Abraham Pais Inward Bound
Shadows of the Mind Roger Penrose Shadows of the Mind
The Emperor's New Mind Roger Penrose The Emperor's New Mind
The Order of Time Carlo Rovelli The Order of Time
Physics and Chance Lawrence Sklar Physics and Chance
Not Even Wrong Peter Woit Not Even Wrong

Mathematics

Higher priority

X and the City John A. Adam X and the City
Mathematics A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov, M. A. Lavrent'ev Mathematics
Men of Mathematics E. T. Bell Men of Mathematics
The Music of the Primes Marcus du Sautoy The Music of the Primes
Journey Through Genius William Dunham Journey Through Genius
The Science of Conjecture James Franklin The Science of Conjecture
Love and Math Edward Frenkel Love and Math
Perfect Rigor Masha Gessen Perfect Rigor
Incompleteness Rebecca Goldstein Incompleteness
Mathematics Timothy Gowers Mathematics
Godel, Escher, Bach Douglas R. Hofstadter Godel, Escher, Bach
Fermat's Last Theorem Simon Singh Fermat's Last Theorem
Concepts of Modern Mathematics Ian Stewart Concepts of Modern Mathematics
In Pursuit of the Unknown Ian Stewart In Pursuit of the Unknown
Birth of a Theorem Cedric Villani Birth of a Theorem
Four Colors Suffice Robin Wilson Four Colors Suffice

Lower priority

Fearless Symmetry Avner Ash, Robert Gross Fearless Symmetry
Prime Obsession John Derbyshire Prime Obsession
Mathematics Keith Devlin Mathematics
Mathematics Jean Dieudonne Mathematics
The Calculus Gallery William Dunham The Calculus Gallery
The Colossal Book of Mathematics Martin Gardner The Colossal Book of Mathematics
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics Timothy Gowers The Princeton Companion to Mathematics
A Mathematician's Apology G. H. Hardy A Mathematician's Apology
The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics Nicholas J. Hingham The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics
Mathematics for the Million Lancelot Hogben Mathematics for the Million
Mathematical Thought Morris Kline Mathematical Thought
The Poincare Conjecture Donal O'Shea The Poincare Conjecture
Indiscrete Thoughts Gian-Carlo Rota Indiscrete Thoughts
From Here to Infinity Ian Stewart From Here to Infinity
The Seven Pillars of Statistical Wisdom Stephen M. Stigler The Seven Pillars of Statistical Wisdom
Mathematics and Its History John Stillwell Mathematics and Its History
Kepler's Conjecture George G. Szpiro Kepler's Conjecture
Poincare's Prize George G. Szpiro Poincare's Prize
Information Hans Christian von Baeyer Information
The Honors Class Ben Yandell The Honors Class

Neuroscience

The Brain from Inside Out Gyorgy Buzsaki The Brain from Inside Out
Mapping the Mind Rita Carter Mapping the Mind
The Idea of the Brain Matthew Cobb The Idea of the Brain
The Brain that Changes Itself Norman Doidge The Brain that Changes Itself
Incognito David Eagleman Incognito
Livewired David Eagleman Livewired
The Brain David Eagleman The Brain
Other Minds Peter Godfrey-Smith Other Minds
The Wisdom Paradox Elkhonon Goldberg The Wisdom Paradox
On Intelligence Jeff Hawkins On Intelligence
The Emotional Brain Joseph LeDoux The Emotional Brain
Physics in Mind Werner R. Loewenstein Physics in Mind
Brain Rules John Medina Brain Rules
Embodiment and the Inner Life Murray Shanahan Embodiment and the Inner Life

Neuro texts

Neuroscience Mark F. Bear et al Neuroscience
From Conditioning to Conscious Recollection Howard Eichenbaum, Neal J. Cohen From Conditioning to Conscious Recollection
Cognitive Neuroscience Michael Gazzaniga et al Cognitive Neuroscience
Learning and Memory Mark A. Gluck et al Learning and Memory
Principles of Neural Science Eric R. Kandel et al Principles of Neural Science
Neuroscience Dale Purves et al Neuroscience
Brain Structure and Its Origins Gerald E. Schneider Brain Structure and Its Origins

Biology, Medicine

Higher priority

Life's Greatest Secret Matthew Cobb Life's Greatest Secret
Editing Humanity Kevin Davies Editing Humanity
The Blind Watchmaker Richard Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker
Darwin's Dangerous Idea Daniel C. Dennett Darwin's Dangerous Idea
Evolving Ourselves Juan Enriquez, Steve Gullans Evolving Ourselves
The Breakthrough Charles Graeber The Breakthrough
Life Acending Nick Lane Life Acending
The Vital Question Nick Lane The Vital Question
Life on the Edge Johnjoe McFadden, Jim Al-Khalili Life on the Edge
The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee The Emperor of All Maladies
The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee The Gene
Vaccinated Paul A. Offit Vaccinated
What Is Life? Addy Pross What Is Life?
Spillover David Quammen Spillover
The Tangled Tree David Quammen The Tangled Tree
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived Adam Rutherford A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
What is Life? Erwin Schrodinger What is Life?
Your Inner Fish Neil Shubin Your Inner Fish

Lower priority

The Cancer Code Jason Fung The Cancer Code
The Superorganism Bert Holldobler, Edward O. Wilson The Superorganism
Happy Accidents Morton Meyers Happy Accidents
Behave Robert M. Sapolsky Behave
Some Assembly Required Neil Shubin Some Assembly Required
The Diversity of Life Edward O. Wilson The Diversity of Life
She Has Her Mother's Laugh Carl Zimmer She Has Her Mother's Laugh

Technology, computer science

Higher priority

Built Roma Agrawal Built
Prediction Machines Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb Prediction Machines
Order Without Design Alain Bertaud Order Without Design
Electric Universe David Bodanis Electric Universe
Algorithms to Live By Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths Algorithms to Live By
One Giant Leap Charles Fishman One Giant Leap
The Idea Factory Jon Gertner The Idea Factory
Where Is My Flying Car? J. Storrs Hall Where Is My Flying Car?
Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy Tim Harford Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy
The Next Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy Tim Harford The Next Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy
The Innovators Walter Isaacson The Innovators
Where Good Ideas Come From Steven Johnson Where Good Ideas Come From
UNIX Brian Kernighan UNIX
Thinking in Systems Donella H. Meadows Thinking in Systems
The Making of Prince of Persia Jordan Mechner The Making of Prince of Persia
Design Paradigms Henry Petroski Design Paradigms
Skunk Works Ben R. Rich, Leo Janos Skunk Works
Human Compatible Stuart Russell Human Compatible
Coders Clive Thompson Coders
The Perfectionists Simon Winchester The Perfectionists

Lower priority

How Nature Works Per Bak How Nature Works
The Year Without Pants Scott Berkun The Year Without Pants
Power, Speed, and Form David P. Billington, David P. Billington Jr. Power, Speed, and Form
IBM: The Rise and Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon James W. Cortada IBM: The Rise and Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon
Shigeru Miyamoto Jennifer deWinter Shigeru Miyamoto
The Master Algorithm Pedro Domingos The Master Algorithm
Dealers of Lightning Michael A. Hiltzik Dealers of Lightning
Door to Door Edward Humes Door to Door
The Inevitable Kevin Kelly The Inevitable
The Soul of a New Machine Tracy Kidder The Soul of a New Machine
How to Create a Mind Ray Kurzweil How to Create a Mind
Facebook Steven Levy Facebook
Bill & Dave Michael S. Malone Bill & Dave
Quantum Computing from the Ground Up Riley Tipton Perry Quantum Computing from the Ground Up
Code Charles Petzold Code
Making PCR Paul Rabinow Making PCR
How Innovation Works Matt Ridley How Innovation Works
The Most Powerful Idea in the World William Rosen The Most Powerful Idea in the World
Game Changer Matthew Sadler, Natasha Regan Game Changer
Data and Goliath Bruce Schneier Data and Goliath
TAPE SUCKS Frank Slootman TAPE SUCKS
The Dream Machine M. Mitchell Waldrop The Dream Machine
The Master Switch Tim Wu The Master Switch


The Nature of Technology W. Brian Arthur The Nature of Technology
How Buildings Learn Stewart Brand How Buildings Learn
The World Beyond Your Head Matthew B. Crawford The World Beyond Your Head
Hooked Nir Eyal Hooked
The Real World of Technology Ursula M. Franklin The Real World of Technology
Hello World Hannah Fry Hello World
Future Crimes Marc Goodman Future Crimes
Structures J. E. Gordon Structures
The Lost Art of Finding Our Way John Edward Huth The Lost Art of Finding Our Way
How We Got to Now Steven Johnson How We Got to Now
Humans Need Not Apply Jerry Kaplan Humans Need Not Apply
Deep Thinking Garry Kasparov Deep Thinking
Don't Make Me Think, Revisited Steve Krug Don't Make Me Think, Revisited
Rocket Surgery Made Easy Steve Krug Rocket Surgery Made Easy
Masters of Doom David Kushner Masters of Doom
Crpyto Steven Levy Crpyto
The Legend of Zelda Clyde Mandelin The Legend of Zelda
Chaos Monkeys Antonio Garcia Martinez Chaos Monkeys
Designing Interactions Bill Moggridge Designing Interactions
How I Almost Blew It Sidharth Rao How I Almost Blew It
The Fourth Transformation Robert Scoble, Shel Israel The Fourth Transformation
Creating the Twentieth Century Vaclav Smil Creating the Twentieth Century
Making the Modern World Vaclav Smil Making the Modern World
Scale Geoffrey West Scale
The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe The Right Stuff

All book cover images are from Goodreads unless specified otherwise.