Non-Ficton

General Chemistry - Linus Pauling

Awesome wide ranging book. See chemistry and the relevant quantum physics through the eyes of a genius chemist that watched modern chemistry and physics come of age. Provides more of the stepping stones, wrong turns, practical necessities and leaps of logic that led to the final theory than a typical textbook.

Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

This is a long book that has everything. Philosophy, psychology, history, drama, comedy fundamental study of human nature, adventure and so on. The Russian version is written masterfully. Not sure about the English translation. Avoid the British accent audio book (maybe there is another version…British accent makes it sound like science fiction to me), Russian audio book is great.

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? “

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

“Arthur Cain, late professor of zoology at Liverpool and one of my inspiring tutors at Oxford in the 1960s, described The Selfish Gene in 1976 as a ‘young man’s book’ “

Dawkins’ first and probably best book is well reasoned and carefully supported assault on group selection and wishy-washy altruistic theories about evolution (the ant does X “for the good of the species”). Very entertaining to read because he doesn’t hedge. Even if you are knowledgeable on the subject of evolution, this book is worth reading.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

Bryson is great. Full of history, awesome anecdotes and reasonable quality writing about many interesting topics in geology etc. Most pop science books contain almost no meaningful truths, this book is full of great information and does not arrogantly attempt to explain concepts that are beyond the author’s grasp. Audiobook is well made (and read by author I think).

Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down - J.E. Gordon

Gordon is a killer with a ton of practical materials/product design experience. He’s also contemplative and occasionally humorous. I sometimes give this book as a gift.

The Making of an Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes

Lots of great history. Not very deep, but also doesn’t butcher the science.

Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

The part about trying to come up with a timeline for writing a textbook on decision making is so good it’s worth reading the entire book.

One Up on Wall Street - Peter Lynch

Small enough to read in a single day. Lucid, well reasoned explanations of key things about publicly traded stocks and what drive their value. If you are only going to read one book before investing, this is a good choice.

Lying - Sam Harris

Concise argument to help you stop lying.

Lessons of History - Will Durant

Lots of great quotes, will add later.

The Story of Philosophy - Will Durant

Durant is so awesome. The book gives a bird's eye view of philosophy from his perspective. Consice, but dense with information and great quotes.

Durant started out as a philosopher but became a world class historian… the perfect person to write this book.

Quantum - Manjit Kumar

Decent, though not always satisfying, overview of the historical process that created QM. Can’t say I have really found a satisfying book on this topic (perhaps General Chemistry above captures part of it).

My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla: Ben Johnston and Nikola Tesla

Tesla was crazy (and awesome).

At Home: A Short History of Private Life - Bill Bryson

Amazing book. Bryson walks around his antique home in England (it’s a rectory) and discusses what each room was originally used for with a ton of great tangents. It’s often easy to miss how different the human experience was just a 100+ years ago.

“Karl Marx, living in chronic indebtedness in Soho and often barely able to put food on the table, employed a housekeeper and a personal secretary. The household was so crowded that the secretary—a man named Pieper—had to share a bed with Marx.”

A Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson

One Summer: America, 1927 - Bill Bryson

Alchemy of Air - Thomas Hager

Suffers occasionally from fumbling discussion of relevant scientific concepts, but historically very interesting. Descriptions of Guano islands are great.

Innovator’s Dilemma - Clayton M. Christensen

Well researched book. Lot’s of great examples (e.g. cable operated excavator industry disrupted by hydraulics)

What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman

Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman - Richard Feynman

The Feynman Lectures on Physics - Richard Feynman

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out - Richard Feynman

I stand at the seashore, alone, and start to think.
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.

Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.

Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.

Benjamin Franklin Biography - Walter Issacson

Benjamin Franklin embodied the benefits of avoiding a college education, and some of the flaws as well :).

The Innovators- Walter Issacson

The parts about Bell Labs and Intel are inspiring.

Steve Jobs - Walter Issacson

Einstein - Walter Issacson

Zero to One - Peter Theil

Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants - John Drury Clark

Good for chemistry nerds.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich and Leo Janos

Firsthand accounts of building some of the most complicated airplanes ever made.

Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose

Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow

Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

12 Years a Slave - Solomon Northup

One of a kind book.

Newton and the Counterfeiter - Thomas Levenson

As warden of the Royal Mint, Issac Newton plays detective chasing psychopath counterfeiter.

Without Conscience, Psychopaths Among Us - Robert D. Hare

Good information about psychopaths.

Longitude - Dava Sobel

How the first marine chronometers came to be.

Revolution 1989 - Victor Sebestyen

Juicy details of various Soviet satellites gaining their independence.

New Deal or Raw Deal - Burton W. Folsom Jr.

Gory details about FDR trying to corner the lobster market, and much more.

Elon Musk - Ashlee Vance

Light Falls - Brian Greene

Hoping to see this live one day.

Empires of Light - Jill Jonnes

Gave me a newfound respect for Westinghouse.

Asimov's Guide to Science (originally published as “The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science”) - Issac Asimov

Asimov is relentless.

What Is Life? - Erwin Schrödinger

Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl

Anti-Fragile - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Bitcoin Whitepaper

Start with the primary source whenever possible… especially true with BTC.

How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist - Charles H. Townes

On the Philosophy, Art, and Science of Chemistry - Roald Hoffmann

Quirky nobel laureate chemist, went to my high school. Manages to work Marquis de Sade quotes into chemistry analogies.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth- Chris Hadfield

Basically a trip report