13 Things That Don’t Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks
I got this as an audiobook, and I almost stopped listening to it because it begins with astrology and goes straight to quantum physics–my two least favorite fields of science. My friend advised me to continue listening, and I’m glad I did, because the narrative segues beautifully into the origins of life, the origins of death, and the origins of sex. It even talks about medicine (the placebo effect and homeopathy), which always fascinates me.
I can’t really summarize the points made in this book because they won’t have as much impact without the author’s explanations. Readers who have a good scientific foundation will get much more out of this book. Brooks provides enough explanation that astute readers will understand it, but not so much that you’ll get bogged down in formulas and latin names. It’s not fluffy, so perhaps it wasn’t the best choice for a “listen to on my commute” audiobook. I think it would be better in paper.
If I liked astronomy and quantum physics, I would have enjoyed this book more.
