March 17, 2022 The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann by Ananyo Bhattacharya Review by Terence Jagger This is a lively and compelling biography of one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century, who has somehow…
September 14, 2021 The Red Planet: A Natural History of Mars, by Simon Morden Review by Annabel Who hasn’t been enthralled by the idea of there being ‘Life on Mars’ even if said life ends up as the…
January 26, 2021 The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack Reviewed by Terence Jagger Katie Mack is an American astrophysicist, but her writing is very informal and almost journalistic or chatty – which is…
December 9, 2020 Numbers Don’t Lie: 71 Things You Need to Know About the World, by Vaclac Smil Reviewed by Annabel If you, or a potential recipient of this book for Christmas, are a fan of Tim Harford on BBC Radio 4’s…
December 3, 2020 It’s the End of the World by Adam Roberts Reviewed by Annabel I learned a new word this year. ‘Eschatology’ is defined as ‘the part of theology concerned with death, judgement, and the…
October 20, 2020 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Universe: And Our place within it by Andrew Newsam Reviewed by Annabel I’ve always loved books about space and I still have my beloved Hamlyn guides on Astronomy and Exploring the Planets by…
June 16, 2020 Home Computers: 100 Icons that Defined a Digital Generation by Alex Wiltshire and John Short Reviewed by Liz Dexter Being born in the early 70s, I reached the age where we develop interests just as the first cheaper home…
June 11, 2020 Wayfinding by Michael Bond Review by Terence Jagger I found this book absolutely fascinating. I have always been fairly confident in my abilities as a navigator (though with…
January 21, 2020 Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World by Marcia Bjornerud Review by Peter Reason I have on my desk three pieces of rock, collected during my ecological pilgrimage on in the west coast of…
July 23, 2019 The Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History by Michael J Benton Reviewed by Liz Dexter Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and head of the Palaeontology Research Group at the University of Bristol,…
May 16, 2019 Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez Review by Liz Dexter I felt a little overwhelmed facing up to reviewing this book, as there have been many reviews published since it…
September 18, 2018 Liquid by Mark Miodownik Reviewed by Annabel In his 2013 book Stuff Matters which I reviewed for Shiny here, materials science professor Miodownik took us on a tour…
February 15, 2018 Dawn of the New Everything: A Journey Through Virtual Reality by Jaron Lanier Review by Liz Dexter Jaron Lanier has been called the “Father of Virtual Reality” and he’s been involved with many of the main companies…
March 16, 2017 Irresistible: Why we Can’t Stop Checking, Scrolling, Clicking and Watching by Adam Alter Reviewed by Liz Dexter Before: Phone on bedside table, checked for the time whenever I woke up and checked for emails / Facebook updates…
February 21, 2017 The Ladybird Expert Books, Vols 1-3, by various authors Review by Annabel Ladybird, now owned by Penguin Random House, have been going from strength to strength recently with their series of satires on…
December 6, 2016 Ada’s Algorithm by James Essinger Review by Peter Hobson One of the most accomplished women of the nineteenth century and little known until recently outside mathematical and computer science…
October 13, 2016 Stranger than we can Imagine by John Higgs Review by Peter Hobson Subtitled “Making Sense of the Twentieth Century”, Higgs’ book takes fifteen of what he (and I think many people) consider…
April 20, 2016 Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs by Lisa Randall Reviewed by Peter Hobson This new book by world famous theoretical physicist Lisa Randall, subtitled “The astounding interconnectedness of the Universe”, gives the reader…
July 21, 2015 The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua Reviewed by Peter Hobson Punchycards! [1] If that word brings a smile of recognition to your lips then almost certainly you will not need…
April 28, 2015 The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch by Lewis Dartnell Paperback review by Annabel A large part of the novel Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (which I reviewed here) was set twenty years after a…
April 13, 2015 Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure by Cédric Villani Translated by Malcolm De Bevoise Review by Annabel It is a well-known fact that Stephen Hawking was persuaded to remove all the equations bar…
October 30, 2014 Mind Change: How Digital Technologies are Leaving Their Mark on our Brains by Susan Greenfield Reviewed by Stefanie. Mind Change: How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark on Our Brains, Susan Greenfield has provided us with an even-keeled examination…
October 3, 2014 Colliding Worlds by Arthur I Miller Reviewed by Peter Hobson One of the most enjoyable work-related things I have done in recent years was to collaborate with the British artist…
July 22, 2014 The Accidental Universe by Alan Lightman Reviewed by Annabel Gaskell My first encounter with Alan Lightman was through his 1992 novel Einstein’s Dreams, a fictional account of the scientist during the…
July 9, 2014 Computing with Quantum Cats by John Gribbin Reviewed by Peter Hobson The name John Gribbin will be familiar to many readers with an interest in understanding the mysterious quantum world as…
