Prisoner’s Dilemma by William Poundstone is another good work on mathematics, in this case game theory.
I see you have a couple of Mary Roach’s books. You could complete the set with Spook, Stiff and Bonk.
I also like Sam Kean’s books:
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
The Violinist’s Thumb: and Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
and
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: the History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery
What If? by Randall Munro.
The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver
I’ve read that one too. I wonder what else I’m forgetting.
At Home, Bill Bryson (it’s history, not science - but there’s history of technology in there and if you like Bryson, you’ll probably enjoy it)
The Little Ice Age, Brian Fagan
Why Choose This Book, Read Montigue
How to Defeat Your Own Clone Jyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson
I’ll second What If, The Signal and The Noise, and *The Disappearing Spoon *well - all good reads.
Poundstone’s trilogy of “Secrets” books are irresistible
Big Secrets
Bigger Secrets
Biggest Secrets
In them he reveals (or plausibly ferrets out) such things as the Secret Recipe for Coca Cola, the Herbs and Spices in Kentucky Fried Chicken, the recipe for Oysters Rockefeller, what’s in Joy Perfume, Chartreuse liqueur, and Mrs. Field’s cookies, how many magic tricks are performed, how cards are marked, how three-card Monte works, the secrets of backward masking, and many other bits of trivia.
I’m planning on reading TRESPASSING ON EINSTEIN’S LAWN next, and then perhaps ONLY THE LONGEST THREADS after that.
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
Just finished this. Enlightening, well researched evidently.
Gave me a new understanding and perspective on humanity and how we evolved as a people.
Bodanis, David. The Secret House: The Extraordinary Science of an Ordinary Day [probably a bit dated by now].
Bodanis, David. E=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation.
Bodanis, David.* Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched On the Modern World*.
All pop science in the best sense of the term. Like Professor Frink, he’ll make you laugh, make you think.
Also John McLeish, Number, particularly on how how world view was reflected in early number systems