One thing that I like to do in my free time is to see how science is presented to the general public. As such, I read popular science books on a large range of topics. I have been doing this since 1998 and I have always been very selective about the books that I choose to read as there is a lot of garbage out there. I generally only buy books from authors that I know personally, that I have seen at scientific meetings, who are so well established in their field that any scientists knows who they are, or who otherwise have valid credentials. In essence, I only read books written by people that I trust to know what they are saying. I have so far amassed and read over 150 books (yes, all physical books, no e-books!) and continue to buy new ones every year. Since I often find myself talking about some of these books in my classes I decided to start a formal book review where any student can come to read my personal review. My logic here is that if a student wishes to learn more about a particular topic, the reviews here might help them identify a book that they might want to read.
This will be the part of my website that I will update most often as I will review new books periodically. Please note that although I have already read a fair number of books, the number of reviews will be quite limited as I will initially post reviews from books that I have read recently. As time goes on I will re-read many of my other books and start posting those reviews as well. I will soon also be posting a complete list of my personal library so anyone can take a look at what I like to read.
Some people really care about this so I will also add a small disclaimer here. All my students should know that these reviews are my personal views of each book and that my endorsement (or lack thereof) is simply that: my personal, but professional opinion. Your decision to purchase any of these books does not benefit me in any way. I do not work for any of these authors or publishers and certainly don't receive any type of commission from them.
The book categories are listed below. To access the reviews, just click on the book title or the “Read more” link under each book front cover image.
