How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch: In Search of the Recipe for our Universe, from the Origins of Atoms to the Big Bang
by Harry Cliff
Doubleday, 2021. 385 pages. Nonfiction
Carl Sagan famously said, "If you wish to make an Apple Pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." But what fundamental matter is the universe made of? What banged in the Big Bang? And how did that matter arise from nothing into the world we now know? In How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch, Harry Cliff—a University of Cambridge particle physicist, researcher on the Large Hadron Collider, and acclaimed science presenter--sets out in pursuit of answers. Cliff illuminates the history of physics and chemistry that brought us to our present understanding—and misunderstandings—of the world, while offering readers a front row seat to the dramatically unfolding quest to unlock, at long last, the secrets of our universe.
Harry Cliff's deep understanding of particle physics shows in the way he can summarize complex theories so that anyone can understand them. Part science lesson, part history lesson, and part travelogue, the thing I liked best about this book was Cliff's obvious love of physics, shown in the way he stops to marvel at life-changing ideas, or at the sight of the Milky Way on a particularly clear night. I also appreciated that Cliff doesn't get too bogged down in the details; he uses relatable (and sometimes humorous) examples that kept me intrigued, and helped me follow along with the complex ideas he was explaining. I am now closer to understanding what a Higgs boson is than I've ever been before.
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The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by Sam Kean
Little, Brown & Co., 2010, 391 pages, Nonfiction
In this book dedicated to telling the most fascinating discovery stories related to the periodic table of elements, Kean uses a bevy of unusual facts and unforgettable anecdotes to trace their influence on history, ranging from the Manhattan Project to Silicon Valley to the "disappearing spoon," a theoretical utensil made from gallium (atomic number 31), which has a melting point just over room temperature.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
W.W. Norton & Co., 2017. 222 pages. Nonfiction
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
Cosmos
by Carl Sagan
Ballantine Books, 2013, 396 pages. Nonfiction
Cosmos retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring such topics as the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies, and the forces and individuals who helped to shape modern science.
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