Most Anticipated June Reads

The Last Unknowns: Deep, Elegant, Profound Unanswered Questions About the Universe, the Mind, the Future of Civilization, and the Meaning of Life by by John Brockman

 

I love John Brockman’s series of essay collections written by scientists from a variety of fields. This next one investigates the deepest riddles that have fascinated, obsessed, and haunted the greatest thinkers of our time, including Nobel laureates, cosmologists, philosophers, economists, prize-winning novelists, religious scholars, and more than 250 leading scientists, artists, and theorists. Contributors include Freeman Dyson, Lisa Randall, Steven Pinker, Carlo Rovelli, Alison Gopnick, Helen Fisher, Ian McEwan, Frank Wilczek, Carl Zimmer, Max Tegmark, A. C. Grayling, Janna Levin, George Church… the list goes on.

The Cat in the Box by Chris Ferrie

 

I’m a sucker for all things Schroedinger’s Cat. Maybe because I figure if I just keep reading different explanations of it, someday I’ll actually understand superposition! This illustrated poem claims to be a simplified explanation of Schroedinger’s cat paradox for quantum mechanics enthusiasts. Can’t wait to see if they are right. Also Kevin Sherry’s mostly black and white ink illustrations look delightful.

The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum 

 

From the acclaimed author of Tubes, a lively and surprising tour of the infrastructure behind the weather forecast, the people who built it, and what it reveals about our climate and our planet.

I am fascinated by this book, partially because of the oddity that is Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet and all that I disagree with inside of it, but also partially because I know from reading The Man Who Caught the Storm that meteorology and related weather sciences have a long way to go. That unknown  territory in itself is fascinating.