Three years ago I created the ‘science survey’ challenge to make myself read more widely in science, and I’m pleased to report that not only did I complete the survey halfway into the year, but I was able to go well beyond my goal of twenty to read a RECORD SETTING 30 BOOKS. I anticipate another strong year next year, though probably not this many!
Cosmology and Astrophysics
- To the Ends of the Universe, Isaac Asimov
Local Astronomy
- The Pluto Files, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- The Planets: The Definitive Visual Guide to Our Solar System, the Smithsonian
Geology
- Aerial Geology, Mary Caperton Morton
Chemistry and Physics
- Uncle Tungsten: A Chemical Boyhood, Oliver Sacks
Biology
- The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
- Never Home Alone, Rob Dunn
- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Mary Roach
Flora and Fauna
- What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, Jon Young
- The Thing with Feathers, Noah Styrcker
- The Forest Unseen, David Haskell
- The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs, Judy Burris & Wayne Richards
- The Inner Life of Animals, Peter Wohlleben
Archaeology & Anthropology
- Why is Sex Fun? Jared Diamond
- The Goodness Paradox, Richard Wrangham
- Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, Marilyn Johnson
Cognition, Neurology, and Psychology
- Welcome to Your Brain, Sandra Aamodt
- Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, Frans de Waal
Weather and Climate
- Braving the Elements: The Stormy History of American Weather, David Raskin
- The Weather Machine, Andrew Blum
- 18 Miles: The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and Its Weather, Christopher Dewdney
Ecology
Thinking Scientifically
- Letters from an Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories, Rob Brotherton
- You Are Not So Smart: [48] Ways You’re Deluding Yourself, David McRaney
Wildcard (Science Biography, History of Science, Natural History, Science and Health, or Science and Society)
- The Science of Breaking Bad, Donna J. Nelson
- An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System, Matt Richtel
- Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, David Quammen
- The Ends of the Earth: Polar Regions of the World, Isaac Asimov
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Reading Freely 
…again, *lots* of interests in common and…. not a single correspondence to anything read or in my TBR! [lol]
what was Tyson’s collection of letters like?
Most underwhelming! I’ve read most of his work and was disappointed in the collection….it seemed to appeal most to people who just liked Tyson and would read anything with his name on it. Some of his other work has been more purposeful..
I’m not a huge fan of sci fi, but I really enjoy non fiction books on science. Especially neuroscience. I’m fascinated with how the memory works.
It’s weirdly relational!
As a person who likes science as well as sci-fi, the science survey on your site made my day. Ignore my happy dance in the corner
💃💃💃
I’ve been doing it since..2017, I think. I’ve enjoyed it!