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1 by Eric Kaplan, Dutton/Penguin Books USA, $20
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Its seriousness is clear from the title, so dive right in for some festive fun. Eric Kaplan, a writer and producer on hit TV series The Big Bang Theory, explores the intersection between logic and faith, and asks such questions as: if we are all going to die, what鈥檚 the point of anything? What鈥檚 a perfect moment? What can we say about God? Or Santa? Or TBBT鈥榮 Sheldon, come to that.
2 by Steven Pinker, Allen Lane, 拢20/$27.95
This seems an unusual outing for one of the world鈥檚 top cognitive scientists and intellectuals. But it鈥檚 not such a stretch really because Steven Pinker uses the latest research in his field to explain why writing well matters in an age of instant communication.
3 by David Baker, Haynes, 拢21.99
Though not quite fat enough to be a real repair manual, Haynes鈥檚 latest foray into the history of heroic engineering is packed with detail and insight. The granddaddy of design classics, the Soviet Soyuz capsule has ferried people and packages into space for more than 50 years, and is still the world鈥檚 go-to vehicle for leaving Earth.
4 by Lewis Dartnell, Random House, 拢20
Do you lie awake at night wondering what would happen if we earthlings were devastated by an asteroid or a plague? Fear not, astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell has written the ultimate survival guide. Inside we can learn, or rather relearn, how to grow food, make clothes, generate energy, develop medicines and, crucially, make beer.
5 by Herv茅 This, Columbia University Press, 拢16.95/$24.95
Not a cookbook, but keen cooks (and anyone with half an eye on entering BBC鈥檚 Masterchef) will devour the latest work by molecular gastronomist Herv茅 This. Why work with whole ingredients when the components of food can be recombined to make novel flavours, odours and textures? Delicious, and slightly terrifying.
6 by Martin Windrow, Corgi, 拢9.99
New in paperback, Martin Windrow鈥檚 account of his 15-year relationship with a tawny owl isn鈥檛 a typical natural history 鈥� Mumble, the razor-clawed 鈥渃at with wings鈥�, was born and reared entirely in captivity. However, his memoir, while charming, also does real work, perfectly capturing the sheer oddness of our relationships with animals.
7 by Randall Munroe, John Murray, 拢14.99
Randall Munroe is the creator of the cult smash hit webcomic xkcd and has an asteroid named after him (4942 Munroe 鈥� big enough to cause mass extinction if it hit Earth). His new book answers a range of questions, including old favourites such as: what would happen if everyone on Earth stood as close together as they could, jumped up and then landed at the same time? Others are more bizarre, such as: how long would someone last if their DNA suddenly vanished?
聯How long would someone stay alive if their DNA vanished? Randall Munroe has the answer聰
8 by Eli Horowitz, Kevin Moffett and Matthew Derby, Jonathan Cape, 拢9.99
A generation of children is born without the power of speech. This is the premise behind one of the year鈥檚 more unlikely literary experiments. The three authors 鈥� all contributors to the literary magazine 惭肠厂飞别别苍别测鈥檚 鈥� riffed on each other鈥檚 work via an app to come up with this chilling and intelligent thriller about words and intelligence, youth and politics.
9 by Douglas Coupland, Visual Editions, 拢25/$40
The moment something useful gets built, you can bet some smart-alec novelist will take the mickey out of it. Twenty years ago, Coupland鈥檚 cult classic Microserfs served the nascent IT industry up on a platter. Kudos to telecommunications giant Alcatel-Lucent, then, for letting him play among its server farms.
10 by Naomi Klein, Allen Lane, 拢20/$18.72
Folk who like books that wear their polemic on their sleeve (or rather, dust jacket) will love this book. Journalist Naomi Klein (of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine fame) doesn鈥檛 pull any punches as she examines climate change, its science, the deniers and all those with vested interests.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淐racking reads鈥�