Recommendations based on Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousnessby Peter Godfrey-Smith

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Hidden Life of Trees: what they feel, how they communicate : discoveries from a secret world

    by Peter Wohlleben
    An exploration of the complex relationships between trees and the environment.

    A, New York Times, bestseller,, With more than 2 million copies sold worldwide, this beautifully-written book journeys deep into the forest to uncover the fascinating—and surprisingly moving—hidden ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

    by Sarah Bakewell
    An exploration of the key ideas of existentialism and its impact on today's society.

    Paris, near the turn of 1933. Three young friends meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and their friend Raymond ... (Goodreads)

  3. Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

    by Brian Christian
    Exploring the relationship between computers and human thinking to help us make better decisions.

    A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind ... (Goodreads)

  4. Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman

    by James Gleick
    A biography of physicist Richard Feynman, exploring his life and scientific contributions to quantum mechanics and the Manhattan Project.

    An illuminating portrayal of Richard Feynman—a giant of twentieth century physics—from his childhood tinkering with radios, to his vital work on the Manhattan Project and beyond Raised in ... (Goodreads)

  5. Chronicles: Volume One

    by Bob Dylan
    A memoir tracking Bob Dylan's musical journey from humble beginnings to iconic status.

    WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE The celebrated first memoir from arguably the most influential singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Dylan. “I’d come from a long ways off and had started a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

    by Matthew Walker
    Exploring the science of sleep, uncovering its powerful effects on health, productivity, and wellbeing.

    “,Why We Sleep, is an important and fascinating book...Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates A, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. Chaos: Making a New Science

    by James Gleick
    Investigation of complex systems and the impact of chaos on scientific understanding.

    A work of popular science in the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, this 20th-anniversary edition of James Gleick’s groundbreaking bestseller Chaos introduces a whole new readership to ... (Goodreads)

  8. A Short History of Nearly Everything

    by Bill Bryson
    A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.

    In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)

  9. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

    by Nick Bostrom
    A philosophical exploration of the implications of artificial intelligence on humanity.

    Superintelligence asks the questions: what happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

    by Steven Pinker
    The exploration of the science of human nature, including the implications for society.

    In The Blank Slate , Steven Pinker explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. He shows how many intellectuals have denied the existence of human nature by ... (Goodreads)

  11. From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death

    by Caitlin Doughty
    Journey to explore different cultures' death rituals, evaluating one's own mortality.

    A New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller “Doughty chronicles [death] practices with tenderheartedness, a technician’s fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief.” —Jill Lepore, The ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

    by Steven Pinker
    Investigation into the causes of violence and the reasons why it has decreased in modern society.

    Believe it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species' existence. In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that ... (Goodreads)

  13. Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality

    by Christopher Ryan
    An exploration of the evolutionary and cultural origins of human sexuality.

    Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. Mainstream science–as well as religious and cultural institutions--has maintained that men and women evolved ... (Goodreads)

  14. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

    by Yuval Noah Harari
    An exploration of humanity's future, and the potential paths of our species.

    Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed, New York Times, bestseller and international phenomenon, Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning ... (Goodreads)

  15. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  16. Born to Run

    by Bruce Springsteen
    Autobiographical journey of Bruce Springsteen's life and career as a musician.

    “Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.” —Bruce Springsteen, from ... (Goodreads)

  17. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

    by Jared Diamond
    Study of past societies' successes and failures in terms of environmental, economic, and political decisions.

    Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)

  19. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics

    by Tim Marshall
    Geopolitical exploration of global events and the impact of geography on politics.

    In the bestselling tradition of Why Nations Fail and The Revenge of Geography , an award-winning journalist uses ten maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of the world ... (Goodreads)

  20. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

    by James Clear
    A practical guide to creating and maintaining good habits, and breaking bad ones, using small, incremental changes.

    No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach ... (Goodreads)

  21. Fermat's Enigma

    by Simon Singh
    Uncovering the centuries-old mathematical mystery of Pierre de Fermat's Last Theorem.

    xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution "I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." With these words, the ... (Goodreads)

  22. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  23. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

    by Jordan B. Peterson
    A self-help book that provides practical advice on how to live a meaningful life by embracing responsibility and confronting chaos.

    What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition ... (Goodreads)

  24. Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations

    by Thomas L. Friedman
    An examination of the impact of the digital revolution on society, and the potential for optimism in the face of change.

    A field guide to the twenty-first century, written by one of its most celebrated observers In his most ambitious work to date, Thomas L. Friedman shows that we have entered an age of dizzying ... (Goodreads)

  25. Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior

    by Leonard Mlodinow
    A fascinating exploration of the power of the unconscious mind and how it influences our behavior without us even realizing it.

    Leonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of The Drunkard’s Walk and coauthor of The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking), gives us a startling and eye-opening examination of how the unconscious mind ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

    by Hans Rosling
    A data-driven book that challenges common misconceptions about the world and presents a more accurate, optimistic view of global progress.

    Factfulness:, The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends— what percentage of the world’s ... (Goodreads)

  27. Tao Te Ching

    by Lao Tzu
    A collection of wise sayings and reflections on the nature of existence.

    A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching , or -The Classic of ... (Goodreads)

  28. But What If We're Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past

    by Chuck Klosterman
    Examining how present-day beliefs and values could be viewed differently in the future.

    We live in a culture of casual certitude. This has always been the case, no matter how often that certainty has failed. Though no generation believes there’s nothing left to learn, every generation ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Origin of Species

    by Charles Darwin
    Comprehensive scientific exploration of the evolution of species and the natural world.

    Darwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for ... (Goodreads)