Three Non-Fiction Books I Read This Month and Loved

This January I have read more non-fiction than I sometimes read in a year. So far, I have also really enjoyed the books that I picked up. In addition to Designing Your Life, which I reviewed earlier, I would like to recommend the following three non-fiction reads:

1. Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori

This book was incredibly informative and fun. The author takes the reader on a journey around the globe and talks about the most iconic trees various regions of the world are famous for. Each story includes a brief narrative (a page to a page and half) and then a page or two of illustrations. His descriptions focus not only on botanical facts, but also relate anecdotes, historical and cultural factoids about various species and information about the effects the climate change has on certain trees. The illustrations in this book deserve a special mention. There are hundreds of them and they are gorgeous. I never thought I would enjoy a book about trees this much. 5 out of 5 stars.

2. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

In Everybody Lies the author sets out to show the reader what we can learn about ourselves from our casual internet searches. I found it funny, illuminating and incredibly interesting. I don't know how the content in this book holds up in terms of statistical validity or scientific methods of research, but it is definitely very engaging and peaks one's interest about big data. I highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in data science. I listened to this book on audio, and even though I enjoyed it, in hind sight, I think it would be better to read it on paper as the author mentions various graphs and charts that are in the book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

3. The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach

This is another non-fiction title that would appeal to a broader audience. It is written by two cognitive scientists who examine the so-called knowledge illusion: our perceived sense of understanding how the world works. They slowly layer by layer peal away that illusion demonstrating how little we understand the mechanics of most common place items (such as a zipper or a toilet) or the nuances of some of the most controversial sociopolitical issues of the day. This has also been quite illuminating and humbling. 5 out of 5 stars.