World Book Day!

It's World Book Day! So I thought I'd fling some science-y book recommendations your way. 

Let's start with the non fiction:

1. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
   I reviewed Bad Science a while back on this blog and talked about how important it is in conveying some of the ways science journalism can be inaccurate and over the top. Whether you want to go into any form of science or not this book is a must read to help you cut through the noise that the news spews at us every day and find the truth in science reporting.
2. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat By John Gribbin
   I'm not going to lie, I initially picked up this as a book as I thought it'd be a good one to put on my personal statement for applying to university. However, it turned out to be a really good, easy to follow book which gives you a whistle stop tour of what Quantum Physics is about and what it means. If you are interested in digging a little deeper into this cool bit of physics, whatever your level of physics knowledge, this is a great book to pick up.
3. QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter by Richard Feynman
   Of the books I've talked about, this is probably the most complicated, but it's well written and is probably the most interesting. In the book Feynman looks at questions like why does the angle of incidence equal the angle of reflection when light hits a mirror, as well as introducing the concept of matter and antimatter. It's a pretty short book, but when I read it, I felt pretty blown away by it. I'd recommend it to anyone doing A-Level Physics (it was recommended to me as personal statement fodder) or someone who has read other popular science books and wants something a bit deeper.

And on the fiction side of things (which is terribly short as I tend to watch more Sci-Fi than I read):

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams
   Hitchhiker's is one of the most iconic science fiction books in the world and it is well worth the read. It's eclectic, bonkers and fun. There is no way on this earth that you could get bored reading this book.
2. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
   In many ways His Dark Materials is often held up as great fantasy fiction, and it is. It just also happens to have a lot of science (or pseudo science) going on in the background. From Lord Asriel's investigations, to the General Oblation Board's morally dubious tests and Mary Malone's work, there's a lot of scientists and science in this trilogy. I can't wait to get the chance to pick these books back up.

Finally, a few books that have nothing to do with science, but you should read anyway!
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks (for a more mature audience, yey violence!), The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (for a mature audience, yey lots of violence!) and The Wheel of Time (starting with Eye of the World) by Robert Jordan (for, well, pretty much everyone who's not put off by it being 4.4 million worlds in total or being over 19 days long on audiobook. Yey epic tales!), oh and A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin (also for more mature readers).

Have you read any of the books I've mentioned? What do you think of them? What would you recommend?