Continuing the year-end wrap-up theme, I’ll invite suggestions for the best books of the year. Since I’m so far behind on the booklog, it’s much harder for me to remember what came out in 2006, and come up with a ranking, but I have some ideas. I’d like to hear what other people think, though, so:
In your opinion, what was the best non-fiction book of 2006?
“Non-Fiction” in this case would include, well, anything that’s not made up. Books of essays, collections of reviews, polemics about science, anti-religion screeds, so-fifteen-minutes-ago political tracts, whatever you like.
I’d like to nominate “The Discoveries” by Alan Lightman. Maybe this fits into another of your categories as well, but it was the book I enjoyed most this year.
I thought “Intelligent Thought, Science versos the Intelligent Design Movement” edited by John Brockman, was great.
I haven’t read the Infamous Dawkins Book yet, but I thought Dennett’s Breaking the Spell was a good read.
This reflects my little-bitty universe, but I have to go with The College Administrator’s Survival Guide, by C.K. Gunsalus.
It’s eerily accurate.
The Omnivore’s Dillema, Michael Pollan.
King of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry by Siobhan Roberts is both a great read and a kind of intellectual history of geometry in the 20th century.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design.
(Just kidding.)