Giveaways

Enter to win free books sponsored by authors and publishers.

25 copies

Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind

David Sussillo

May 23 - Jun 94 hours left
3,458 entries
US only

David Sussillo has made a career at the cutting edge of neuroscience and technology—yet his path there was anything but a straight line. Born to drug-addicted parents in New Mexico, he navigated a childhood marked by violence and neglect. But a seed was planted at the unlikeliest of places—the local arcade.

What follows is a remarkable journey of resilience and transformation, from the chaotic corridors of group homes to the halls of Columbia and Stanford. Along the way, Sussillo takes readers on an illuminating tour of the century-long dance between neuroscience, physics, and computation that has laid the groundwork for neural networks—the technology that drives modern artificial intelligence. As he advances in the field, working to demystify these networks, he also begins to pursue an answer to a more personal why, and how, did he succeed against all odds?

Emergence radiates heartbreak, humor, and scientific wonder, inviting readers on an unforgettable journey that bridges the personal and the profound, revealing how intricate complexities arise from simple beginnings.

Memoir
Science

15 copies

Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites

Dino J. Martins

May 13 - Jun 13
2,633 entries
US only

Enter Giveaway

Welcome to the hidden, squirming world of parasites—some of the most misunderstood creatures with whom we share the Earth (and our bodies).

"Astonishing, eye-opening, and inspiring." —Chloe Dalton, author of Raising Hare

There is the tapeworm, which can grow 120 feet in length within the gut of a whale; the tsetse fly, a notorious vector of disease that can pierce the skin even of crocodiles with its needle-like mouth; and the most universal symbol of parasitic the leech. Long villainized as, well, parasitic, these creatures are actually a vital part of every ecosystem—and Dr. Dino Martins, an award-winning entomologist and biologist from Kenya, has made it his life’s mission to demystify these beguiling beings.

Hidden Creatures is a journey around the world ten times over—from Martins’ home in the wilds of East Africa, to the rainforests of the Amazon, to cities and backyards across the globe—and along the way, we encounter the brilliant and eccentric experts who join Martins on his adventures to investigate not only parasites but their hosts, from hyraxes and hippos to, of course, humans. Immersive, driven by an utterly infectious curiosity, and sure to transform every reader’s understanding of these organisms, Hidden Creatures has the magnetic force of a David Attenborough documentary and introduces a monumental, charismatic new voice in science writing.

Science
Non-fiction

10 copies

Lost in Curiosity: Field Notes from Scientists' Adventures into the Unknown

Roberta Kwok

May 18 - Jun 16
2,551 entries
US only

Enter Giveaway

The real story of science isn’t a triumphant breakthrough. It’s messy, mysterious, and deeply human.

In Lost in Curiosity, award-winning journalist Roberta Kwok pulls back the curtain on what scientific discovery actually looks like… Not a Eureka moment, but a fraught, often chaotic pursuit of truth.

Chronicling researchers’ struggles and hopes in the field and lab, Kwok documents it all: fending off relentless snowfall on a remote Greenland glacier, desperately searching for an elusive frog in the rainforests of Borneo, and scrambling to capture fleeting signals of a faraway moon outside our solar system. These are the untold stories of devoted young scientists and restless minds who are chasing nature’s riddles, without knowing what they’ll uncover.

Through vivid reporting and moments of unexpected emotion, Kwok reveals the inner lives of researchers who care profoundly about understanding our world and saving what’s left of it. From enigmatic fossils and mind-bending physics to the puzzling behavior of wild animals, Lost in Curiosity is a journey through the questions that keep scientists up at night—and the sometimes strange, always illuminating paths they take to answer them.

Science
Non-fiction

25 copies

Heaven's Graveyard

Grace Curtis

May 22 - Jun 22
2,457 entries
US only

Enter Giveaway

From the Sunday Times-bestselling author of Floating Hotel and Idolfire comes a science fantasy tale of history and myth, magic and mystery, perfect for fans of Shelley Parker-Chan and A. K. Larkwood

Two thousand years after the events of Idolfire, the world is on the brink of war, and the discovery of the enchanted city of Nivela threatens to push it over the brink

"What do you want to know?"

It’s been 2,000 years since the events of Idolfire, and we’re in a whole new Kite-drawn cargo ships race across thoroughly chartered seas, hauling the latest innovations in convenience and slaughter. It is developed, learned, interconnected, and on the brink of catastrophic war.

Archeologist Cod couldn’t care less about the conflict brewing between neighboring powers. She spends her days in happy obscurity, cataloging relics in the Republic of Asha and searching for clues about her lifelong obsession, the mythical hero Aleya Ana-Ulai.

Then a letter arrives summoning her home. Cod’s old teacher has made the discovery of a lifetime. But her home is Palgaro, and the discovery—the ruins of the enchanted city of Nivela—is set to change the world. And not for the better…

Heaven's Graveyard is a sinister lesbian history mystery bringing the magic of Idolfire into a dangerous new century.

Fantasy
Science

20 copies

Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being

Manoush Zomorodi

May 20 - Jun 15
2,294 entries
US only

Enter Giveaway

From the award-winning journalist and TED Radio Hour host comes a timely investigation into how screens and sitting are reshaping our bodies—and how a simple shift can change everything.

In today’s world, a normal day means sitting in front of a screen for eight to ten hours. Meeting after meeting. Email after email. We leave our desks drained, overstimulated and unfocused, only to go home, sit down again, and scroll some more. The result? Headaches, back pain, restless sleep, and rising rates of preventable disease. We know technology is breaking us down—so why can’t we break away?

It’s a question that Manoush Zomorodi has always wanted to answer. As the host of the TED Radio Hour, she has interviewed experts, conducted citizen experiments, and sought out research about how our digital lives are changing the way we think, learn, and feel. Now, in Body Electric, she presents an eye-opening investigation into the impact technology and sedentary living has had on our bodies and brains, from breath and eyesight to blood pressure, posture, and productivity, and shares what science (and tens of thousands of participants in a groundbreaking study with Columbia University Medical Center) have taught her—it’s the small shifts, not the digital detoxes, that will make us healthier.

Filled with perspective-shifting data and real-life applications and tools, Body Electric is the next must-listen for fans of Four Thousand Weeks and The Anxious Generation, and anyone feeling trapped by their technology.

Self help
Science

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 giveaways

Giveaways you've entered

For authors and publishers

List a Giveaway

Giveaways

Enter to win free books sponsored by authors and publishers.

Manoush Zomorodi ...more

For authors and publishers

Manoush Zomorodi