Armchair Science Books (28 books)

Discover new books on Goodreads

Meet your next favorite book

Listopia > Armchair Science Books

Non-fiction books about a topic of science the lay person can enjoy. No biographies or memoirs. No fiction books (even if they have real science in them). Both hard and soft sciences are ok.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by V.S. Ramachandran 4.27 avg rating — 20,944 ratings score: 295, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik 4.11 avg rating — 21,695 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.94 avg rating — 75,676 ratings score: 286, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 57,992 ratings score: 283, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik 4.10 avg rating — 4,498 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond by John Powell 4.02 avg rating — 4,639 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 23,849 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 201,094 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.21 avg rating — 435,632 ratings score: 191, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari 4.18 avg rating — 295,844 ratings score: 189, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics by Jim Al-Khalili 3.99 avg rating — 3,155 ratings score: 188, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari 4.15 avg rating — 182,363 ratings score: 187, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 4.32 avg rating — 1,328,332 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker 4.36 avg rating — 238,411 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal by Yossi Yovel 3.89 avg rating — 787 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler 4.16 avg rating — 24,348 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Astronomical: From Quark-stars to Wormholes, the Weird Science of Our Universe by Tim James 4.39 avg rating — 186 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 14,150 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Impostor Poodles to Purple Numbers by V.S. Ramachandran 4.01 avg rating — 3,657 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything by Tim James 4.27 avg rating — 1,275 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 11,128 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Planets by Brian Cox 4.45 avg rating — 3,059 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation: The Definitive Guide to the Evolutionary Biology of Sex by Olivia Judson 4.06 avg rating — 3,690 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	What a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to the Senses by Daniel Chamovitz 4.04 avg rating — 4,137 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 7,297 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney 4.13 avg rating — 2,978 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Undercover Economist Strikes Back: How to Run-or Ruin-an Economy by Tim Harford (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 3,333 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 30,052 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars