Books like Life Itself — picked by fans

While in the 1960s Carl Sagan and Frank Drake, based on a simple equation (“Drake’s equation”) concluded that intelligent life is abundant in the Galaxy, with as many as a million such civilizations with which we might be able to communicate, the thesis of this book is that intelligent life is exceedingly rare in the Universe.

The authors do not argue that life itself is rare. Their thesis is that simple life, such as single-celled organisms like bacteria, may have developed on billions of planets in the Galaxy. But that, on the other hand, animal life on land (multicellular creatures, able to move around) is exceedingly rare. And that these animals developing intelligence is still very much rarer.

The arguments which the authors put forward are based on what we know from the history of life on Earth in connection with the very special position of Earth in our planetary… show more.

This is a wonderful book by an author who made one of the greatest discoveries of theoretical cosmology of the past fifty years: Inflation, a very early phase of the Big Bang during which the Universe increased in size by a gigantic factor (10 to the power 30).

The author herewith solved two great problems which already for decades had puzzled astronomers: the so-called “flatness problem” (why is the Universe flat?) and the “horizon problem”. The flatness of the Universe means that it neither has a positive nor a negative curvature. This implies that its total energy - sum of kinetic energy (positive) and potential energy (negative) - is exactly zero.

The book gives a very nice personal description of the process of how fundamental discoveries in theoretical physics and cosmology are made. In addition, it gives a crystal-clear overview of the present state of our knowledge of the… show more.

This is a no-nonsense look at the Big Bang theory with a large dose of current scientific theory and a small dose of modern philosophy.

I like how Krauss doesn’t pull his punches concerning either, yet he still manages to present his opinions with a wry sense of humor. Despite being a cutting-edge theoretical physicist, he doesn’t talk down to the reader; a layperson, as well as a scientist (me), can enjoy it. And I did!

This is the fascinating personal account, by physics Nobel laureate Mather, of the discovery with NASA’s COBE satellite, of the tiny variations in intensity over the sky (“ripples”) of the microwave background radiation of the universe. This background radiation originates from the time when the universe first became transparent, about 380 000 years after the Big Bang. 

Theorists had predicted that this radiation may hold information on density fluctuations in the first fraction of a second of the expanding hot universe. Mather and his colleagues succeeded in detecting the predicted very small intensity variations, which earned him and his colleague George Smoot the Nobel Prize. These “ripples” are the seeds for the formation of the presently observed structures in the universe.

The book is very well written and is wonderful reading for everyone interested in the origin and evolution of the universe and in how great scientific discoveries are made.

This is the darkest of Hermann Hesse’s well-known spiritual journey novels. Unlike works such as Siddhartha, and Demian, Harry Haller in Steppenwolf is a despondent, surly, and suicidal misfit, incapable of coming to grips with the bourgeois culture around him, which seems to him irreparably antithetical to the classical art and literature he worships.

Haller’s eventual spiritual awakening is far more subtle and less dazzling than those Hesse portrayed in other works, and for me, therefore, in many ways more relatable. Deeply ingrained in my mind is Hesse’s image of the gramophone playing tinny, distorted works by master classical composers—which Haller at first despises— but then comes to see that it is much like his trying to decipher mystical truth, which manifests to him in a sort of abridged and imperfect form—because that is all that we, as corporeal humans, are able to discern.

I came across this book in a bookstore when I was developing the morphology and physiology of the creatures in my book. It provided me with insights into what “my” extraterrestrials might look like and how they might differ physiologically from Earthbound creatures.

From the very concept of life beyond our planet, I was reminded that, like life on Earth, extraterrestrials could metabolize sulfur and/or arsenic and how, like on Earth, they would evolve to suit changing environmental conditions. Those very concepts were pivotal in the creation of the “bugs” in my story.

This is to me is the best book ever written for understanding what human beings are, how we are similar to and different from other animal species, how we develop from helpless newborns to fully functioning adults, and what we are striving for in our lives. Most nonfiction books make a point and then repeat it over and over with examples and anecdotes. In contrast, The Birth and Death of Meaning begins with evolution and progresses logically from its first page to its last. When you finish this book, you will have a much better understanding of yourself, the people in your life, historical and current events, and problems ranging from anxiety and depression to interpersonal conflict to prejudice.  

Dave Barry has been cracking me up for decades. His columns in The Miami Herald used to come out on Mondays (in the newspaper to which my parents subscribed). I knew it was Monday when I heard my Dad snickering, cackling, or pulling out a tissue to wipe the tears rolling down his cheeks.

Back then, I only understood some of the humor since much of it was about politics, and I was into Barbies, not government goings-on. As an adult, this book reminded me of Dave Barry's genius in finding the funny in everyday happenings. I only wish I could be that clever! It also reminded me of my Dad, whom I adored. Thanks for the comedy and wit, Mr. Barry!

Oprah is my hero. I can think of no more impressive entrepreneur, from what she started with to what she built and the impact she has had on the world. For many people, understanding one’s purpose and direction is the first step towards becoming a successful entrepreneur and a happy and fulfilled human being. This book will help you begin to do the hard work to get there.

This New York Times hardcover bestseller by the quantum physicist explains the recent discovery from the Hubble telescope: More than 200 billion galaxies in space are aligned along thin threads, creating a cosmic web that looks much like the interconnection of neurons in the human brain. 

The conceptions of interconnectedness that are beginning to emerge in the world of science mirror the theory of interconnectedness so foundational to Buddhist thought. It beautifully illustrates the notion of oneness as manifested in paranormal phenomena and transcendent experiences.