*Rory Stewart, The Places In Between
This story is about a Scotsman who walks across Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, living amid the people and devastated communities, trying to piece together stories of the recent and ancient past and how the civilization of Afghanistan reflects that heritage.

*Al Gore, Earth in the Balance
Advocates the need to take a proactive stand concerning the environment and addresses that we must do something about Global Warming, protection of the Ozone layer, too much pollution, etc., before all is too late.

*Sue Hubbell, Shrinking the Cat
Discusses how genetic engineering is actually not new -- that we have been tinkering with genetics for years, possibly for the betterment of mankind.

*Philip Steadman, Vermeer's Camera
This controversial book attempts to speculate that seventeenth century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer created his magnificent masterpieces that hang in art museums around the world using a technique known as "camera obscura." Vermeer was aware of optical science and projected images to be traced.

*John McPhee, The Curve of Binding Energy
The life and career of Theodore B. Taylor, a noted theoretical physicist who, early in his career, miniaturized the atomic bomb and created the largest-yield fission bomb ever detonated, but, later in life, became increasingly worried about the availability of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium is the focus.

*Neil Postman, Technopoly
Discusses how education looks to technology as a way to relieve so many problems, but Postman argues that we are becoming too overdependent on technology and do not see the potential problems.

*Noam Chomsky, Necessary Illusions
Tells how the media and those in power use propaganda in a democratic society (as opposed to violence and force in a dictatorship) to maintain order and control.

*Mary Roach, Stiff
Explores in clinical detail tales about our bodies postmortem and some of the scientific uses of the human cadaver.

*Mark Kurlansky, Salt
This book is about the history of salt and how salt has influenced everything from food to politics to religion.

*Temple Grandin, Animals in Translation
Grandin draws on her own experiences and knowledge of autism and animals to try to delve into how the world of autism can be used to offer insight into the world and "language" of animals.

*Steven Levitt, Freakonomics
Uses economics to try to explain social issues such as crime and abortion.

*Gavin Pretor-Pinney, The Cloudspotter's Guide
Everything you always wanted to know about clouds but were afraid to ask. This book is a complete compendium on all things clouds.