1. The Double Helix- James Watson. A very good book to read if you want to get totally pumped for scientific discovery. He makes it seem so possible.

2. What Mad Pursuit- Francis Crick. Jim's partner-in-crime writes his own brief version of the story, and expounds on what happened to him afterward. Good science and good introspection.

3. American Prometheus-Kai Bird and Martin Shirwin. An extremely thorough look at the great J. Robert Oppenheimer, through the A-bomb and afterword. Both a look at a really unusual man and the results of dangerous science in a naive world.

4. The Great Influenza- John Barry. If you ever wanted the snot scared out of you by the possibility of a new flu pandemic, this is the one to read. Filled with science-centric chapters, and details the exploits of several great early microbiologists.

5. The Human, the Orchid and the Octopus- Jacques Cousteau. The last book by the great oceanographer, explorer and documentarian, this touching book gives a wise overview of the sea, its role in our lives, and the need to preserve it.

6. The Entire Oliver Sacks Collection (Awakenings, An Anthropologist on Mars, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, Migraine). One of my all-time favorite authors, Sacks gives a view of neurology that is both erudite and humanistic. I have never not enjoyed his books. He gave me an entirely new perspective on the brain and the mind.

7. River of Doubt- Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey- Candice Millard. The biggest scientific stretch of this list, the book details the ex-president's big and nearly-fatal journey into an Amazon tributary on a naturalistic and mapping expedition. A great story that also contains great info on the rain forest. Will make you very glad you work in someplace air conditioned.

8. Signs of Life- How Complexity Pervades Biology- Ricard Sole and others. Gave my first insights into non-linear dynamics and their role in nearly every interesting system. Some math-heavy elements included for those who want to probe deeper.