The Reading Room
Books to make you think, question, and occasionally laugh out loud. Best enjoyed with a pot of something strong.
The Demon-Haunted World
Carl Sagan
Science as a candle in the dark. The essential guide to critical thinking and why scepticism matters now more than ever.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
How your brain tricks you into thinking you're rational when you're not. Humbling, fascinating, essential.
Why I Am Not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
The patron saint speaks. Russell's essays on religion, truth, and morality. Clear-headed and surprisingly gentle.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Tom Standage
Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola — how drinks shaped civilisation. The tea chapter alone is worth the price.
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
How did an unremarkable ape come to rule the planet? A sweeping, provocative history of humankind.
Bad Science
Ben Goldacre
Quacks, hacks, and the pharma industry. A witty, furious takedown of bad evidence and the people who profit from it.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
A Roman emperor's private journal on how to live well. Nearly two thousand years old and still the best self-help book ever written.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
From the Big Bang to the rise of civilisation, told with warmth, wonder, and Bryson's trademark humour.
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