SEVEN “CELEBRITY” FOSSILS provide an intriguing window into the world of paleoanthropology. Engaging writing! B PLUS

SEVEN SKELETONS
Viking
2016

FASCINATING AMERICAN HISTORY looks at Boston’s 1721 smallpox epidemic, its impact on science and politics. A MINUS

THE FEVER OF 1721: THE EPIDEMIC THAT REVOLUTIONIZED MEDICINE AND AMERICAN POLITICS
Simon & Schuster
2016

BENEATH EARTH’S SURFACE with the researchers seeking to understand its depths. Fantastic science writing! A MINUS

INTO THE HEART OF OUR WORLD: A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH: A REMARKABLE VOYAGE OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
Pegasus
2016

A ‘PREHISTORY’ OF US SPACEFLIGHT focuses on the integration of German scientists into US research aviation. SOLID B

BREAKING THE CHAINS OF GRAVITY: THE STORY OF SPACEFLIGHT BEFORE NASA
Bloomsbury USA
2016

AN ENTERTAINING, INFORMATIVE HISTORY of navigational technology, from lodestones to satellites to GPS. SOLID B

A DOCTOR AND GENETICS RESEARCHER’S informal overview of how our environment can affect our gene expression. SOLID B

SUPERB TRUE ADVENTURE tale of the first Western explorer/naturalist to study, document (and hunt) gorillas.

EARLY TORNADO CHASERS in the US, from Ben Franklin through the 20th century, profiled in a lively history.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS and science, elegantly explored in a concise meditation on Euclid’s “Elements”.

INSIDE THE WORLD OF hallucinations with Oliver Sacks, the Willy Wonka of the human brain. Fun, informative.