Great geek reads for snowy days
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The Geeks' Guide to World Domination
The Geeks' Guide to World Domination
Winter has already come in with a windy, snowy roar, which indicates that a long winter of snow days is ahead. Whether shopping for yourself or your favorite geek, here’s a list of great geeky books to cozy up to the electric fireplace with. (This list is more about entertainment; if you want to work on your quintessential geekiness, check out Wally Bahny’s 75 must-read geek books.)
You can also view these recommendations in list form in my Geekend post.
The Geeks’ Guide to World Domination: Be Afraid, Beautiful People by Garth Sundem quietly announces that “Begun, the Geek wars have” and this book will help you get ready.
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Geek Logik
Geek Logik
Take the guesswork out of geek life with Geek Logik: 50 Foolproof Equations for Everyday Life by Garth Sundem.
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xkcd: volume 0
xkcd: volume 0
xkcd: volume 0 even includes mouseover text! For a preview of what you can expect, check out the TechRepublic gallery Geek humor from xkcd comics.
Image credit: ThinkGeek
GeekDad - Geeky Projects for Dads and Kids
GeekDad - Geeky Projects for Dads and Kids
GeekDad – Geeky Projects for Dads and Kids by Ken Denmead promises to teach you how to do cool things; no child necessary.
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Diamonds in the Sky
Diamonds in the Sky
Diamonds in the Sky edited by Mike Brotherton is an anthology of astronomy-related science fiction.
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Heroes!: Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks & Other Do-Gooders
Heroes!: Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks & Other Do-Gooders
There’s a renaissance of drawing going in my house lately, and Heroes!: Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks & Other Do-Gooders by Jay Stephens might be a great resource.
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Sci-Fi Baby Names
Sci-Fi Baby Names
People in a certain condition might like Sci-Fi Baby Names by Robert Schnakenberg.
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Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology
Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology
Escape cabin fever with Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology edited by Sheila Williams.
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How Many Licks?
How Many Licks?
How Many Licks? Or How to Estimate Damn Near Anything by Aaron Santos, Ph.D. is at the top of my wish list. It explains Enrico Fermi’s theory of approximation. I want to know how many M&Ms are in that jar at the next Fourth of July picnic.
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Backyard Ballistics
Backyard Ballistics
Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle has plans and directions for making potato guns and other small scale ballistics devices.
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Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste
Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste
Why There’s Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste by Simon Quellen Field explains what chemicals are found in common household items and what they are doing there. It sounds scary but very, very useful. I recommend this book for people who like documentaries that tell us too much about where our food comes from.
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Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things
Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things
Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things by Cy Tymony gives instructions on ways to reuse common household goods (some of the same household goods covered in Why There’s Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste).
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The Magicians
The Magicians
The Magicians by Lev Grossman combines Harry Potter and Narnia, and looks like the kind of book that a geek can really get lost in.
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Dreamdark series
Dreamdark series
The Dreamdark series, Blackbringer and Silksinger, by Laini Taylor is likely to become a favorite.
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As this is the season of gifting, here are a few items the geeky reader on your list might enjoy:
I use a DIY Library Kit so I can keep track of the geek books lent out of my library. Also, Star Wars Bookends look great on any library shelf (and can also be used to hold video game boxes on a shelf). For more ideas, download TechRepublic’s 2010 Geek Gift Guide.Well, that’s enough to get a person through January at least. Help me fill out my reading list for February by telling me about geek books I missed in the comments.
More reading recommendations
- 2010 Hugo award winners to add to your sci-fi reading list
- Books that make physics accessible to the average geek
- Edison’s Conquest of Mars: A Victorian Era steampunk space opera
- Superhero sci-fi tales for mere mortals
- Six monster stories worth reading
- Six zombie tales worth checking out
- Geek Gifts 2010: The Geek Atlas
- Geek Gifts 2010: The Guild Leader’s Handbook
