Looking for some summer reading? Why not visit your public library and check out some of the MSKCC Library staff’s favorite popular science books? You’re sure to be intrigued and entertained!

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Siddhartha Mukherjee’s “biography” is a combination of medical history, cutting-edge science and narrative journalism. It’s also the winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Follow Mary Roach’s firsthand explorations of cadavers and their varied contributions to science. A wide range of unexpected topics are covered in this sometimes gross, often humorous book.

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
Richard Holmes paints the colorful history of the 18th century men and women whose discoveries gave rise to the Romantic Age of Science. Winner of the 2009 Royal Society Prize for Science Books.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
24 tales of neurological disorder are explored by neurologist and clinical writer, Oliver Sacks. The book is divided into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, and The World of the Simple.

Eureka!: Great Inventions and How They Happened
29 of the world’s greatest inventions are presented in this book by Richard Pratt, each with a brief biography of the scientist and an account of the “Eureka!” moment.

For more recommendations, see Curl Up with a Good Science Book from a Library of Congress Science Reference Librarian.