This is just a list of the books that I've found thought provoking and

interesting to read. Yes, its going to have a biological and science

oriented basis, but I'm interested in that kinda stuff, so deal.

What is Your Dangerous Idea?

John Brockman

A

great collection of short essays by the leading thinkers of our time.

They report what they think is the most "Dangerous Idea" of our time,

and bring in good discussion and thought provoking concepts.

Kiln People

David Brin

This

is a sci-fi murder mystery, in a future where humanity has developed a

means to 'clone' their brains and impart their thinking and knowledge

into clay golems, that work and basically become expendable 'you''s.

Its a wonderfully crafted novel, with adventure and suspense. 

Full Text here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=HPJaNcpK0gEC&dq=kiln

people david

brin&pg=PP1&ots=27SY5apA_L&sig=uzj_XzGgp3oKuLyZEQbw_42jqEo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins

If

you've ever been interested in why humans are fascinated with belief,

give this book a shot. It delves into and argues why humanity believes

in higher powers, and logically lays out the arguments against faith,

and why humanity might not need faith. Whatever your beliefs, check it

out, thought provoking for sure.

The Ancestors Tale

Richard Dawkins

This

is a long book, but its fabulous. Starting with humanity, it goes back

through the branchpoints of out evolution, working back all the way to

primordial cells, and takes pit stops alwong the way, explaining the

wonderful assemblies of creatures that join at each branch point and

how evolution has shaped life on this planet. If you are interested in

biology, this is a must.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Oliver Sacks

Oliver

Sacks is an accomplished neurosurgeon, and over the years he's seen

many interesting disorders and cases. Some of the cases he talks about

are absolutely crazy, you've got to check this book out if your

interested in the strange and unexplained.

The Trouble with Physics

Lee Smolin

Smolin takes an objective look at string theory, including the history of the theory, the revolutions it has caused, why it might not be correct and the terrible tendancies of the scientific community to put down any research that goes against what is currently considered 'hot'. Wonderful read, if you've ever wondered what the heck "string theory" is (its digestable to the non-physacist, I assure you!), and how the scientific community works.

In the Shadow of the Silk Road

Colin Thubron

A old british dude starts in western China in 2005, with the goal of retracing the path of the silk road, through China, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Again, in 2005. He interviews people along the way, and hitchhikes, sneaks into muslim-only mosques, gets quarentined because of the SARS scare... its quite the adventure. Apart from the somewhat annoying italicised passages where he converses with an imaginary silk road trader (boooooooooring), its a fantastic travel journal.

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Colombus

Charles C. Mann

If you thought you knew what the new world was like before Colombus, think again. This book takes in recent discoveries about the civilizaitons of the Americas and how technologically advanced some of their societies were. It also delves into the effect that Colombus and other explorers had on the native populations, and what was destroyed when western civilization colonized the land. There are some startling and thought provoking conclusions to this book, so check it out.

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

Gary Kinder

This book catalogues the life of Gary Kinder, a man who grew up to found the first company that makes profits from searchin for treasure. Its a story of a 20th century treasure hunt. Great book.