Book Review: Hello World: How Algorithms will Define our Future and Why We Should Learn To Live With It by Hannah Fry

What a wonderful book. I picked up a copy after I saw Hannah Fry's talk at EMF discussing algorithms and how they used pigeons to detect breast cancer, so I couldn't wait to read the book once it came out. I read it over two days and it did not disappoint. I loved that the final chapters covered how Bayesian theory is being used to improve AI. The book is well written and easily understood by a lay-person and no background knowledge is needed. 

I loved the book and would highly recommend this for anyone interested in data, statistics or AI. This book would also be well suited for anyone wanted to better understand how we can make better decisions and the benefits and limitations of the use of algorithms.

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Book Review: The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh

This was a fantastic book. Very well written and covered a broad history of codes and cryptography, and also well suited to a lay-audience, as it included worked examples. I found the beginning few chapters a little slow and drier than the rest of the book, and thoroughly enjoyed the chapters on lost languages like ancient Egyptian and the Linear B tablets. The last chapter about the future of cryptography, looking at quantum computing was interesting but hard to imagine how it would work in practice. I liked the inclusion of a competition at the end of the book. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in cryptography, secret codes and also anyone interested in computer security.

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Book Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma By Michael Pollan

I have been meaning to read this book for ages, but initially I was disappointed. The beginning of the book is dry and very focused on corn, in fact the first 60% of the book is focused in the intensive farming industry focused around corn. I found it hard to relate to this part of the book as it seems more specific for the farming industry in the USA. The book then looks at grass farming, which is more interesting, but again, very specific to the US, because Europe mostly still grazes cattle. The last part of the book I certainly enjoyed the most, it looked at hunting wild game and foraging for mushrooms. This last section flowed better and really came alive, but it feels like two books which have merged into one, as the first sections on corn and grass have no relation to the last section which focuses on alternative ways to produce food and make 'the perfect meal'.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in where food comes from or interested in ethical eating.

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Book Review: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

I loved Caitlin's YouTube channel and was curious to check out her book. It is a fascinating and honest journey of finding yourself and also confronting your own mortality. I cried a lot reading this book, as so many parts touched me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in taboo topics, death culture in different countries and the death industry. This would also be a great book for trainee doctors or other healthcare professionals, changing the perception of death and make conversations more open.

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Book Review: The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters by Mark Henderson

A wonderful book looking at the importance of the geek vote and the difference good science could make to politics if it was organised.

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Book Review: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong

This is a fantastic book, I felt like a learned something new on every page. It is well written and very relatable, focusing on human impacts and stories. By the end you feel like you have taken a long journal into a new world of microbes and completely change the way you think of these interactions and symbioses.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in science, biology, medicine, nature or a passing curiosity about the lives of microbes.

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Book Review: Inferior

This was a fascinating book exploring the scientific misconceptions and flawed research around gender and women. The book tracks the different research around women from birth, fertility to old age. 
I was shocked to learn that Darwin thought that all women had evolved to have inferior intelligence, I understand he lived in a different era but it's disappointing to learn he had such primitive ideas around women. I also thought it was interesting that research is now recognizing that the brain is plastic and changeable, and not fixed like previously thought. I did feel frustrated that so many scientists believed that men have larger brains because they are more intelligent, rather than brains are proportional to body size, which is more obvious. 

Overall, this was a wonderful and well researcher book, pulling apart flawed research relating to gender. I would recommend this book to all scientists, STEM students, feminists, and anyone who wants the facts to dismiss scientific claims used to support sexism.

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Book Review: Catching Breath: The Making and Unmaking of Tuberculosis by Kathryn Lougheed

This was a fascinating book, and I had no idea the history and current state of TB was so complex. I, like many people, think of TB as a disease of the past, something in a Dickens novel. I was also amazed to learn about the interplay between diabetes and TB, and HIV and TB. I found this book an interesting look at an often overlooked disease, and it really helped bring to light some of the challenges in eradicating this disease. 

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in infectious diseases, tropical diseases, poverty and development work, biologists, trainee doctors and anyone else interested in infections like TB.

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Book Review: Butterfly Isles a Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals by Patrick Barkham

This was a beautiful and well-written book, capturing the highs and lows of searching for elusive butterflies throughout the UK. It was fascinating to understand how each butterfly prefers a specific time of year and specific weather conditions and plants, and all these factors make it a huge challenge to try and plan to find them. Before this book, I thought butterflies were pretty but I had not appreciated their lives and distinct habits. Another impact this book had was to show the distinct habitats and plants the butterflies rely on, and how these unique habitats need to be maintained if we want to prevent these butterflies from becoming extinct.
 
Reading this book I realised how little I knew about butterflies and their fascinating lives, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in nature and wildlife, conservation or butterflies in general. 

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Book Review: The Man Who Ate the Zoo: Frank Buckland, forgotten hero of natural history by Richard Girling

What an amazing book and a fascinating life. Frank Buckland led a fascinating life and his contributions to science are sadly mostly forgotten. From naming coprolites to revolutionising the commercial fishing industry, along with numerous scientific discoveries in multiple fields, his passion for science is clear from the first page. Frank clearly was a curious mind seeking answers to how the world works. I found this book fascinating, filled with quotes from his extensive writings, my only criticism would be that the second half was a little dry and repetitive, focusing mostly on salmon fisheries. However this is an biography of an incredible life and his later years were mostly focused on sustainable fisheries, where he was highly influential and created a lasting influence. 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in eccentric Victorians, historic scientists or anyone working in the field of biology or life sciences.

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Book Reviews: Alex's Adventures in Numberland: Dispatches from the Wonderful World of Mathematics

This book was fascinating, but I would say it’s not designed for a very general reader, as it does rely on some understanding of mathematic principles. Some concepts left me confused, and I didn’t really understand the finger multiplication section, but it was fascinating. 

This is a wonderful book likely to spark the reader’s curiosity, and really brings mathematics alive. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in mathematics, statistics, or anyone in the STEM field. 

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Book Reviews: Humble by Nature by Kate Humble

This is a lovely book focusing on Kate Humble's passion for the countryside and country life. It is a wonderful journey through the trials and tribulations of preserving farming life and what it involved to be a modern smallholder. 
This is a lovely quick-read for anyone interested in farming, nature or the countryside. This book would be ideal for anyone who enjoys Countryfile or is considering moving to the country.

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Book Review: A Lab of One's Own: Science and Suffrage in the First World War by Patricia Fara

This is a beautiful book, exploring the stories of the many forgotten women fighting for recognition in both science and in the voting booth in the period around the First World War. This book highlights their contribution to science, and their victories and the set-backs. 

At times I found it overwhelming the number of different names and brief stories, but no book could recount all women’s contributions in depth, and to overlook some in favor of exploring others in more depth is a difficult balance to achieve. I found so many women’s stories compelling and wanting to know more about their life, but so little exists about these women. 

This is a wonderful book, at times it did seem a little repetitive or dry, but it tells incredible histories of women fighting for independence, education and recognition. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in women’s suffrage and to anyone working in science.

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Book Review: Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions by David Attenborough

I was highly anticipating the release of this book, as it covers the early career of Attenborough and the programs which changes the world of nature documentaries. However, I was disappointed, I think this is due to the book being based on Attenborough's original accounts of what occurred on his Zoo Quest travels, but attitudes towards animals and indigenous people have changed dramatically since then. 
It was interesting to read his fascinating accounts of rare and exotic animals, often this is quite funny as these animals are now very familiar. A lovely part of this book is the passion and energy of Attenborough in seeking out these animals, and it was fascinating to understand how much harder it was to get to these isolated locations on the planet, such as his fraught journey to Komodo, which is now very accessible to tourists. 

I did feel uncomfortable with how the animals were stored in little cages for long periods of time, but you can tell they do care about the animals wellbeing, and did choose to release animals they could not look after. 

Overall, it was an interesting book, and wonderful to understand early nature documentaries, but it is a product from the time and so can be a little uncomfortable to modern readers. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical nature and conservation, or fans of Attenborough's work.

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Book Review: The Orchid Hunter: A young botanist's search for happiness by Leif Bersweden

This is a beautiful book written with great passion, and follows a wonderful journey across the UK to find all 52 species of native orchids. However, it just didn't grab me. This book is definitely written for botanists, because of the amount of plant and Latin names. It would be nice to get to know the author a little more and to have more information about his journey and its challenges, as this is more appealing for a casual reader. I was highly impressed by this challenge as a gap year, and certainly think this would be inspirational for young scientists. I would mostly recommend this book for anyone interested in botany and studying the natural sciences.

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Book Review: Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

This book is very reminiscent of Freakonomics, but I preferred the structure of Freakonomics and the chapters felt more gripping and succinct. This was still a very good book, full of fascinating information elucidated from our 'Big Data' era. Many times during reading this book I found myself exclaiming 'wow, did you know...'. Much like Freakonomics, you could feel the authors passion and curiosity come through. I thought the introduction and conclusion really let the book down, especially the conclusion which just seems to ramble. 

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed Freakonomics and is interested in the power of Big Data, this would be a great book for economics students, students studying statistics, or STEM subjects, as it is a fascinating look at the hidden meaning revealed in huge data sets.

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