New On My TBR List This Month
New books I came across in February
My rate of finishing books may still be lagging but my rate of adding books to my TBR wish list is certainly not slowing down. There’s just so much to catch up on; so much to read; never enough time! This month we have some big thoughts on the future of life and the influence of past life on earth; unfortunate cases of bad medical research; how women have contributed to history; the modern age of self-censorship; and why people like watching other people play video games.
Happy reading!
Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future
By Neil Shubin
Published February 2025 from Dutton
Shubin makes evolution fun. I still remember how jazzed I was about his Your Inner Fish series on Netflix a decade (?) ago. I know this is going to be an easy enjoyable read. Count me in.
The Trouble with Ancient DNA: Telling Stories of the Past with Genomic Science
By Anna Källén
Published January 2025 from University of Chicago Press
The title of this one caught my attention because I love all things ancient DNA – including all the juicy academic debates. This is a short – 163 pages – read only in paperback. Not a deal breaker but often yellow flags of quality in my opinion. Curious!
The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No
By Carl Elliott
Published May 2024 from W. W. Norton & Company
This was recommended by my (brilliant) colleague Alice Dreger. So that alone, in addition to this 10/10 cover design was an instant add to my list. We’ve been discussing a lot about science regulation, granting, and all the like due to (the completely predictable) shit show of the Trump administration upending federal research, and this seems like an excellent read.
Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's
By Charles Piller
Published February 2025 from Atria
I heard about this first from the podcast Blocked and Reported as host Jesse Singal focuses a lot of his journalistic efforts on medical research, and this looks like a phenomenal, if not distressing, read.
Self-Censorship
By Glen C. Loury
Publishing July 2025 from Polity
I work in this space professionally and so this book is a must-read for generally staying on top of what’s happening in the area. Looks like a short, good read.
Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men
By Patricia Owens
Publishing March 2025 from Princeton University Press
A top reading interest of mine is women’s history and when I came across this book from one of my favorite publishers I knew it was an instant add to my TBR. This history of how women played instrumental roles in developing the academic field of international relations sounds phenomenal.
When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution's Greatest Romance
By Riley Black
Published February 2025 from St. Martin’s Press
Prehistoric animals? Plants? Fossils? Evolution? Say less. Instand add when I saw this come across my social from my friend
. Looks great. I don’t see how I won’t enjoy this one.Stream Big: The Triumphs and Turmoils of Twitch and the Stars Behind the Screen
By Nathan Grayson
Published February 2025 from Atria
I love tech history and I’ve read about most of the big players in the space – Youtube, Facebook, Reddit, etc. Add Twitch to the list!