The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World
by Peter Roberts and Shelley Evans. University of Chicago Press, 2011
Medusa brittlestem, hawthorn twiglet, olive earthtongue—welcome to the weird and wonderful world of fungi, where the species have names that sound as though they could have been plucked from the pages of Harry Potter. Gorgeous color photographs, handy distribution maps and chatty descriptions celebrate edible and poisonous fungal varieties from around the globe.
Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo. Free Press, 2011
Recent discoveries suggest that the inhabitants of Easter Island were actually devoted stewards of their island’s natural resources. Archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo describe how they solved the mystery of the society’s collapse.
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Lip Service: Smiles in Life, Death, Trust, Lies, Work, Memory, Sex and Politics
by Marianne LaFrance. W. W. Norton, 2011
There are many kinds of smiles, from knowing and joyful to pleading and fake. Smile expert Marianne LaFrance of Yale University discusses the latest science and shows that there is much more to a pair of upturned lips than meets the eye.
The End of Country
by Seamus McGraw. Random House, 2011
Journalist Seamus McGraw tells the story of what happened to a small town in rural Pennsylvania after one of the richest natural gas deposits on earth—the Marcellus shale deposit—was discovered there. McGraw’s own mother was among the first residents to receive an offer from the gas company to lease her property.
Eruptions That Shook the World
by Clive Oppenheimer. Cambridge University Press, 2011
Volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge surveys the biggest eruptions of the past quarter of a billion years to illustrate how profoundly volcanoes have shaped our world and how we might apply the lessons of the past to managing disastrous eruptions in the future.
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