Best Science Books and Board Games of 2019. Dec 6, 2019, Part 2

Science Friday

Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, Wnyc, Friday, Science

4.4 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2019

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In a year jam-packed with fast-moving science news and groundbreaking research, books can provide a more slower-paced, reflective look at the world around us—and a precious chance to dive deep on big ideas. But how do you decide which scientific page-turner to pick up first? Science Friday staff pawed through the piles all year long. Listen to Ira round up his top picks, along with Valerie Thompson, Science Magazine senior editor and book reviewer, and Deborah Blum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and director of MIT’s Knight Science Journalism program. See a list of their 2019 science book selections. And we have been asking you for your favorite reads of the year. Find your recommendations here! Plus, Science Diction correspondent Johanna Mayer reviews a lexicological classic, Isaac Asimov’s Words of Science. And, we rolled out a roundup of the best science board games! Some board games go beyond rolling dice, collecting $200, and passing “go.” Newer games have elaborate story-building narratives with complex strategies. And some of those board games focus on science themes that teach different STEM concepts. Board game creator Elizabeth Hargrave talks about how she turned her birding hobby into the game Wingspan. She and Angela Chuang, whose board game reviews have appeared in the journal Science, discuss their favorite STEM board games and what makes a good science game. Check out a list of recommended board games here!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Science Friday. I'm Ira Flato. It's here. Can you feel it? Yeah, the time has come for
0:07.8	lists, the lists, the round-ups, the best-ofs, the gift guides, the top tens, the 20 must-haves, and
0:15.9	beyond. Yes, the year is shutting down, the decade is wrapping up, and everyone is on the prowl for things to carry forward into 2020, whether for themselves or someone else.
0:28.6	And here at Science Friday, what we have in abundance is books.
0:33.8	Boy, do we get books. We get, I mean, dozens of, I'd say over 100 books a month, and many, and my producer and I are always thumbing through pages.
0:43.7	We're dog-eering away, so what better way to cap the year than to share with you?
0:48.9	Some recommendations for the best science books of 2019.
0:53.5	And we've got some good ones, riveting histories,
0:56.3	intrepid investigations, and stories that will give you a new perspective on climate change,
1:02.2	modern medicine, and beyond. So grab your library card, put your local bookstore on speed
1:08.7	dial, and pull out that pen and pencil.
1:12.4	We've also been asking you to help us.
1:14.7	You've come through with some great suggestions like Leonetta in Modesto, California.
1:20.7	I've just finished reading Crisis in the Red Zone by Richard Preston.
1:25.5	It is the scariest book that I've ever read since his last book about Ebola.
1:30.5	It will make you look twice at anybody that you encounter who's sick.
1:33.7	Hmm. How about Lisa from Plymouth, Minnesota? She had this recommendation. My favorite science
1:38.6	book of 2019 was The Bastard Brigade by Sam Keen. I love anything by Sam Keen. His books are great, and this one was
1:46.2	especially good and exciting. It mixed together World War II, the race to build the atomic bombs,
1:51.6	spies and baseball. What is not to love? Yeah, I kind of like that one also. So we're going to talk more
1:56.9	about all of these books, but we want to know what was your favorite science book that
2:02.1	came out this year. Give us a call. Our number 844-724-8255. You make the call about the book,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Science Friday and WNYC Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Science Friday and WNYC Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.