# R/W Book Club — Reading History > This file is designed for LLM consumption. Paste this URL into any AI > chatbot to give it full context about our book club's reading history. > Human-readable site: https://rwbookclub.com > Detailed version with synopses: https://rwbookclub.com/llms-full.txt ## About the club The R/W Book Club has been meeting since April 2003. The "R/W" stands for Read / Write — the members are technically minded and many blog. The club reads about 8 books per year, mostly non-fiction (~88%). Members rotate picking the next book and hosting the discussion. As of this build there are 179 books across 24 years of reading. ## Meeting cadence - Meets roughly monthly (about 8 meetings per year) - Members rotate picking the next book - The picker usually hosts the discussion - Meetings are in-person in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area ## Current book - **The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future** by Joel Miller Read May 2026 · Picked by Jamie ## Next up Not yet announced. ## Current members - Nick (17 picks) - Erik (37 picks) - Tom (35 picks) - Jamie (34 picks) - Loren (16 picks) ## Topic distribution - History & Economics: 27 books - Politics & Social Sciences: 25 books - Science Fiction & Fiction: 24 books - Brain & Psychology: 24 books - Science and Math: 23 books - Technology: 22 books - Current Events & People: 12 books - Essays & Literature: 7 books - Health & Medicine: 6 books - Travel & Memoir: 5 books - Philosophy & Religion: 3 books ## Reading history (compact) Books are listed newest-first, grouped by year. ### 2026 - **The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future** by Joel Miller Essays & Literature · 344pp · Published 2025 · Picked by Jamie - **Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way it Does** by Philip Ball Science and Math · 288pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Tom - **The Overstory** by Richard Powers · Fiction · 512pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Erik ### 2025 - **Enshittification** by Cory Doctorow Technology · 352pp · Published 2025 · Picked by Tom - **Heart of Darkness** by Joseph Conrad Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 120pp · Published 1899 · Picked by Nick - **The Origins of Totalitarianism** by Hannah Arendt Politics & Social Sciences · 440pp · Published 1951 · Picked by Loren - **Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI** by Ethan Mollick Technology · Published 2024 · Picked by Jamie - **How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy** by Jenny Odell Politics & Social Sciences · 256pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Erik ### 2024 - **Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages** by Guy Deutscher Brain & Psychology · 296pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Erik - **Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War** by Paul Scharre Technology · 384pp · Published 2018 · Picked by Tom - **The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of a New Future** by Sebastian Mallaby History & Economics · 496pp · Published 2022 · Picked by Nick - **Dictionary People** by Sarah Ogilvie Current Events & People · 384pp · Published 2023 · Picked by Loren - **Medici Money** by Tim Parks History & Economics · 288pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Jamie ### 2023 - **Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity** by David Graeber and David Wengrow History & Economics · 752pp · Published 2021 · Picked by Erik - **Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds** by Thomas Halliday Science and Math · 112pp · Published 2022 · Picked by Tom - **Nation of Takers: America's Entitlement Epidemic** by Nicholas Eberstadt Politics & Social Sciences · Published 2012 · Picked by Nick - **Men Without Work** by Nicholas Eberstadt Politics & Social Sciences · 206pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Nick - **A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments** by David Foster Wallace Essays & Literature · 353pp · Published 1997 · Picked by Loren - **To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret** by Jedidiah Jenkins Travel & Memoir · 352pp · Published 2018 · Picked by Jamie ### 2022 - **Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota** by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White History & Economics · 296pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Erik - **Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas** by Natasha Dow Schüll Brain & Psychology · 472pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Tom - **The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization** by Paul Strathern History & Economics · 400pp · Published 2021 · Picked by Nick - **Aeschylus I: The Persians, The Seven Against Thebes, The Suppliant Maidens, Prometheus Bound** by Aeschylus History & Economics · 256pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Nick - **Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty** by Patrick Radden Keefe Current Events & People · 720pp · Published 2021 · Picked by Loren - **The Blocksize War: The battle over who controls Bitcoin’s protocol rules** by Jonathan Bier Technology · 228pp · Published 2021 · Picked by Jamie ### 2021 - **Caste** by Isabel Wilkerson Politics & Social Sciences · 496pp · Published 2020 · Picked by Erik - **Nature & Walking** by Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays & Literature · 76pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Nick - **Evicted** by Matthew Desmond Politics & Social Sciences · 464pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Loren - **A Man at Arms** by Steven Pressfield Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 336pp · Published 2021 · Picked by Jamie - **Klara and the Sun** by Kazuo Ishiguro Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 419pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Tom - **The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World** by David Anthony History & Economics · 568pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Loren - **Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero** by Christopher McDougall Travel & Memoir · 496pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Jamie - **The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous** by Joseph Henrich Politics & Social Sciences · 704pp · Published 2020 · Picked by Erik - **Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves** by Frans De Waal Science and Math · 396pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Tom ### 2020 - **Unflattening** by Nick Sousanis Essays & Literature · 208pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Nick - **Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival** by David Pilling Politics & Social Sciences · 382pp · Published 2014 · Picked by Loren - **The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement** by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson Politics & Social Sciences · 259pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Jamie - **Benjamin Franklin: An American Life** by Walter Isaacson History & Economics · 626pp · Published 2003 · Picked by Erik - **Replay** by Ken Grimwood Science Fiction & Fiction · 519pp · Published 1986 · Picked by Tom - **The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction** by David M. Gwynn History & Economics · 144pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Nick - **The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower** by Michael Pillsbury History & Economics · 352pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Nick - **The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World** by Pedro Domingos Technology · 333pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Loren - **The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life** by Anu Partanen Current Events & People · 448pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Loren ### 2019 - **Genesis: The Deep Origin of Societies** by Edward O. Wilson Science and Math · 160pp · Published 2019 · Picked by Erik - **How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading** by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren Brain & Psychology · 385pp · Published 1940 · Picked by Tom - **Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance** by Robert Pirsig Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 373pp · Published 1974 · Picked by Nick - **Educated: A Memoir** by Tara Westover Current Events & People · 464pp · Published 2018 · Picked by Loren - **Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life** by David R. Montgomery Science and Math · 320pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Jamie - **Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts** by Alexander Langlands Politics & Social Sciences · 352pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Jamie - **Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies** by Geoffrey West Science and Math · 479pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Tom ### 2018 - **Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy** by George Gilder Technology · 320pp · Published 2018 · Picked by Nick - **How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence** by Michael Pollan Health & Medicine · 528pp · Published 2018 · Picked by Jamie - **Freedom™** by Daniel Suarez Science Fiction & Fiction · 499pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Loren - **Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed** by Jared Diamond History & Economics · 515pp · Published 2004 · Picked by Erik - **Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind** by Yuval Noah Harari History & Economics · 456pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Loren - **Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams** by Matthew Walker Health & Medicine · 485pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Nick - **Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment** by Robert Wright Philosophy & Religion · 336pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Tom - **Walkaway** by Cory Doctorow Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 560pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Loren ### 2017 - **Daemon** by Daniel Suarez Technology · Fiction · 640pp · Published 2009 · Picked by Jamie - **A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution** by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg Science and Math · 248pp · Published 2017 · Picked by Erik - **How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer** by Sarah Bakewell Philosophy & Religion · 416pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Tom - **Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise** by Anders Ericsson Brain & Psychology · 307pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Nick - **The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance** by Nessa Carey Science and Math · 352pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Loren - **Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World** by Mark Miodownik Science and Math · 272pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Jamie - **Norse Mythology** by Neil Gaiman History & Economics · 272pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Erik - **All Art Is Propaganda** by George Orwell Essays & Literature · 374pp · Published 2008 · Picked by Tom - **The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life** by Nick Lane Science and Math · 352pp · Published 2001 · Picked by Nick - **Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market** by Janine R. Wedel Politics & Social Sciences · 283pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Loren ### 2016 - **Hillbilly Eligy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis** by J. D. Vance Politics & Social Sciences · 256pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Jamie - **Ancillary Justice** by Ann Leckie Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 444pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Erik - **The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America** by Louis Menand History & Economics · 384pp · Published 2001 · Picked by Tom - **American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America** by Colin Woodard Politics & Social Sciences · 384pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Nick - **The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War** by Robert J. Gordon History & Economics · 762pp · Published 2016 · Picked by Loren - **Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future** by Ashlee Vance Current Events & People · 402pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Jamie ### 2015 - **Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction** by Philip E. Tetlock Science and Math · 326pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Erik - **Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End** by Atul Gawande Health & Medicine · 287pp · Published 2014 - **The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?** by Jared Diamond History & Economics · 592pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Nick - **Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business** by Neil Postman Politics & Social Sciences · 214pp · Published 1985 · Picked by Tom - **Roadside Picnic** by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 256pp · Published 1978 · Picked by Loren - **The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution** by Walter Isaacson History & Economics · 608pp · Published 2014 · Picked by Jamie - **Complexity: A Very Short Introduction** by John H. Holland Science and Math · 112pp · Published 2014 - **No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State** by Glenn Greenwald Current Events & People · 333pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Erik - **The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order** by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey Current Events & People · 368pp · Published 2015 · Picked by Tom - **The Structure and Dynamics of Networks** by Mark Newman and Duncan J. Watts Science and Math · 592pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Nick ### 2014 - **Love Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships** by Sue Johnson Brain & Psychology · 352pp · Published 2013 - **Far from the Tree** by Andrew Solomon Brain & Psychology · 464pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Erik - **Thinking in Systems** by Donella Meadows Science and Math · 256pp · Published 2008 · Picked by Tom - **The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon** by Brad Stone Current Events & People · 416pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Nick - **Antifragile** by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Science and Math · 656pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Jamie - **The Martian: A Novel** by Andy Weir Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 384pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Erik - **A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam** by Karen Armstrong History & Economics · 528pp · Published 1993 · Picked by Tom - **Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking** by Susan Cain Brain & Psychology · 368pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Nick ### 2013 - **Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology** by Alexis Madrigal Technology · Published 2011 · Picked by Jamie - **The Emperor of All Maladies** by Siddhartha Mukherjee Health & Medicine · 712pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Dan - **Behind the Beautiful Forevers** by Katherine Boo Current Events & People · 290pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Jamie - **This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World's Information** by Andy Greenberg Current Events & People · 384pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Erik - **The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia** by Andrei Lankov Current Events & People · 283pp · Published 2013 · Picked by Tom - **The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity** by Steven Strogatz Science and Math · 336pp · Published 2012 · Picked by John - **The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It** by Kelly McGonigal Brain & Psychology · 288pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Jamie - **The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail-but Some Don't** by Nate Silver Brain & Psychology · 656pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Erik - **To Say Nothing of the Dog** by Connie Willis Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 512pp · Published 1997 · Picked by Dan ### 2012 - **Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive** by Bruce Schneier Brain & Psychology · 366pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Dan - **Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World** by Tina Rosenberg Brain & Psychology · 402pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Tom - **Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas** by Dale Carpenter Politics & Social Sciences · 384pp · Published 2012 · Picked by John - **The Devil in the White City** by Erik Larson History & Economics · 362pp · Published 2003 · Picked by Jamie - **A Canticle for Leibowitz** by Walter M. Miller, Jr. Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 294pp · Published 1959 · Picked by Jamie - **The Mystery of Banking** by Murray N. Rothbard History & Economics · 168pp · Published 2012 · Picked by Dan - **Count Zero** by William Gibson Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 320pp · Published 1986 · Picked by Tom - **Thinking Fast and Slow** by Daniel Kahneman Brain & Psychology · 400pp · Published 2011 · Picked by John - **The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive** by Brian Christian Brain & Psychology · 320pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Jamie - **Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress and a Plan to Stop It** by Lawrence Lessig Politics & Social Sciences · 370pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Erik ### 2011 - **Darwin's Radio** by Greg Bear Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 488pp · Published 1999 · Picked by Dan - **The Selfish Gene** by Richard Dawkins Science and Math · 352pp · Published 1976 · Picked by Tom - **The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right** by Atul Gawande Brain & Psychology · 209pp · Published 2010 · Picked by John - **Ant Encounters: Interaction Networks and Colony Behavior** by Deborah Gordon Science and Math · 167pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Jamie - **Never Let Me Go** by Kazuo Ishiguro Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 296pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Erik - **Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier** by Edward Glaeser Politics & Social Sciences · 456pp · Published 2011 · Picked by Dan - **The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires** by Tim Wu Technology · 388pp · Published 2010 · Picked by Tom ### 2010 - **In a Sunburned Country** by Bill Bryson Travel & Memoir · 411pp · Published 2000 · Picked by John - **Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance** by Noam Chomsky Politics & Social Sciences · 319pp · Published 2003 · Picked by Jamie - **A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century** by Barbara Tuchman History & Economics · 726pp · Published 1600 · Picked by Dan - **Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell** by Dennis Bray Science and Math · 267pp · Published 2009 · Picked by Tom - **Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln** by Doris Kearns Goodwin History & Economics · 1308pp · Published 2003 · Picked by John - **The Golden Age** by John C. Wright Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 320pp · Published 2002 · Picked by Jamie - **Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability** by Steve Krug Technology · 200pp · Published 2000 · Picked by Erik - **Creating a World without Poverty: How Social Business Can Transform Our Lives** by Muhammad Yunus Politics & Social Sciences · 320pp · Published 1999 · Picked by Dan - **Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion** by Robert B. Cialdini Brain & Psychology · 272pp · Published 1983 · Picked by Tom ### 2009 - **Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul** by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan Brain & Psychology · 229pp · Published 2009 · Picked by John - **Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention** by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Brain & Psychology · 464pp · Published 1996 · Picked by Jamie - **Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air** by David MacKay Technology · 384pp · Published 2009 · Picked by Erik - **The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health** by Thomas Campbell and T. Colin Campbell Health & Medicine · 417pp · Published 2004 · Picked by Dan - **Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World** by Alexander (Sandy) Pentland Science and Math · 184pp · Published 2008 · Picked by Tom - **Doomsday Book** by Connie Willis Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 559pp · Published 1992 · Picked by John - **Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much** by Maggie Mahar Politics & Social Sciences · 480pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Jamie - **The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court** by Jeffrey Toobin Politics & Social Sciences · 369pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Erik ### 2008 - **The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9-11** by Lawrence Wright Politics & Social Sciences · 502pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Dan - **Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)** by Tom Vanderbilt Brain & Psychology · 402pp · Published 2008 · Picked by Tom - **Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness** by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Brain & Psychology · 324pp · Published 2008 · Picked by John - **Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life** by Barbara Kingsolver Travel & Memoir · 370pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Jamie - **Shaping Things** by Bruce Sterling Technology · 149pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Erik - **The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable** by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Science and Math · 475pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Dan - **Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames** by Mia Consalvo Technology · 240pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Tom - **How Doctors Think** by Jerome Groopman Health & Medicine · 320pp · Published 2007 · Picked by John - **The World Without Us** by Alan Weisman Politics & Social Sciences · 428pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Jamie ### 2007 - **Beautiful Evidence** by Edward Tufte Technology · 213pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Erik - **Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain** by Oliver Sacks Brain & Psychology · 382pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Dan - **The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger** by Marc Levinson Technology · 400pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Tom - **Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think** by Marc Levinson Technology · 824pp · Published 2007 · Picked by John - **Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art** by David Gibbons Essays & Literature · 215pp · Published 1993 · Picked by Erik - **Watchmen** by Alan Moore Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 416pp · Published 1987 · Picked by Erik - **The Mythical Man-Month** by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. Technology · 195pp · Published 1975 · Picked by David - **Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill** by Matthieu Ricard Philosophy & Religion · 304pp · Published 2007 · Picked by Dan - **The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More** by Chris Anderson History & Economics · 224pp · Published 2006 · Picked by Tom - **The Road** by Cormac McCarthy Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 200pp · Published 2006 · Picked by John ### 2006 - **The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals** by Michael Pollan Travel & Memoir · Published 2006 · Picked by Erik - **Stumbling on Happiness** by Daniel Gilbert Brain & Psychology · 336pp · Published 2006 · Picked by David - **Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World** by Jack Weatherford History & Economics · 352pp · Published 2004 · Picked by Dan - **Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community** by Robert Putnam Politics & Social Sciences · 544pp · Published 2000 · Picked by Tom - **Across Realtime** by Vernor Vinge Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 534pp · Published 1986 · Picked by John - **The Success of Open Source** by Steve Weber Technology · 312pp · Published 2004 · Picked by David - **Democratizing Innovation** by Eric von Hippel Technology · 216pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Erik ### 2005 - **Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak** by Kenneth S. Deffeyes Current Events & People · 224pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Dan - **The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture** by John Battelle Technology · 311pp · Published 2005 · Picked by Tom - **The Complexity of Cooperation: Agent-Based Models of Competition and Collaboration** by Robert Axelrod Science and Math · 232pp · Published 1997 · Picked by John - **Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything** by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner History & Economics · 336pp · Published 2005 · Picked by David - **The Plot Against America** by Philip Roth Science Fiction & Fiction · 415pp · Published 2004 · Picked by Erik - **Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age** by Paul Graham Technology · Published 2004 · Picked by Dan - **Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity** by Lawrence Lessig Politics & Social Sciences · 304pp · Published 2004 · Picked by John - **Divorce Among the Gulls: An Uncommon Look at Human Nature** by William Jordan Science and Math · 205pp · Published 1991 · Picked by David ### 2004 - **Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems** by Billy Collins Essays & Literature · 171pp · Published 2001 · Picked by Erik - **The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less** by Barry Schwartz Brain & Psychology · 273pp · Published 2004 · Picked by John - **When We Were Orphans** by Kazuo Ishiguro Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 401pp · Published 2000 · Picked by Scott - **Wisdom of Crowds** by James Surowiecki Brain & Psychology · 336pp · Published 2004 · Picked by Dan - **Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe** by Laurence Bergreen History & Economics · 512pp · Published 2003 · Picked by John - **Pompeii** by Robert Harris Science Fiction & Fiction · 368pp · Published 2003 · Picked by Brad ### 2003 - **Quicksilver** by Neal Stephenson Science Fiction & Fiction · Fiction · 927pp · Published 2003 · Picked by Erik - **The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature** by Steven Pinker Brain & Psychology · 550pp · Published 2002 · Picked by John - **My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World** by Julian Dibbell Technology · 352pp · Published 1998 · Picked by John - **The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization** by Thomas L. Friedman History & Economics · 496pp · Published 1999 · Picked by John