Embrace Your Geek-Self this Summer.

I'll admit, I love science - the weirder and more off-beat - the better. I also have a not so hidden fancy for cats.  Last summer as part of Word Out, I indulged in all-things music, but 2014 is the summer of science!  

The books on my top picks list are just a place for you to get started with some summer reading.  It's a mix of books exploring everything from impending mass extinction, to Doctor Who, to genetically modified tapeworms and saving the human species by breeding with aliens.  Please please if you have your own recommendations and are totally in love with anything science-ish - an idea or concept - an author - tv series - anything! Do share and let's all indulge our geek-selves in discussion. 

While I've read lots of nature-writing, survival manuals and binge on fiction, I'm pretty new to sci-fi.  I had always thought it was just a bunch of 1950s-style spacemen killing aliens. End of story. But how delightful to discover there is so much more!  I found that progressive, new sci-fi is a new genre that I love.  I've found that sci-fi and spec fic are amazing spaces to explore ethics and re-evaluate concepts of race, class, gender, sexuality, autonomy - and general social constructs - as well as science and technology.  

So if you're a reader that generally says "ew! sci-fi", I challenge you to just take a peek at a few of the books - The sci-fi and spec fic picks will appeal to fiction lovers, too.

Yes! Summer is here! The Summer of Science!

P.S. Always entertaining and informative, author Dan Riskin is coming to North York on July 19th. His book, Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You is one of the science picks for the summer.