By Randall Munroe
There’s good reason Munroe has earned a devoted global fan base through his web comic series xkcd. The former roboticist for NASA is funny, clever and has a knack for diving deep into geeky detail without losing those of us who never took an AP class.
All those qualities are on display in What If? as Munroe answers questions from curious readers that range from the profound (“What if Earth suddenly stopped spinning?”) to the practical (“How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?”). Loaded with the same dry wit and blank-faced stick figures that populate xkcd, What If? is that rare book that will have you laughing as you learn just how a mass extinction might unfold. — Gemma Tarlach
By Tom Shroder
LSD and Ecstasy, or MDMA, go from party drugs to powerful medicines when journalist Shroder questions the status quo. ...
