- The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes
A physics epic that treats genius as sustained attention. History, science, and consequence held together honestly.
- Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down J.E. Gordon
The clearest intuition for why materials behave as they do. Engineering written like good conversation.
- The Psychology of Money Morgan Housel
Short chapters on why reasonable people make unreasonable financial decisions. Behavior over math.