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NPR’s answer to Davis Sedaris. Wait. Anyway, Rakoff is funny and biting in these essays, which are more outward-focused than Sedaris’s, but also somewhat shallow.

Ridley surveys the current state of research on the evolutionary origins of cooperation, altruism, obligation, and other social behaviors and emotions.

It is an excellent overview and Ridley makes a great case that much of what we view as social and cultural necessarily has its roots in human instinctual behavior.

In the last chapter, Ridley strikes out on his own and, based on what he has presented, makes a call for smaller government with power ‘devolved’ to local groups that are tied together by trade. He does not attempt to explain how that might be achieved.

Damasio lays out the latest thinking and research (his and others) on the neurological and biological basis of feelings and emotions.

He winds into his narrative a discussion of Spinoza and the ways that 17th century philosopher’s thoughts prefigure the nascent modern understanding of mind and body.

My first Wodehouse. I had a fine time.

This book explores the causes of market bubbles, such as the Internet boom and the Dutch tulip mania. A nice companion to Fooled by Randomness.

My first Chandler. Pretty darn good, though the sheer amount of slang spoken by nearly every character sometimes feels a little silly.

A mind-blowing account of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe. Thanks Amy!

Getting too much sleep? Can’t stay awake at night? Try reading this collection of news stories and scare the beejezus out of yourself. They gradually veer off into what I hope are wild conspiracy theories.

Also, you might enjoy plenty of student-quality writing!

Centered around the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a professional basketball game, but including signicant slices of history from before and after, this is a tremendous piece of sports writing.

A chilling account of the recent history of North Korea and its strange dictators. This seems to have been hastily written and edited, with numerous grammatical mistakes and passages cut-and-pasted from one section to another.