Top 5 books I need in my life like air

The worst part of working in a library is that, daily, I am tempted by ALL OF THE BOOKS. The best part of working in a library is that, daily, I am tempted by ALL OF THE BOOKS. Whether I'm on the front counter or in a support role in a backroom, this is, I believe, the true beauty and the beast of being a part of a public library. As a result, my TBR (to be read) list is phenomenal. I'm one of those people who finds inspiration/ideas from my surroundings. This means that everything I see, everyone I talk to, other books I read, or films I see, or CDs I hear, lead to my coming across MOAR recommendations to request or look up. I quite happily suffer from a perpetual case of DO WANT and DO LIKE and grabby hands. It makes me ask, though, what is the true purpose of a TBR list? Do we really want to get to the bottom of the pile and know that we've read/watched/listened to everything? Because I suspect I'd suffer from heartbreak if I ever really did complete it. I don't know this for certain because I've never managed to get there. And so what do I do with today's post but freely confess that I've found more to add to my list and, if I've done my job right, to yours, too. This particular list is made up of titles I've come across/heard about/read of that, really, I'm convinced I need in my life like air. Happy 12 Posts of Christmas, people!

How big is your TBR list?

5 strangely named science books

"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Remember how in yesterday's post I said that strange and unusual titles manage to find me without my even trying? Today's post is proof positive, yet again, that I meant it. I came across the book A neutron walks into a bar: Random facts and big ideas about our universe and everything in it and, before I knew it, had this list below. It's a gift. A gift that I can't return and/or get a refund on and so I've learned to live with it and revel in it. And so I give you: 5 strangely named science books.

Today is the first day in our (now 3rd) annual 12 Posts of Christmas series, people! We're blogging every day up to Christmas Day with recommendations that will make you laugh, geek out, make grabby hands in trying to get your hands on them and, hopefully, make you want to share them with everyone including strange people you meet on your morning bus rides to work (Please tell me it's NOT just me who does that). Roll on the madness!

5 (of 150) essential things every guy should know about science

"If you're a real man, you get a kick out of things that go boom, catch fire, and smell really, really, bad. What you might not know is that science is what makes it all happen."
- Bobby Mercer, How do you light a fart? And 150 other essential things every guy should know about science

I believe that we all have a talent or a gift. For most of us, this will probably manifest itself in useful ways. Like being able to save lives as a doctor, or mould young minds as a teacher. Me...not so much. My gift is that I can find the strangest and most unusual books/titles in our collections without even trying. Actually, if I'm honest, then I'll admit that I find unusual EVERYTHING without trying - books, shoes, people, hats, animals. You name it, it all finds me. (In this instance I'm thinking of the strange guy who came up to me at Armageddon earlier this year and SNIFFED MY HAIR. If this were Twitter, my hashtag for this would be #thisismylife because, really, it is). Today's pick is all about the miscellanea. To be precise, 150 essential bits of science trivia that every guy should know. Really! Mercer's book is actually called How do you light a fart? And 150 other essential things every guy should know about science. It was hard for me to choose my top 5, so I settled for picking the 5 that made me WTF the most AND/OR made me snort/giggle (snortiggle? Gnort?) the loudest. Read them. Laugh about them. More importantly, rejoice in the fact that we (and the men who need to know these things) are, possibly, just that little bit smarter. And grossed out.

Quick note: I have to apologise for my absence. Work is crazybusyflatout at the moment, and writing Top 5 posts, for the next couple of weeks or so, is going to be a snatched, guilty pleasure. Tomorrow - 13th December - kickstarts our third year of 12 Posts of Christmas, where we post every day leading up to Christmas Day, about all sorts of random-ish things. So! Bring it on :)