1. Anything by Mary Roach. I just got my hands on Packing for Mars, but have read Bonk, Stiff, and Spook. The books are all about her researching the many sides of one topic (in Bonk it's sex, Stiff it's death and all that happens to the human body, Spook it is the many theories revolving around the afterlife, and Packing for Mars is about our venture into space). She is not a "scientist," per say, but somehow makes these books into scientifically fascinating and absolutely hilarious. Rarely do I laugh out loud while reading, but they way she writes about what she learns and the predicaments she gets herself into while learning is absolutely hysterical (for example, signing her and her husband up for a sex study, or going to a research center that looks at how bodies decompose). Stiff is not for anyone with a sensitive subject, but it was by far my favorite of the 3 I've read. Totally riveting from start to finish. I'll let you know about Packing for Mars.
(P.S. don't you just love the subtitles, too?)
2. Augusten Burroughs' Dry, Running with Scissors (which was made into a movie), and Possible Side Effects. These are all memoirs about his very interesting upbringing/life. Dry is about Burroughs's experience in rehab for alcoholism. Running with Scissors is a memoir that recounts his crazy childhood, and Possible Side Effects is a collection of short (true) stories from his life. Great reads - if you go the audio-book route (which I did for Dry while I had a long commute), he narrates all his own books which makes it that much more interesting.
His brother has a book about have Asperger's which is also great. It's called Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison. I really enjoyed this perspective.
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