giftscience Parallel universes, neuromagic, physicists on the fringe and black holes ten billion times larger than the sun - for the dedicated science buff, nothing is more fascinating than these awesome concepts and their infinite questions. And if you're curious about where to start looking for the perfect gift for said enthusiast this season, look no further - Readings Managing Director Mark Rubbo has a few suggestions below.

9780312611675 Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions
Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde

A book which takes a look at some of our greatest magicians and their techniques for tricking the brain, and how this in turn might influence a wider study of the world itself, from diagnosing autism to marketing techniques and education. Fun and accessible, Sleights of Mind is 'a tour through consciousness, attention, and deception via the marriage of professional magic and cognitive neuroscience'.

500x500_1056367_file Physics on the Fringe: Smoke Rings Circlons and Alternative Theories of Everything
Margaret Wertheim

For the past fifteen years, science writer Margaret Wertheim has been collecting the works of 'outsider physicists', many of whom lack formal training yet believe that they have found true alternative theories of the universe. Jim Carter, the 'Einstein of outsiders', has developed his own complete theory of matter and energy through experiments in his backyard - using anything from garbage cans to a disco fog machine. This is an exploration of the bizarre world of fringe physics that challenges our conception of what science is, how it works, and who it is for.

9780307278128 The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
Brian Greene

A captivating exploration of the idea of parallel worlds and multiple universes by one of the world's foremost science writers. With his trademark wit and ability to make even the most challenging materials accessible and entertaining, Greene tackles the core question about science, cosmology and the great swaths of reality just beyond our reach. This is a book grounded firmly in science yet laced with infinite possibilities.

9780143120070-crop-325x325 Proofiness: How You're Being Fooled by the Numbers
Charles Seife

Numbers have peculiar powers - they can disarm skeptics, befuddle journalists and hoodwink the public into believing almost anything. Here, Charles Seife explains the dark side of pure mathematics: how it has been use to bring down government officials and to appoint new ones, to convict the innocent and acquit the guilty, to play with the economy, and to fix the outcomes of future elections. This penetrating look at the intersection of maths and society will appeal to readers of Freakonomics and the books of Malcolm Gladwell.

9781594630798H The Dyslexic Advantage
Brock L. Eide & Fernette F. Eide

We've been thinking about dyslexia all wrong, say the Eides, two prominent learning disabilities experts. They argue that the reading disorder isn't just about barriers to learning but about the advantages a dyslexic brain can provide on how to process information. This practical analysis unveils what goes remarkably right as well as what goes wrong. For anyone interested in how unique brains work.

9781742233000 The Best Australian Science Writing
Stephen Pincock (ed)

From the elemental forces that drive our expanding universe to the delicate hairs on the back of your neck, The Best Australian Science Writing features work from some of our foremost thinkers, such as Tim Flannery, Germaine Greer, Anna Funder and Paul Davies. A bright new initiative from New South Books that collects some of the most exciting, elegant and powerful writing about science and nature.

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mark-rubbo Mark Rubbo is the Managing Director of Readings