The ostensible subject of all this was storytelling, but the common thread, I came to realize, was the role stories play: They facilitate pattern recognition, the skill we need to make sense of our random world. The pattern that’s governed the past 15 years of my life, in other words, has been pattern recognition. 

I’ve been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. As someone who never quite felt like I fit in, these stories became a kind of refuge and revelation for me. They taught me that being on the outside looking in can be its own kind of superpower—the ability to see the world differently, to question it, and to imagine something better.

I’m drawn to characters who are flawed, searching, and human, because they remind me that courage and belonging are choices we make, not gifts we’re given. That’s the heart of every story I love and the kind I try to write.

I’m a professor in international politics, having written widely on ethical issues in international politics. Much of my previous work has examined the ethical questions that arise in a relatively stable, liberal international order dominated by liberal democracies.

But I’m increasingly concerned that, as the global order changes, many of our previous ethical understandings appear anachronistic, with fewer resources to deal with issues, more challenges, and fewer actors willing to act. I’m now trying to understand better the implications of rising global authoritarianism and geopolitical shifts for states’ global responsibilities and for remaining liberal actors.

I grew up in a rural area, and loved wandering through the woods, listening to birds, and feeling moss under my toes. Nature always seemed like such wondrous magic. I became an engineer because I loved math and science, but then realized I wanted to share my love of nature with kids.

So I earned an MFA in writing and now lean on my science and writing backgrounds to ensure that my books and the STEM books I recommend are well-researched and presented in interesting ways. You can find more of my reviews on my blog for Perfect Picture Book Fridays. I hope the books on my list fill you with wonder, too! 

We are a mother-daughter team of mathematicians (a researcher in mathematics and a math graduate who runs an educational company) and detective novel lovers (with Agatha Christie a firm favorite). We’re also both very passionate about the importance of a good foundational mathematics education for everyone.

I grew up hearing Scottish folklore told as truth, stories of spirits, warnings, and strange kindnesses passed off as everyday fact. I have always been fascinated by the idea that there is something more, something hidden just out of sight.

As a child, I was scared of everything, so I forced myself to watch old Hammer horror films to toughen up. It worked a bit too well, leaving me with a lifelong love of the dark underside of things. Now, as a stand-up comedian and writer, I have learned there can be humour in anything, and sometimes the best way to make something real is to laugh at the awful.

When I moved to South Carolina some 25 years ago, I found understanding all the history around me challenging. Even more than that, I found it hard to talk about! Politics and history get mixed up in tricky ways.

I worked with students to understand stories about plantation sites, which led me to begin reading the words of survivors of captivity. I started reading slave narratives and listening to what people had to say. While sad sometimes, their words are also hopeful. I now read books about our nation’s darkest times because I look for ways to guide us to a better future. 

As a ghostwriter, I’m asked to turn my hand to many genres. Yet the one I keep returning to is Renaissance Adventure. Having always been a fan of adventure, in films, TV, or books, for my English Degree at Exeter University, I dedicated my dissertation to the genre, and the fascination shows no sign of fading. I love all these books, but there is one difference between these and my series. That is the heroes here are all men. Bring on more adventure in this era with women! I hope you enjoy the books on this list – they are a fantastic way to spend your evenings with your pulse racing.

I have worn two hats for many decades: evolutionary biology and antinuclear activism. The former appeals to my scientific self and the latter, to my political and emotional passions (although I pride myself in applying science and reason to my antinuclear work as well). The danger of nuclear war has NOT disappeared — or even notably diminished — with the end of the Cold War, and yet, public awareness of this situation has plummeted. Fortunately, there are many technically accurate and yet accessible book-based treatments of this topic, which I am happy to recommend ... my own not least!

My mother went back to school for her PhD in Anatomy when I was a pre-teen. During the summers of my high school years, I worked with her in her lab, and let me tell you, you see your mother in a new light when she dissects a rat. Though I didn’t go into medicine, anyone raised in our household learned a great deal of biology just by sitting around the dinner table. Consequently, I’ve always loved fiction with a medical bent. My mother was also the one to introduce me to historical fiction, so perhaps I was fated to write a historical novel with a nurse protagonist.