Best Science Books 2007: The Toronto Star

Peter Calamai is a treasure. Every newspaper should be blessed with such a fine and diligent science reporter. Check out his article on University of Toronto scientists Myrna and Andre Simpson, written as part of the "People to Watch in 2008" feature the other day.

More importantly, he's published his annual list of best science books:

• Canada Rocks: The Geologic Journey by Nick Eyles and Andrew Miall
  
  
• Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them by Bridget Stutchbury (York U prof!)
  
  
• Ebb and Flow: Tides and Life on Our Once and Future Planet by Tom Koppel
  
  
• Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History by Dorothy H. Crawford
  
  
• Elephants on Acid and Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese
  
  
• How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Alien Invaders, Ninjas, and Zombies by Daniel H. Wilson
  
  
• Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd by Karsten Heuer
  
  
• Understanding Popular Science by Peter Broks

This is a particularly interesting list, both because it highlights a number of books that haven't to my knowledge been given much publicity as well as highlighting a few Canadian titles as well. Oddly, the Canadian literary establishment is leary about publishing and reviewing Canadian science books, so hopefully this exposure will help out those titles. (I've bolded the Canadian books) He's also kind enough to include a couple of books that obviously don't take themselves too seriously.

Calamai has also listed a bunch of honourable mentions and related reads:

• Over The Mountains by Michael Collier
  
• Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet by Ted Nield
  
• An Enchantment of Birds: Memories from a Birder's Life by Richard Cannings
  
• Owls of the United States and Canada by Wayne Lynch
  
• Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
  
• The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier
  

Update 2008.01.04: Annie Palovcik of TK Media informs me that Tom Koppel is also a Canadian author so I'm bolding that item as well. Thanks, Annie!