Books like Because I said so! by Ken Jennings

Freakonomics reveals how hidden incentives shape everyday life, from crime to education, using data-driven insights that challenge conventional wisdom.

Bill Bryson turns the universe into a conversational guide, tracing science from the Big Bang through evolution, geology, chemistry, astronomy, and particle physics with humor and clarity.

At Pirriwee Public, a beachside school, a routine trivia night spirals into chaos when a parent dies—raising questions of murder, accidental death, or toxic truths. Parents discover how small lies can become deadly.

Rolf Dobelli presents 99 concise chapters that explain everyday cognitive biases, showing how awareness can sharpen decision‑making at work and in life.

A Random House Trade Paperback

A visual guide that transforms complex data into striking illustrations, showing how information shapes our modern world.

Julie Lythcott‑Haims urges parents to step back, showing how over‑protectiveness hurts children and their stress, and providing practical ways to foster resilience, resourcefulness, and confidence in teens and young adults.

The 37th Parallel is a nonfiction account in which Ben Mezrich follows a computer programmer and sheriff’s deputy who tracks UFO sightings along a 3,000‑mile stretch of the 37th parallel, uncovering bizarre livestock mutilations, government secrecy, and a sprawling conspiracy.

A practical guide that teaches parents how to talk about money with their children, using real family stories to build financial wisdom and timeless values.

Parents learn how to let go of over‑protectiveness so children can grow independent and resilient—an accessible guide for guiding school‑aged kids toward self‑reliance.

Contains thousands of records that span every field of human and non-human endeavors, including science and technology, animals, sports, geography, arts and entertainment, education, hobbies and pastimes, unusual rituals, and many others. Guinness World Records 2013 is crammed with new and updated records, and never-before-seen photography.

A celebration of life’s small delights, *The Book of Awesome* compiles funny, wise observations that remind us the best moments are often free.*

A gripping thriller set in Antarctica and Egypt, The Sign combines suspense, history, and religion in a tale of a mysterious sphere of light and a world-shaking revelation.

Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac offers a daily dose of history, trivia quizzes, and themed questions, covering everything from paleontology to pop culture—each day of the year presents a new challenge for quiz lovers.

"[Offers] parents of children aged 2-13 a ... roadmap to ... discipline, highlighting the fascinating and important connection between the way a parent reacts to misbehavior and a child's neurological development"--

"The forty-year history of the video game industry, the medium has undergone staggering development, fueled not only by advances in technology but also by an insatiable quest for richer play and more meaningful experiences. From the very beginning, with the introduction of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, countless individuals became enthralled by a new world opened before them, one in which they could control and create, as well as interact and play. Even in their rudimentary form, video games held forth a potential and promise that inspired a generation of developers, programmers, and gamers to pursue visions of ever more sophisticated interactive worlds. As a testament to the game industry's stunning evolution, and to its cultural impact worldwide, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and curator Chris Melissinos conceived the 2012 exhibition The Art of Video Games. Along with a team of game developers, designers, and journalists, Melissinos selected an initial group of 240 games in four different genres to represent the best of the game world. Selection criteria included visual effects, creative use of technologies, and how world events and popular culture influenced the games. The Art of Video Games offers a revealing look into the history of the game industry, from the early days of Pac-Man and Space Invaders to the vastly more complicated contemporary epics such as BioShock and Uncharted. Melissinos examines each of the eighty winning entries, with stories and comments on their development, innovation, and relevance to the game world's overall growth. Visual images, composed by Patrick O'Rourke, are all drawn directly from the games themselves, and speak to the evolution of games as an artistic medium, both technologically and creatively"--