Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, chooses five of his favorite books. His latest book, Excuse Me While I Wag, was published in March by Andrews McMeel Publishing ($10.95).
Where Science Went Wrong by Peter Bros (Financial Book Partners, $16.95). The author is an ultraskeptic who makes fascinating arguments that much of what we consider scientific fact is actually occult belief backed by unreliable evidence. Is the author a nut or a genius? The wonderful thing is I couldnt tell.
Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History by Richard Shenkman (Harper Perennial, $13). The title says it all. I love to discover how much baloney I ingested in my school years.
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer by Michael White (Perseus, $16). I didnt know much about Newton before reading this book. I was impressed that he figured out gravity. I was blown away that he invented calculus. I was surprised that he spent much of his life doing alchemy, trying to turn lead into gold.
The New New Thing by Michael Lewis (Penguin, $13). The writing is amazing, and the subject, billionaire entrepreneur Jim Clark, is even more amazing. Its a great combination of a writer at the top of his game writing about a Silicon Valley legend at the top of his game.
Duty by Bob Greene (William Morrow & Co., $25). Its nonfiction about the author, his dying father, and conversations with Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay. You wouldnt think that a book about a dying father and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan would tie together and make a bookbut it does. Its beautiful from start to finish.