Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

This book discusses zoonoses, or diseases transmitted across species. It tends to address one disease per chapter, and covers illnesses such as Hendra, Ebola, AIDS, and influenza. I learned a lot from this book, especially about HIV. I wish I knew more about how widely accepted the AIDS theories in the book (including positing 1908 as the spillover date for the worst strain of 12) are. It was also very good on how human choices can affect the relative danger of various diseases. Fascinating: a great science read!

The Drunken Botantist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks by Amy Stewart

This volume contains encyclopedic references to many of the plants that make and flavor our alcoholic beverages. The first section is about the plants that are fermented into alcohols, the second section is about the plants that flavor our drinks, and the third section is about how to grow some of these plants at home. I found this book fascinating--especially the first section. There were lots of explanations about the hows and whys of drinking.