Reddit reviews The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2011 (The Best American Series ®)

So I have a friend in jail that I regularly send books to. This doesn't cover every situation, but I assume the circumstances will be similar.

He says that the (meager) prison library is very skewed towards religious books, classics, GED materials, and low-difficulty grocery store novels. Anything other than that will be appreciated. The books most requested are thick fantasy books, activity books (sudoku, physics workbooks, etc), science non-fiction, and coffee-table books or magazines with lots of pictures. These will be swapped with other inmates so that anyone interested has a chance to read.

Some things to keep in mind:

• There is often a limit on how many items can be kept. 3-books-in-1/omnibus editions help get around this.
  
• There may be monetary limits on gifts. Shop for deals and choose the cheaper mass market paperbacks whenever possible.
  
• Mail a receipt ASAP! She might not be able to pick up any books until she has that.
  
• Mail books through a big company (e.g. Amazon, B&N) or they might be destroyed. No third-party Amazon sellers or used book stores in most cases.
  
  Books that have gone over well and can be found in cheap forms:
  
  
• Mistborn trilogy
  
• His Dark Materials trilogy
  
• The Name of the Wind
  
• The Best American Science Writing/The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthologies
  
• Sudoku
  
• Hyperbole and a Half
  
• A Song of Ice and Fire

The Best American Science and Nature Writing series is great. Each year they release a collection of science journalism. 2011's edition is edited by Mary Roach, and it is fantastic. There is a wide range of stories (though 2011 seems a bit heavy on biology and ecology—but there are also pieces about space debris and black holes and AI and more).

Mary Roach is fucking rad! Thanks for reminding me that she exists - I remembered her name from this excellent collection of science/nature articles that she curated/selected. (I really like the rest of the Best American series, especially the short stories one.)

Her introduction was very good, and now I feel compelled to look up more of her work...

Every year the "Best American Series" released several titles including "The Best American Science and Nature Writing". A guest editor goes through hundred of articles culled from the best publications and compiles this volume. It would be a cheap text and include all the big names.

http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Science-Nature-Writing/dp/0547350635