On a totally different subject, Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote a two-volume biography of Joseph Stalin (Young Stalin, which follows him through the end of the 1918 revolution, and Joseph Stalin: The Court of the Red Tzar, which goes from 1918 to death and legacy). Ian Kershaw's magisterial biography of Adolph Hitler is also excellent. I recommend the abridged version, which is "only" 900 pages long (the unabridged version is closer to 1500 pages, IIRC).
Also, anything by Brian Greene. Theoretical physics for the lay-person.
Speaking of Dawkins, The Ancestor's Tale is also really good.
On a totally different subject, Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote a two-volume biography of Joseph Stalin (Young Stalin, which follows him through the end of the 1918 revolution, and Joseph Stalin: The Court of the Red Tzar, which goes from 1918 to death and legacy). Ian Kershaw's magisterial biography of Adolph Hitler is also excellent. I recommend the abridged version, which is "only" 900 pages long (the unabridged version is closer to 1500 pages, IIRC).
Also, anything by Brian Greene. Theoretical physics for the lay-person.
Just did. I'd suggest reading Young Stalin.