A good book can transform boredom into bliss in the amount of time it takes to buckle yourself into an airplane seat. Yet all too often we find ourselves stranded without a good book in sight. Reading is good for your brain's health, so don't get caught without a book you cannot wait to read. Here are a few page-turners to have in your back pocket this holiday season:
Mindset: Bill Gates recommends this bestseller by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, in his list The Best Books I Read in 2015 and in a separate book review. Mindset also made the list of 58 Books Recommended by TED Speakers.
Jonas Salk: A Life: This book by Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs, MD, professor of medicine, was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2015 by the New York Times Book Review. This book was also the subject of a 1:2:1 podcast.
A Well Designed Life: Author Kyra Bobinet, MD, MPH, blends brain science and design thinking to address why it's sometimes hard to get ourselves to do what we know is best for us and what we can do about it. In this recent podcast with Paul Costello, Bobinet, a behavior change expert, discusses her book and shares tips on designing a healthier life.
The Good Gut: This book by Stanford microbiologists Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, and Erica Sonnenburg, PhD, explores how gut bacteria affect physical and mental health. The Sonnenburgs discuss their book here on Scope.
Food Love Family: A Practical Guide to Child Nutrition: This book by Stanford child nutrition expert Maya Adam, MD, highlights how cooking simple, home-cooked meals can nourish and teach children about eating right at a young age.
The book that made me go to medical school: In this Scope blog post, medical student Natalia Birgisson talks about the book that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine and lists a few of her other favorite books related to the realm of medical science.
Previously: Stanford study shows how the brain responds to different types of reading instruction, Stanford Storytellers: Medical students write a children’s book to comfort and educate, Using texting to boost preschool reading skills and Reading, book sharing less common in immigrant families, Stanford study finds
Photo by Jens Schott Knudsen
