On My Radar:

Bruce Springsteen: All the Songs
by Philippe Margotin & Jean-Michel Guesdon
Cassell
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Spanning nearly 50 years of albums, EPs, B-sides, and more, this is the full story behind every single song that The Boss has ever released. Moving chronologically through Springsteen’s long career, expert authors Margotin and Guesdon explore everything there is to know about every single song. 

No stone is left unturned across 670 pages, from the inspiration behind the lyrics and melody to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track.

Uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book – a must-have for every Springsteen fan.

On My Radar:

The Element in the Room: Science-y Stuff Staring You in the Face

by Helen Arney and Steve Mould

Cassell Books / Octopus Publishing

Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Let the brains behind the hugely successful Festival of the Spoken Nerd take you on a rib-tickling, experiment-fuelled adventure to explain the everyday science staring you in the face.

Let the brains behind the hugely successful Festival of the Spoken Nerd take you on a rib-tickling, experiment-fuelled adventure to explain the everyday science staring you in the face.

'Made me go Hydrogen Argon, Hydrogen Argon, Hydrogen Argon.' Rufus Hound

As featured in Best stocking-filler books of 2017 - The Guardian

'Witty and clever writing, every topic is engaging, fun and in some cases laugh-out-loud funny...there are too many highlights to mention' - How it Works

• Why is it impossible to spin your right foot clockwise while you draw a 6 with your right hand? 


• Can you extract DNA from a strawberry daiquiri? 


• Would you make love like a praying mantis? 


• Should you book a holiday on Earth 2.0? 

The Element in the Room will take you on a rib-tickling, experiment-fuelled adventure to explain everyday science that is staring you in the face. If you are sci-curious, pi-curious or just the-end-is-nigh-curious then this is the book for you.

Steve Mould and Helen Arney are two thirds of science comedy phenomenon Festival of the Spoken Nerd. As a trio they have appeared on QI, created their own experimental* comedy show 'Domestic Science' for Radio 4, toured their stand-up science shows to over 50,000 nerds (and non-nerds) and accumulated millions of views on YouTube.