30 | New Scientist | 7 December 2019
EMILY WILSON, editor
I AM biased because they are our
columnist, but Annalee Newitz’s
new novel The Future of Another
Timeline (Orbit), in which
feminists zip through history
via time machines that look like
rocks, is fantastically fresh, and
would make a great stocking filler.
Ditto Margaret Atwood’s The
Testaments (Chatto & Windus),
which was more of a delicious
page-turner than I had expected.
Children of Time and its new
sequel Children of Ruin, both by
Adrian Tchaikovsky and published
by Tor, would also make a great
gift as a pair. They are quite
old-fashioned sci-fi, but what’s
not to like about that? And they
are livened up by the delightful
imagining of a world run by bright
but totally unherdable octopuses.
For me, I would like tickets
to the new Star Wars, please.JOSHUA HOWGEGO, features editor
I would give Bill Bryson’s The Body:
A guide for occupants (Doubleday).A treasure trove of science
themed seasonal gifts
Stuck for ideas on what to give the science-lover in your life?
These are the cultural gems that staff at New Scientist recommendI loved his A Short History of Nearly
Everything, and he brings his
inimitable style to Body. He revels
in the wonder of the machine
that is us, and since we all haveone of these incredible machines,
why wouldn’t you enjoy this?
I would like a subscription to
HBO so I can watch The Inventor,
a documentary about Elizabeth
Holmes, who developed “the
Apple of healthcare”, and attracted
billions in investment even
though none of her blood
tests seem to work properly.
How did she pull this off?JASON MURUGESU, intern
Yesterday, a sci-fi film written by
Richard Curtis and directed by
Danny Boyle is a fun gift. In it,Views Culture
garden, so I would like The Wildlife
Pond Book: Create your own pond
paradise for wildlife by Jules
Howard (Bloomsbury). Santa
willing, I will add the documentary
Apollo 11 (Prime Video) and the
album PROTO by musician Holly
Herndon in collaboration with an
AI named Spawn (4AD).ELEANOR PARSONS, chief subeditor
Ever since I read Caroline Criado
Perez’s book Invisible Women:
Exposing data bias in a world
designed for men (Chatto &
Windus), I have been giving it
to everyone I know. It is an eye-
opener, exposing the hidden sex
bias, from medicines that work
differently in women to voice
assistants that don’t recognise
women’s voices. Funny,
exasperating and anger-inducing,
there is something for everyone.
Tickets for Tutankhamun:
Treasures of the golden pharaoh at
London’s Saatchi gallery would
give me a perfect holiday outing.
I could admire the bling the younga global blackout leads everyone
to forget who The Beatles are.
Except for one singer-songwriter,
who steals their songs and rockets
to fame. The film shows how he
deals with the guilt, but it is warm,
funny and perfect for Christmas,
even if the sci-fi element isn’t
the most thought-through.
I would like a copy of We Are the
Weather: Saving the planet begins
at breakfast by Jonathan Safran
Foer (Hamish Hamilton). The book
asks why we aren’t doing more
to stop climate change. So why
do I still fly everywhere? Don’t ask.ROWAN HOOPER, head of features
Fans of the Alan Moore/Dave
Gibbons classic graphic novel
Watchmen should like the
HBO drama series of the same
name. It is true to the original’s
edgy spirit. The setting is an
alternate timeline where
renewable energy has long
replaced fossil fuel – and Robert
Redford is US president.
I want to build a pond in myWaters of the World
Sarah Dry describes how
understanding weather
taught us about climate.Thinking 3D Daryl Green
and Laura Moretti’s visually
arresting book shows how
we see and depict depth.Frankissstein Jeanette
Winterson’s twist on MaryShelley’s classic visits a
future full of AIs and bots.Future Cities Paul
Dobraszczyk explores the
politics and psychology
of castles in the air, and
suburbs under the sea.The Human DNA Manual
Melita Irving contributes to
this offbeat series fromHaynes, the purveyors of
car manuals since 1965.Why Trust Science? Naomi
Oreskes challenges easy
answers.Murmur Will Eaves’s
fictionalised account
of Alan Turing’s last
years won this year’s
Wellcome book prize.Moving to Mars Plans
for settlement of the Red
Planet, also on show at
London’s Design Museum.On Fire Naomi Klein’s set
of essays makes the case
for the Green New Deal.The Moon Oliver Morton
fashions a visionary,
compelling armchair visit.Other stocking fillers
“ Weather asks why we
aren’t doing more to
stop climate change.
So why do I still fly?
Don’t ask”