if you like Math...

Everyone has stared at the crumpled page of a math assignment and wondered, where on Earth will I ever use this? It turns out, Earth is precisely the place. As teen math prodigy Agnijo Banerjee and his teacher David Darling reveal, complex math surrounds us. If we think long enough about the universe, we're left not with material stuff, but a ghostly and beautiful set of equations. Packed with puzzles and paradoxes, mind-bending concepts, and surprising solutions, Weird Math leads us from a lyrical exploration of mathematics in our universe to profound questions about God, chance, and infinity. A magical introduction to the mysteries of math, it will entrance beginners and seasoned mathematicians alike. (Goodreads)

"A delightful, diverse collection of essays. Great fun and the perfect gift for any math-phobic person, young or old." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Tammet is a master of gleaning profound insights from seemingly mundane trivia...This is a delightful book." --Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

"Whether or not readers consider themselves mathematically inclined, they will be enthralled. This book will charm just about anyone." --Library Journal (starred review) 

Katherine V thought boys were gross

Katherine X just wanted to be friends

Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail

K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself. (Goodreads)

HIDDEN FIGURES tells the story of four African American women who worked as mathematicians at NASA and its predecessor, NACA, helping to design aircraft and spacecraft. The book begins in 1943, when the U.S. needed to develop faster planes for the war effort to compete with Germany, and continues through the postwar years during the Cold War and the space race, when we competed with Russia to launch spacecraft. The four women profiled grew up in the segregated South and earned their math degrees at "colored" institutions. Talented mathematicians all, they worked under conditions of segregation -- not being able to use "white" bathrooms at work and having to sit in segregated sections in the lunchroom. Nonetheless, they distinguished themselves by their focus and work and contributed significantly to the research and development of the agency. (Common Sense Media)