Best 2020, Best Books, Best Year-End, Science & Nature

The Best Science And Nature Books of 2020 (A Year-End List Aggregation)

“What are the best Science And Nature books released in 2020?” We looked at 215 of the top Science And Nature books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 20 books, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Science And Nature” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 175+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.

Our other Best Of 2020 Articles:

Previous Years: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

All titles have been added to a Bookshop list as well!

Happy Scrolling!



Top 20 Best Science And Nature Books From 2020



20.) Diary of a Young Naturalist written byDara McAnulty

Diary of a Young Naturalist

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • The Times
  • The Guardian

From sixteen-year-old Dara McAnulty, a globally renowned figure in the youth climate activist movement, comes a memoir about loving the natural world and fighting to save it. Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of a year in Dara’s Northern Ireland home patch. Beginning in spring–when



19.) Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships written byCamilla Pang

Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships

Lists It Appears On:

  • The Guardian
  • Financial Times 2
  • Five Books

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Dr Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, C



18.) Fathoms: The World in the Whale written byRebecca Giggs

Fathoms: The World in the Whale

Lists It Appears On:

  • Bookpage
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Booklist 2

Finalist for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction Finalist for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction A “delving, haunted, and poetic debut” (The New York Times Book Review) about the awe-inspiring lives of whales, revealing what they can teach us about ourselves, our planet, an



17.) Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family written byRobert Kolker

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

Lists It Appears On:

  • Barnes & Noble 4
  • Smithsonian
  • NPR

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dre



16.) The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World written byPatrik Svensson

The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Smithsonian

Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the “eel question” Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogeth



15.) The World According to Physics written byJim Al-Khalili

The World According to Physics

Lists It Appears On:

  • Financial Times 2
  • Five Books
  • Waterstones

Quantum physicist, New York Times bestselling author, and BBC host Jim Al-Khalili offers a fascinating and illuminating look at what physics reveals about the world Shining a light on the most profound insights revealed by modern physics, Jim Al-Khalili invites us all to understand what this crucial



14.) Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe written byBrian Greene

Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 5
  • The Times 2

Instant New York Times Best-seller “A splendid and invigorating read.” –Maria Popova, Brain Pickings From the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe comes a captivating exploration of deep time and humanity’s search for purpose. Until the End of Time is Brian Green



13.) Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life written byLulu Miller

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Smithsonian
  • NPR

A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and–possibly–even murder.​ “At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish…c



12.) X+Y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto For Rethinking Gender written byEugenia Cheng

X+Y: A Mathematician's Manifesto For Rethinking Gender

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • Booklist 2
  • NPR

A brilliant mathematician examines the complexity of gender and society and forges a path out of inequality. Why are men in charge? After years in the male-dominated field of mathematics and in the female-dominated field of art, Eugenia Cheng has heard the question many times. In x + y, Cheng argues



11.) How to Argue With a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don’t) Say About Human Difference written byAdam Rutherford

How to Argue With a Racist: What Our Genes Do (and Don't) Say About Human Difference

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • The Telegraph
  • Barnes & Noble 5
  • Goodreads

Race is not a biological reality. Racism thrives on our not knowing this. Racist pseudoscience has become so commonplace that it can be hard to spot. But its toxic effects on society are plain to see–feeding nationalism, fueling hatred, endangering lives, and corroding our discourse on everything f



10.) The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think written byJennifer Ackerman

The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think

Lists It Appears On:

  • The Times
  • Waterstones
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Booklist 2

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, a radical investigation into the bird way of being, and the recent scientific research that is dramatically shifting our understanding of birds — how they live and how they think. “There is the mammal way and there is the bird way.”



9.) The Great Pretender written bySusannah Cahalan

The Great Pretender

Lists It Appears On:

  • Five Books
  • The Guardian
  • The Telegraph
  • The Times 2

“One of America’s most courageous young journalists” and the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Brain on Fire investigates the shocking mystery behind the dramatic experiment that revolutionized modern medicine (NPR). Doctors have struggled for centuries to define insanity–how do yo



8.) The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread — and Why They Stop written byAdam Kucharski

The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread — and Why They Stop

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • The Guardian
  • Financial Times 2
  • The Times 2

From ideas and infections to financial crises and fake news, an “utterly timely” look at why the science of outbreaks is the science of modern life These days, whenever anything spreads, whether it’s a YouTube fad or a political rumor, we say it went viral. But how does virality actually work? In Th



7.) World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments written byAimee Nezhukumatathil

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

Lists It Appears On:

  • Bookpage
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • NPR

A Kirkus Prize Finalist for Nonfiction An Indie Next Pick, September 2019 A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020 A Literary Hub “Most Anticipated Book of 2020 An Esquire Best Book of Fall 2020 A Ralph Lauren Summer Reading Recommendation A Garden & Gun Su



6.) A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future written byDavid Attenborough

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

Lists It Appears On:

  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Waterstones
  • Amazon
  • Financial Times
  • Goodreads

In this scientifically informed account of the changes occurring in the world over the last century, award-winning broadcaster and natural historian shares a lifetime of wisdom and a hopeful vision for the future. See the world. Then make it better. I am 93. I’ve had an extraordinary life. It’s only



5.) Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art written byJames Nestor

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 5
  • Goodreads
  • NPR

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thous



4.) Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl written byJonathan C. Slaght

Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl

Lists It Appears On:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Smithsonian
  • The Times
  • NPR

A terrifically exciting account of [Slaght’s] time in the Russian Far East studying Blakiston’s fish owls, huge, shaggy-feathered, yellow-eyed, and elusive birds that hunt fish by wading in icy water . . . Even on the hottest summer days this book will transport you.” –Helen Macdonald, author of H



3.) Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures written byMerlin Sheldrake

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures

Lists It Appears On:

  • The Telegraph
  • Waterstones
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Goodreads
  • The Times

A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi, “one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you” (Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk). “Dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing . . . a remarkable work by a remarkable writer, which succeeds in springing l



2.) The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars written byJo Marchant

The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble 5
  • Booklist 2
  • Smithsonian
  • NPR

Luminous and fascinating journey through science, religion, culture and everything in between.”–Newsweek, “25 Must-Read Fall Fiction and Nonfiction Books to Escape the Chaos of 2020” A tour de force on par with Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari–Booklist (starred review) An historically unprecedented di



1.) Vesper Flights written byHelen Macdonald

Vesper Flights

Lists It Appears On:

  • Waterstones
  • Barnes & Noble 2
  • Bookpage
  • Goodreads
  • The Guardian
  • NPR

Animals don’t exist in order to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves. In Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nost




The 175+ Additional Best Science And Nature Books Released In 2020



#BookAuthorLists
21A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s HurricanesEric Jay DolinAmazon
   Booklist 2
22Clean: The New Science Of SkinJames HamblinNPR
   
Smithsonian
23Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town by Lamorna AshLamorna Ash
Waterstones
   The Times
24English PastoralJames Rebanks
Waterstones
   The Times
25Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis MelliferaCandace FlemingBooklist 3
   NPR
26If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the FutureJill Lepore
Waterstones
   Booklist 2
27Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the MindPeter Godfrey-Smith
Waterstones
   Five Books
28NativePatrick Laurie
Waterstones
   The Times
29Seven and a Half Lessons About the BrainLisa Feldman BarrettAmazon
   
Barnes & Noble 5
30Stephen Hawking: A Memoir of Friendship and PhysicsLeonard Mlodinow
The Guardian
   
The Telegraph
31Sway: Unravelling Unconscious BiasDr Pragya Agarwal
Waterstones
   
The Telegraph
32The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One AnotherAinissa Ramirez
Smithsonian
   Amazon
33The Book of TrespassNick Hayes
Waterstones
   
The Guardian
34The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Empowering WomenLinda Scott
The Guardian
   Five Books
35The End of EverythingKatie MackGoodreads
   
Barnes & Noble 5
36The Idea of the BrainMatthew Cobb
Waterstones
   
The Telegraph
37The Journeys Of Trees: A Story About Forests, People, And The FutureZach St. GeorgeNPR
   Amazon
38The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing ExplorersEmily LevesqueBookpage
   Amazon
39The Lost SpellsRobert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris
Waterstones
   
The Guardian
40The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human InventionSimon Baron-CohenAmazon
   
Barnes & Noble 4
41What is Life?: Understand Biology in Five StepsPaul Nurse
Waterstones
   
Financial Times 2
42100 Things to See in the Night SkyDean Regas
The Wall Street Journal 2
43A Dominant CharacterSamanth Subramanian
The Guardian
44A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for LivingMassimo Pigliucci
Barnes & Noble 3
45A Good Time to Be Born: How Science and Public Health Gave Children a FuturePerri Klass
Barnes & Noble
46A History of the Universe in 21 StarsGiles Sparrow
Waterstones
47A Honeybee Heart Has Five OpeningsHelen JukesBookpage
48A Lab of One’s Own: One Woman’s Personal Journey Through Sexism in ScienceRita Colwell Sharon Bertsch McGrayneAmazon
49A Perfect PlanetHuw Cordey, Alastair Fothergill
Waterstones
50A Series of Fortunate EventsSean B. Carroll
Waterstones
51A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of EgyptologyToby A. H. WilkinsonAmazon
52Alexander Von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and CultureEleanor Jones Harvey Hans-Dieter Sues (Preface by)
The Wall Street Journal
53Alien Oceans: The Search For Life In The Depths Of SpaceKevin HandNPR
54All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate ChangeMichael T. KlareBooklist
55All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer TeamChristina SoontornvatBooklist 3
56All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate CrisisKatharine K. Wilkinson (Editor) Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (Editor)
Smithsonian
57Antlers of WaterKathleen Jamie, Jacqueline Bain
Waterstones
58Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We LiveNicholas A. Christakis
Barnes & Noble
59Astronauts: Women on the Final FrontierJim OttavianiBooklist 3
60Back to NatureChris Packham, Megan McCubbin
Waterstones
61Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve PeaceCarl SafinaBooklist 2
62Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our OwnEddie S. Glaude Jr.
Barnes & Noble 6
63Bitter Root 
Good men Project
64Black Hole Survival GuideJanna Levin
The Times 2
65Bones: Inside and OutRoy A. Meals
Barnes & Noble 5
66Bringing Back the BeaverDerek Gow
Waterstones
67Casting Shadows: Fish and Fishing in Britain by Tom Fort The Times
68Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida PantherCraig PittmanBooklist 2
69Chosen Ones 
Good men Project
70Climate Change and the Nation State: The Realist CaseAnatol Lieven
Financial Times
71Condor ComebackSy MontgomeryBooklist 3
72Covid-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next OneDebora MacKenzie
Financial Times 2
73Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to NatureBrigit Strawbridge HowardThe Times
74Desert Notebooks: A Road Map For The End Of TimeBen EhrenreichNPR
75Earth AlmanacKen Keffer Jeremy Collins (Illustrator)
The Wall Street Journal
76Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American LandN. Scott Momaday
Barnes & Noble 2
77Envisioning ExoplanetsMichael Carroll Elisa Quintana (Foreword by)
The Wall Street Journal 2
78Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health 
The Telegraph
79Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?Bill McKibbenBooklist
80FeatherhoodCharlie Gilmour
Waterstones
81Feel the FogApril Pulley SayreBooklist 3
82Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of HistoryPaul Farmer
Barnes & Noble
83Fire in Paradise: An American TragedyAlastair GeeAmazon
84Flower 
The Wall Street Journal
85Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of PowersCheryl MisakFive Books
86Freiheit!: The White Rose Graphic NovelAndrea Grosso Ciponte
Good men Project
87GroupChristie Tate
Waterstones
88Happiness, a MysterySophie Hannah, Francesca Barrie
Waterstones
89Heroic AnimalsClare Balding
Waterstones
90His Imperial MajestyMatthew Oates
Waterstones
91Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement ForgotMikki Kendall
Barnes & Noble 6
92HorizonBarry LopezBooklist
93Horse CrazySarah Maslin NirBookpage
94How Animals Saved My Life: Being the SupervetNoel Fitzpatrick
Waterstones
95How to Be an AntiracistIbram X. Kendi
Barnes & Noble 6
96How to Hold AnimalsToshimitsu Matsuhashi, Angus Turvill
Waterstones
97How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently about NumbersTim Harford
The Times 2
98How To Talk To RobotsTabitha Goldstaub
Waterstones
99How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science behind Humanity’s Greatest AdventureJohn RoccoBooklist 3
100How You Say It: Why You Talk the Way You Do—And What It Says About YouKatherine D. KinzlerAmazon
101Hubble LegacyJim Bell John M. Grunsfeld (Foreword by)
The Wall Street Journal 2
102Human Nature 
The Wall Street Journal
103HumankindRutger Bregman
Waterstones
104In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific ExplorationShane O’MaraAmazon
105Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You HaveTatiana SchlossbergBooklist
106IndigoEllen Bass
Good men Project
107Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on UsGeorge Zaidan
The Telegraph
108Lakewood: A NovelMegan GiddingsNPR
109Life Changing: How Humans Are Altering Life on EarthHelen Pilcher
The Times 2
110Lives of the StoicsRyan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
Waterstones
111LivewiredDavid Eagleman
Waterstones
112Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in AmericaMichael Eric Dyson
Barnes & Noble 6
113Losing Earth: A Recent HistoryNathaniel RichBooklist
114Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild by Lucy Jones The Times
115Lost AnimalsJohn Whitfield
The Wall Street Journal
116Machiavelli: The Art of Teaching People What to FearPatrick Boucheron
Barnes & Noble 3
117Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of HumanitySam Harris
Barnes & Noble 3
118Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good AncestorLayla Saad
Barnes & Noble 6
119Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male AmericaIjeoma Oluo
Barnes & Noble 6
120Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear DisasterAdam HigginbothamBooklist
121Mill Town: Reckoning with What RemainsKerri Arsenault
Barnes & Noble 6
122Modern Madness: An Owner’s ManualTerri Cheney
Barnes & Noble 4
123Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided TimesJonathan Sacks
Barnes & Noble 3
124My Broken MarikoWaka Hirako
Good men Project
125My Garden WorldMonty Don
Waterstones
126Natural: The Seductive Myth of Nature’s GoodnessAlan Levinovitz
The Times 2
127Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your YardDouglas W. TallamyBooklist
128Nerve: Adventures in the Science of FearEva Holland
Smithsonian
129No Filter: The Inside Story of InstagramSarah FrierGoodreads
130Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s SmellsHarold McGee
Financial Times 2
131Numb and NumberWilliam Hartston
Waterstones
132Olive, Mabel and MeAndrew Cotter
Waterstones
133On the Origin of EvolutionJohn Gribbin, Mary Gribbin
Waterstones
134Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn AmericaMaria Hinojosa
Barnes & Noble 6
135Outbreaks and Epidemics 
The Guardian
136Outside InDeborah UnderwoodNPR
137Poems to See by: A Comic Artist Interprets Great PoetryJulian Peters
Good men Project
138RootboundAlice Vincent
Waterstones
139Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in ScienceStuart Ritchie
The Times 2
140Scientists Who Changed HistoryVictoria Heyworth-DunneBooklist 2
141Separated: Inside an American TragedyJacob Soboroff
Barnes & Noble 6
142Show Me A SignAnn Clare LeZotteNPR
143Spacefarers: How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and BeyondChristopher Wanjek
The Telegraph
144Stuff You Should KnowJosh Clark, Chuck Bryant
Waterstones
145Tarka the OtterHenry Williamson Charles Tunnicliffe (Illustrator) Verlyn Klinkenborg (Introduction by) & 1 more
The Wall Street Journal
146The Accidental CountrysideStephen Moss
Waterstones
147The AlmanacLia Leendertz
Waterstones
148The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic AgeSteve Olson
Barnes & Noble 5
149The Backyard Birdwatcher’s BiblePaul Sterry
Barnes & Noble 2
150The Beauty in Breaking: A MemoirMichele Harper
Barnes & Noble
151The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2020Michio Kaku (Editor) Jaime Green (Editor)
The Wall Street Journal
152The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and WinMaria Konnikova
Barnes & Noble 4
153The Body: A Guide for OccupantsBill BrysonFive Books
154The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius RamanujanAmy AlznauerBooklist 3
155The Carbon Club: How a Network of Influential Climate Sceptics, Politicians and Business Leaders Fought to Control Australia’s Climate PolicyMarian Wilkinson
Financial Times
156The Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success: Overcoming Myths that Hinder ProgressMark Jaccard
Financial Times
157The Collectors 
The Wall Street Journal
158The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban HeartlandWalter Thompson-Hernandez
Barnes & Noble 6
159The Consolation of Nature 
The Guardian
160The Daily Henry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau Laura Dassow Walls (Editor)
The Wall Street Journal
161The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and MoreDr. Daniel G. Amen
Barnes & Noble 4
162The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate CrisisChristiana FigueresGoodreads
163The Godless GospelJulian Baggini
Waterstones
164The Gospel of the Eels by Patrik Svensson The Times
165The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on CancerJennet ConantAmazon
166The Human PlanetGeorge Steinmetz Andrew Revkin
The Wall Street Journal
167The Ice at the End of the World: Greenland’s Secret Past and Earth’s Perilous FutureJon GertnerBooklist
168The Language of ButterfliesWendy WilliamsBookpage
169The Language of Thieves: My Family’s Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to EliminateMartin Puchner
Barnes & Noble 3
170The Lazarus StrategyDr Norman Lazarus
Waterstones
171The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of DiscoverySeb Falk
The Times 2
172The Little Book of HumanismAlice Roberts, Andrew Copson
Waterstones
173The Lonely CenturyNoreena Hertz
Waterstones
174The Magic School Bus Explores Human EvolutionJoanna ColeBooklist 3
175The Meaning of Travel: Philosophers AbroadEmily ThomasFive Books
176The Memory Box Book & Wonderfully illustrated Memory Book Grief Journal 
Good men Project
177The Murder of Professor Schlick: The Rise and Fall of the Vienna CircleDavid EdmondsFive Books
178The Natural Health ServiceIsabel Hardman
Waterstones
179The Nature of SummerJim Crumley
Waterstones
180The New Map: Energy, Climate And The Clash Of NationsDaniel YerginNPR
181The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the MoveSonia ShahAmazon
182The Number Bias 
The Telegraph
183The Only Living Girl 
Good men Project
184The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19Mark Honigsbaum
The Times 2
185The Philosopher Queens: The lives and legacies of philosophy’s unsung womenLisa Whiting & Rebecca BuxtonFive Books
186The Radium Girls: The Scary but True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the DarkKate MooreBooklist 3
187The Seaweed Collector’s HandbookMiek Zwamborn, Michele Hutchison
Waterstones
188The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another WorldSarah Stewart Johnson
The Times 2
189The Sky AtlasEdward Brooke-Hitching
The Wall Street Journal 2
190The Smallest Lights in the UniverseSara SeagerBooklist 2
191The Stubborn Light of Things: A Nature DiaryMelissa HarrisonThe Times
192The SystemJames Ball
Waterstones
193The Tristan Gooley CollectionTristan Gooley
The Wall Street Journal
194The Well Gardened MindSue Stuart-Smith
Waterstones
195The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens — and OurselvesArik Kershenbaum
The Times 2
196There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than KindnessCarlo Rovelli
Waterstones
197This Book Will Make You Kinder: An Empathy HandbookHenry James Garrett
Barnes & Noble 3
198This One Wild and Precious Life: The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured WorldSarah Wilson
Barnes & Noble 4
199Throwaway Nation: The Ugly Truth about American GarbageJeff DonderoBooklist
200Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird’s Amazing JourneyRobert BurleighBooklist 3
201Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and TimeGaia VinceFive Books
202Transcendent Kingdom: A NovelYaa GyasiNPR
203Two Trees Make a ForestJessica J. LeeBookpage
204Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black ManEmmanuel Acho
Barnes & Noble 6
205Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide 
The Wall Street Journal 2
206Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty SecretCatherine Coleman Flowers Bryan Stevenson (Foreword by)
Smithsonian
207What Cats WantYuki Hattori
Waterstones
208What Do You Think You Are?Brian Clegg
Waterstones
209What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing–What Birds Are Doing, and WhyDavid Allen Sibley
Barnes & Noble 2
210What We Need To Do Now: For a Zero Carbon FutureChris Goodall
Financial Times
211Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open RoadMatthew B Crawford
Barnes & Noble 3
212Why We SwimBonnie TsuiGoodreads
213Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined CityFang Fang
Barnes & Noble
214Yes to Life: In Spite of EverythingViktor E. Frankl
Barnes & Noble 4
215You Might Die Tomorrow: Face Your Fear of Death to Live Your Most Meaningful LifeKate Manser
Good men Project


27 Best Science And Nature Book Sources/Lists



SourceArticle
Amazon Best science books of 2020
Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble’s Best Medicine Books of 2020
Barnes & Noble 2 Barnes & Noble’s Best Nature & Wildlife Books of 2020
Barnes & Noble 3 Barnes & Noble’s Best Philosophy Books of 2020
Barnes & Noble 4 Barnes & Noble’s Best Psychology Books of 2020
Barnes & Noble 5 Barnes & Noble’s Best Science Books of 2020
Barnes & Noble 6 Barnes & Noble’s Best Social Science Books of 2020
Booklist Top 10 Books on the Environment & Sustainability: 2020
Booklist 2 Top 10 Sci-Tech Books: 2020
Booklist 3 Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth: 2020
Bookpage The best nature books of the year were written by women
Financial Times Best books of 2020: Environment
Financial Times 2 Best books of 2020: Science
Five Books The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize
Five Books The Best Philosophy Books of 2020
Good men Project All Things Geek Best Books 2020!
Goodreads Best Science & Technology
NPR NPR’s Book Concierge
Smithsonian The Ten Best Science Books of 2020
The Guardian Science/Nature
The Telegraph The best science books of 2020
The Times Best nature books of the year 2020
The Times 2 Best science books of the year 2020
The Wall Street Journal Holiday Gift Books 2020: Nature
The Wall Street Journal 2 Holiday Gift Books 2020: Science
Waterstones The Best Books of 2020: Nature Writing
Waterstones The Best Books of 2020: Popular Science