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The best audiobooks of 2021

The mathematical way to surviving Christmas Day

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The mathematical way to survive Christmas Day

Rutherford and Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything

The presenters of BBC Radio 4's flagship show, The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry, set about explaining life's great mysteries.

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
'If only Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry were on tap to all of us, all the time . . . The pair have such a gift for making life, numbers and the forces at work in the universe all the richer, stranger, funnier and more marvellous.' Stephen Fry 
 
In Rutherford and Fry's comprehensive guidebook, they tell the complete story of the universe and absolutely everything in it - skipping over some of the boring parts. 
This is a celebration of the weirdness of the cosmos, the strangeness of humans and the fact that amid all the mess, we can somehow make sense of life. 
 
Our brains have evolved to tell us all sorts of things that feel intuitively right but just aren't true: the world looks flat, the stars seem fixed in the heavenly firmament, a day is 24 hours... This book is crammed full of tales of how stuff really works. With the power of science, Rutherford and Fry show us how to bypass our monkey-brains, taking us on a journey from the origin of time and space, via planets, galaxies, evolution, the dinosaurs, all the way into our minds, and wrestling with some truly head-scratching questions that only science can answer: 
 
What is time, and where does it come from? 
Why are animals the size and shape they are? 
How horoscopes work (Spoiler: they don't, but you think they do) 
Does my dog love me? 
Why nothing is truly round? 
Do you need your eyes to see? 
 
'A wonderfully engaging blend of wit, enthusiasm, clarity and knowledge.' Bill Bryson 
'Like the universe itself, this book is multi-faceted, surprising and full of wonders. It's also funny, wise and exceedingly brainy. You really owe it to yourself to read it.' Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add Up 
 
 
© Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

'If only Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry were on tap to all of us, all the time . . . The pair have such a gift for making life, numbers and the forces at work in the universe all the richer, stranger, funnier and more marvellous.' Stephen Fry 
 
In Rutherford and Fry's comprehensive guidebook, they tell the complete story of the universe and absolutely everything in it - skipping over some of the boring parts. 
This is a celebration of the weirdness of the cosmos, the strangeness of humans and the fact that amid all the mess, we can somehow make sense of life. 
 
Our brains have evolved to tell us all sorts of things that feel intuitively right but just aren't true: the world looks flat, the stars seem fixed in the heavenly firmament, a day is 24 hours... This book is crammed full of tales of how stuff really works. With the power of science, Rutherford and Fry show us how to bypass our monkey-brains, taking us on a journey from the origin of time and space, via planets, galaxies, evolution, the dinosaurs, all the way into our minds, and wrestling with some truly head-scratching questions that only science can answer: 
 
What is time, and where does it come from? 
Why are animals the size and shape they are? 
How horoscopes work (Spoiler: they don't, but you think they do) 
Does my dog love me? 
Why nothing is truly round? 
Do you need your eyes to see? 
 
'A wonderfully engaging blend of wit, enthusiasm, clarity and knowledge.' Bill Bryson 
'Like the universe itself, this book is multi-faceted, surprising and full of wonders. It's also funny, wise and exceedingly brainy. You really owe it to yourself to read it.' Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add Up

BBC science sleuths solve everyday mysteries

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry: Series 1-10

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries. 
 
In this irreverent and illuminating popular science show, award-winning geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford teams up with mathematics guru Dr Hannah Fry to solve puzzling conundrums sent in by listeners. For the past five years, they've been scrutinizing a cornucopia of cases using the power of science - from why people shout on their mobile phones to d how much the bacteria in our body weighs. 
 
As broadcast on BBC Radio, these 50 episodes tackle topics including what makes gingers ginger, how to make the perfect cup of tea, whether being left-handed affects your brain and why we get static shocks. Plus, they explain why the Earth spins, what's inside a black hole, why tunes get stuck in our heads and how bats echolocate - as well as solving the enigma of why sex exists and discovering whether science can help you win the lottery. 
So whether you're curious about déjà vu, wondering if we could shoot lasers to the moon, or simply desperate to identify the tiniest dinosaur, Fry and Rutherford have the answers you need. Helping them to find the solutions are a host of fellow scientists and special guests including Professors Alice Roberts, Marcus du Sautoy and Jim Al-Khalili; Jay Rayner; Shaun Keaveney, Rory Cellan-Jones and Duncan Wisbey. 
 
Presented by Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry 
This collection contains the original episodes of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry as they first appeared on BBC Radio 4 on 15-19 February 2016 (Series 1), 30 May-3 June 2016 (Series 2), 3-7 October 2016 (Series 3), 5-9 December 2016 (Series 4), 13-17 March 2017 (Series 5), 12-16 June 2017 (Series 6), 25-29 September 2017 (Series 7), 8-12 January 2018 (Series 8), 26 February-2 March 2018 (Series 9), 28 May-1 June 2018 (Series 10) 
Producer: Michelle Martin 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Adam Rutherford (Author, Reader) Adam Rutherford is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and geneticist at University College London. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Book of Humans, and the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. He has written and presented numerous documentaries for BBC radio and television, including Inside Science and The Cell. Adam has also worked as a science advisor on many films, including the Oscar-winning Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018). Hannah Fry (Author, Reader) Hannah Fry is a renowned British mathematician, author, and broadcaster whose impact spans academia, media, and public engagement. In a landmark appointment in 2024, she became Cambridge University's inaugural Professor for the Public Understanding of Mathematics in 2024, a chair created to recognize her contributions. Hannah is the author of multiple bestsellers including A Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything, The Mathematics of Love and the critically acclaimed Hello World. Hannah's work aims to translate complex mathematical ideas and the profound implications of AI for a vast international audience. Her presence extends across media, from prestigious publications like The New Yorker to global platforms like Bloomberg, TED and the BBC, earning her two Emmy nominations, a Grierson Award, and a coveted Baillie Gifford Prize nomination.

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries. 
 
In this irreverent and illuminating popular science show, award-winning geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford teams up with mathematics guru Dr Hannah Fry to solve puzzling conundrums sent in by listeners. For the past five years, they've been scrutinizing a cornucopia of cases using the power of science - from why people shout on their mobile phones to d how much the bacteria in our body weighs. 
 
As broadcast on BBC Radio, these 50 episodes tackle topics including what makes gingers ginger, how to make the perfect cup of tea, whether being left-handed affects your brain and why we get static shocks. Plus, they explain why the Earth spins, what's inside a black hole, why tunes get stuck in our heads and how bats echolocate - as well as solving the enigma of why sex exists and discovering whether science can help you win the lottery. 
 
So whether you're curious about déjà vu, wondering if we could shoot lasers to the moon, or simply desperate to identify the tiniest dinosaur, Fry and Rutherford have the answers you need. Helping them to find the solutions are a host of fellow scientists and special guests including Professors Alice Roberts, Marcus du Sautoy and Jim Al-Khalili; Jay Rayner; Shaun Keaveney, Rory Cellan-Jones and Duncan Wisbey. 
 
Presented by Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry 
This collection contains the original episodes of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry as they first appeared on BBC Radio 4 on 15-19 February 2016 (Series 1), 30 May-3 June 2016 (Series 2), 3-7 October 2016 (Series 3), 5-9 December 2016 (Series 4), 13-17 March 2017 (Series 5), 12-16 June 2017 (Series 6), 25-29 September 2017 (Series 7), 8-12 January 2018 (Series 8), 26 February-2 March 2018 (Series 9), 28 May-1 June 2018 (Series 10) 
Producer: Michelle Martin 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry: Series 11-15

Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry solve more of your everyday mysteries in these five fantastic radio series 
 
Inquisitive investigators Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry are back to crack open another batch of baffling cases sent in by the great British public. Using the power of science, they find the surprising solutions to tricky questions such as 'Is anything really random'?, 'Why do we have hangovers?', 'Is hypnotism real?' and 'How do you make gold?' 
 
As broadcast on BBC Radio, these 29 episodes encompass classic cosmic conundrums - including whether there is intelligent alien life out there, if infinity exists, and how wormholes could allow us to time-travel - as well as probing more down-to-earth human quirks like our differing pain thresholds, our attraction to 'bad' foods like chips and chocolate, and our varied regional accents. Plus, the duo embark on a cheery evolutionary thought experiment as they wonder what would happen if humanity became extinct... 
Also included is a Valentine's episode about how love affects our brain, and a two-part Halloween special on why horror bewitches us so - and it's Rutherford and Fry squared when Stephen Fry joins the show to find out why he struggles to remember faces. 
 
Among the many guest experts aiding the two Doctors in their investigations are quantum physicist Jim Al-Khalili, cosmologist Andrew Pontzen, 'The Angry Chef' Anthony Warner, stage hypnotist Ben Dali, psychologist Claudia Hammond, neuroscientist Sophie Scott, and Phil Plait, AKA The Bad Astronomer. 
 
Presented by Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry 
This collection contains the original episodes of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry as they first appeared on BBC Radio 4 on 3-7 September 2018 (Series 11), 21 November-26 December 2018 (Series 12), 3 April-8 May 2019 (Series 13), 30 October-4 December 2019 (Series 14), 5 February-11 March 2020 (Series 15) 
Producer: Michelle Martin 
 
Series 11 featuring: Monica Grady, Seth Shostak, Matthew Cobb, Sara Rugheimer, Peter Weyand, Polly McGuigan, Steve Haake, Colva Roney-Dougal, Bill Thompson, Tilly Blyth, Jim Al-Khalili, Irene Tracey, Steve Pete 
Series 12 featuring: Janina Ramirez, Mark Thomas, Marina Tyndall, Trevor Cox, Steven Strogatz, Eugenia Cheng, Sean Carroll, Andrew Pontzen, Mark Miodownik, Linda Bartoshuk, Anthony Warner, Sally Adams, Andrea Sella, Adam Rogers 
Series 13 featuring: Ben Dali, Wendy Moore, Devin Terhune, Dawn Shaughnessy, Philip Ball, Jim Al-Khalili, Matt Chandler, Wayne Urquhart, Trevor Cox, Zoe Laughlin, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Sara Russell, Brendan Owens, Neil Comins, Steve Brusatte, Julia Clarke, Al Nelson 
Series 14 featuring: Mathias Clasen, Margee Kerr, Claudia Hammond, David Poeppel, Sophie Scott, Brad Duchaine, Frank Close, Andrew Pontzen, Andrew Blum, Helen Willetts, Steven Strogatz, Matthew Cobb, Kate Jones, Phil Plait 
Series 15 featuring: Mark Miodownik, Lucie Green, Andrew Pontzen, Dr Helen Fisher, Claudia Hammond, Irene Tracey, Dr Nick Davis, Dr Giulia Poerio, Claire Jones, Jonathan Ball, Wendy Barclay, Carl Philpott. Richard Warren, Heather Massey, Kathryn Jeffs, Jim Al-Khalili, Jennifer Oullette 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry solve more of your everyday mysteries in these five fantastic radio series 
 
Inquisitive investigators Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry are back to crack open another batch of baffling cases sent in by the great British public. Using the power of science, they find the surprising solutions to tricky questions such as 'Is anything really random'?, 'Why do we have hangovers?', 'Is hypnotism real?' and 'How do you make gold?' 
 
As broadcast on BBC Radio, these 29 episodes encompass classic cosmic conundrums - including whether there is intelligent alien life out there, if infinity exists, and how wormholes could allow us to time-travel - as well as probing more down-to-earth human quirks like our differing pain thresholds, our attraction to 'bad' foods like chips and chocolate, and our varied regional accents. Plus, the duo embark on a cheery evolutionary thought experiment as they wonder what would happen if humanity became extinct... 
 
Also included is a Valentine's episode about how love affects our brain, and a two-part Halloween special on why horror bewitches us so - and it's Rutherford and Fry squared when Stephen Fry joins the show to find out why he struggles to remember faces. 
 
Among the many guest experts aiding the two Doctors in their investigations are quantum physicist Jim Al-Khalili, cosmologist Andrew Pontzen, 'The Angry Chef' Anthony Warner, stage hypnotist Ben Dali, psychologist Claudia Hammond, neuroscientist Sophie Scott, and Phil Plait, AKA The Bad Astronomer. 
 
Presented by Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry 
This collection contains the original episodes of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry as they first appeared on BBC Radio 4 on 3-7 September 2018 (Series 11), 21 November-26 December 2018 (Series 12), 3 April-8 May 2019 (Series 13), 30 October-4 December 2019 (Series 14), 5 February-11 March 2020 (Series 15) 
Producer: Michelle Martin 
 
Series 11 featuring: Monica Grady, Seth Shostak, Matthew Cobb, Sara Rugheimer, Peter Weyand, Polly McGuigan, Steve Haake, Colva Roney-Dougal, Bill Thompson, Tilly Blyth, Jim Al-Khalili, Irene Tracey, Steve Pete 
Series 12 featuring: Janina Ramirez, Mark Thomas, Marina Tyndall, Trevor Cox, Steven Strogatz, Eugenia Cheng, Sean Carroll, Andrew Pontzen, Mark Miodownik, Linda Bartoshuk, Anthony Warner, Sally Adams, Andrea Sella, Adam Rogers 
Series 13 featuring: Ben Dali, Wendy Moore, Devin Terhune, Dawn Shaughnessy, Philip Ball, Jim Al-Khalili, Matt Chandler, Wayne Urquhart, Trevor Cox, Zoe Laughlin, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Sara Russell, Brendan Owens, Neil Comins, Steve Brusatte, Julia Clarke, Al Nelson 
Series 14 featuring: Mathias Clasen, Margee Kerr, Claudia Hammond, David Poeppel, Sophie Scott, Brad Duchaine, Frank Close, Andrew Pontzen, Andrew Blum, Helen Willetts, Steven Strogatz, Matthew Cobb, Kate Jones, Phil Plait 
Series 15 featuring: Mark Miodownik, Lucie Green, Andrew Pontzen, Dr Helen Fisher, Claudia Hammond, Irene Tracey, Dr Nick Davis, Dr Giulia Poerio, Claire Jones, Jonathan Ball, Wendy Barclay, Carl Philpott. Richard Warren, Heather Massey, Kathryn Jeffs, Jim Al-Khalili, Jennifer Oullette 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

How  to be Human in the Age of the Machine

Hello World

Would you let an algorithm determine your fate? Hannah Fry lifts the lid on the world of algorithms, examining how they impact our future and whether they really are an improvement on the humans they replace.

A stylish, thoughtful, and scrupulously fair-minded account of what the software that increasingly governs our lives can and cannot do ... A beautifully accessible guide that leaps lightly from one story to the next without sparing the reader hard questions... deserves a place in the bestseller charts.

With refreshing simplicity, Fry explains what AI, machine learning and complicated algorithms really mean, providing some succinct explanations of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, driverless cars and many other unnerving modern phenomena…This book illustrates why good science writers are essential.

Brilliantly clear...Fry succinctly outlines the ethical issues that beset AI

Hello World is a gem of accessible science writing. With eloquence and charm, Hannah Fry outlines the maths of computer algorithms and explains how they are transforming fields such as health, justice, transport and the arts. She is a wise guide to the benefits - and horrors of our increasingly data-driven world.

Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland

Expertly told, wise and with a lightness of touch, Hannah Fry's brilliant exploration of how we live our lives in the age of AI will prompt arguments in pubs and over dinner tables for years to come.

Computers used to be tools, then they were toys, and now they're all around us. You couldn't ask for a better guide to this bewildering new world than Hannah Fry, who fills Hello World with wit, storytelling and superbly clear insight. Bravo!

Tim Harford, author and presenter of The Undercover Economist and more recently Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy.

Hannah Fry's masterful and entertaining call to arms needs to be read by every last human who unthinkingly entrusts our destiny to algorithms. Because, what do you know, the machine-determined future may just work against our best interests, people.

Hello World is an action-packed, quick read during which you will be outraged, provoked, and challenged. The numerous, meticulously researched examples reveal the astonishing new world we're living in, one where secret decisions with ambiguous goals are deciding our individual and collective fates. Welcome to the modern world of big data, you're quite possibly screwed.

Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction

Hello World is a brisk and friendly guidebook to the algorithms all around us

Editor's Choice: consistently illuminating

Fascinating and funny. I learned something on every page.

Tom Chivers, science correspondent of Buzzfeed

Hannah Fry is one of the best explainers on the planet. In Hello World she examines the ups and downs of living with algorithms everywhere, online and off, in our homes and workplaces, hospitals and supermarkets. She takes a serious subject and leavens it delightfully with her clear writing and captivating stories, and her trademark sense of humour and fun.

Books of the Year 
This short, sharp book on the power and dangers of algorithms offers one of the clearest explanations of a complex subject

Books of the Year 
A perky, brief introduction to big data and algorithmic crunching…enjoyably sceptical

Books of the Year 
Hannah Fry’s is the most readable, lively and sensible account, neither catastrophising nor pumped with boosterism

Hello World is an illuminating book on the ethical issues around data. Mathematician and presenter Hannah Fry leads us through the not-too-distant worlds of AI politics, healthcare and culture, probing the complex roles of data and algorithms through a range of eye-opening examples. ‘AI’ is a much-used but oft-misunderstood term, and here Fry lays out its impact with ease - 'Best Books of 2018'

She is doing to maths what Brian Cox has done for physics

Hannah Fry is quickly becoming the David Attenborough of maths.

Hannah Fry is an Associate Professor in the mathematics of cities from University College London. In her day job she uses mathematical models to study patterns in human behaviour, and has worked with governments, police forces, health analysts and supermarkets. Her TED talks have amassed millions of views and she has fronted television documentaries for the BBC and PBS; she also hosts the long-running science podcast, ‘The Curious Cases of Rutherford &amp; Fry’ with the BBC.

The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus

The updated edition of this dazzling, magical mathematical tour of the festive season with the most elegant mathematical solutions to your Christmas conundrums, from how to avoid a secret Santa disaster to how to win the festive family games.

A smart, witty, original take on the festive season, with calculations and theories to help you prepare and solve your Christmas conundrums.

Just in case the charm and beauty of mathematical thinking has passed by some of your friends and family, they will be grateful for this slim volume in their stocking. The puzzles and games of Hannah Fry and Thomas Evans involving present-wrapping and Queen's Speech bingo are but an entry drug for heady passages about the natureof truth and game theory.

From the perfect Secret Santa gift to finally proving the existence of St Nick, a new book uses mathematics to crack the toughest festival conundrums.

The broadcaster and author of The Mathematics of Love teams up with a mathematician and writer for this intelligent stocking filler ... sounds enormous fun.

Hannah Fry is a renowned British mathematician, author, and broadcaster whose impact spans academia, media, and public engagement. In a landmark appointment in 2024, she became Cambridge University's inaugural Professor for the Public Understanding of Mathematics in 2024, a chair created to recognize her contributions. Hannah is the author of multiple bestsellers including A Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything, The Mathematics of Love and the critically acclaimed Hello World. Hannah's work aims to translate complex mathematical ideas and the profound implications of AI for a vast international audience. Her presence extends across media, from prestigious publications like The New Yorker to global platforms like Bloomberg, TED and the BBC, earning her two Emmy nominations, a Grierson Award, and a coveted Baillie Gifford Prize nomination.

____________ 
 
How do you apply game theory to select who should be on your Christmas shopping list ? Can you predict Her Majesty's Christmas Message? Will calculations show Santa is getting steadily thinner - shimmying up and down chimneys for a whole night - or fatter - as he tucks into a mince pie and a glass of sherry in billions of houses across the world? 
 
Full of diagrams, sketches and graphs, beautiful equations, Markov chains and matrices, The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus brightens up the bleak midwinter with stockingfuls of mathematical marvels. And proves once and for all that maths isn't just for old men with white hair and beards who associate with elves. 
 
Maths has never been merrier. 
 
NOW WITH A BRAND NEW CHAPTER

Hannah Fry

Rutherford and Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything (Abridged)

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