Reading is an essential part of academic life ensuring researchers keep abreast of all the latest research work published in peer-reviewed journals. But many also read fiction and non-fiction books to relax. As a fun alternative to the usual Monday Morning Meeting (MMM) presentations, FABI Deputy Director Prof. Fanus Venter invited FABIans to present a short review on their favourite books they have recently read at MMM on 25 November. This is just in time for the December holidays when most FABIans take time off to recharge their batteries for the start of the new year. The books reviewed ranged in topic from history, genetics, biographies to a graphic novel on the history of Shaka Zulu.

Books Reviewed: 

Ms Alisa Postma: The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Ms Andi Wilson: Bad Science by  Ben Goldacre

Prof Bernard Slippers: The Creativity Code: How AI Is Learning to Write, Paint and Think by Marcus du Sautoy

Prof. Brett Hurley: Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond

Prof. Cobus Visagie: The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat: The Story of the Penicillin Miracle by Eric Lax

Prof. Fanus Venter: The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life by David Quammen

Mr Quentin Guignard: Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince by Luke W. Molver, Mason O'Connor

Ms Renate Zipfel: Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies by Geoffrey B. West

Ms Samantha Bush: David Attenborough's Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster by David Attenborough