A good scientific book sharpens the mind – researchers share their recommendations
I’ll definitely do some reading this summer!
If that’s what you’ve decided, good for you! At the same time, you can estimate whether your summer reading time will exceed the Finnish average.
It is currently 37 minutes per day, according to a time use survey conducted by Statistics Finland. The time spent on reading was last measured in 2020–21.
Once you have made the decision to read, there is a wide variety to choose from. According to the National Bibliography Fennica, almost 14,000 new printed books are published in Finland every year.
In this article, we focus on scientific and non-fiction books. Five JYU researchers – Jari Haimi, Henna-Riikka Peltola, Juha Hulmi, Veikko Halttunen, and Minna Torppa – offer their recommendations on books worth reading this summer.
The selection covers topics such as the human body, beliefs, trees, insects, the effects of music, AI, and changes in reading habits.
Basic knowledge helps us understand various phenomena and decisions. A good non-fiction book provides both a sense of scale and interesting details. It also presents the grounds for the information given, and what is still unknown.
The ability to trust research knowledge is a valuable civic skill in the current era of disinformation.
Nature knowledge: from soil to tree
Jari Haimi is a researcher emeritus in the natural sciences from the University of Jyväskylä. He is specialised in invertebrates as well as decomposition functions and related factors in soil. The most extensive research Haimi has conducted during his career has focused on earth worms and their significance. Recently he has expanded his research with his colleagues to include, for example, how microplastics affect decomposer organisms in the soil.
Haimi regularly appears as an expert in the media and at science events for the general public.
Jari Haimi's recommendations for science books:
1.
Title: Elämää maan kätköissä
Authors: Veikko Huhta and Eeva-Liisa Hallanaro (eds.)
Publisher: Gaudeamus
Why: This book presents a well-rounded view of life in the soil, which is surprisingly unfamiliar even to many nature enthusiasts. A remarkable part of biodiversity is hidden beneath our feet, and this invisible world plays a major role in ecosystems. I am also one of the authors of this book.
2.
Title: Puiden asukkaat – Suomen puiden seuralaislajit
Authors: Petri Keto-Tokoi and Juha Siitonen
Publisher: Gaudeamus
Why: The book is a rich information package on the biotic communities of trees of different ages and species – a diversity that would remain hidden without expert guidance. Moreover, the book’s illustrations are outstanding.
3.
Title: Muodonvaihdoksia ihmettelemässä
Author: Sami Karjalainen
Publisher: Tammi
Why: The book explores insects’ juvenile stages and transformations through its gorgeous pictures and captivating stories. After reading this book, you’ll be able to match larvae of different stages with corresponding adult invertebrates.
Insights on sports and critical thinking
Juha Hulmi is Professor of Exercise Physiology at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. Hulmi says that as a researcher, he looks at the human body comprehensively, from molecules to cells and organs such as muscles, and how the body functions. He draws on the latest research methods of physiology and biosciences.
Hulmi has written two non-fiction books and co-authored several others. He has maintained the popular Lihastohtori (Muscle Doctor) blog since 2012 and currently popularises science on Instagram and Facebook.
Juha Hulmi's recommendations for science books:
1.
Title: The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance
Author: David Epstein
Publisher: Penguin Group
Why: This book combines sport, genetics and top-class research into a compelling package. It offers insights for anyone interested in physical activity and the human body – also Finland is mentioned.
2.
Title: The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
Author: Steven Novella
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Why: A comprehensive and captivating book that teaches readers how to recognise misleading information and develop critical thinking. A very useful book for coping in the contemporary world.
3.
Title: Voiko se olla totta? – Skeptisiä näkökulmia nykymenoon
Author: Tiina Raevaara
Publisher: Ursa
Why: The book looks at different beliefs and phenomena in a sharply critical, yet entertaining way. A thought-provoking and approachable non-fiction book that remains relevant today.
Perspectives on the history of music and emotions
Associate Professor Henna-Riikka Peltola is an expert of music-related emotional experiences and music’s effects on well-being. She also knows what music means to personal identity – for both young people and adults. At present, Peltola is investigating, among other things, how young people use mobile devices and social media platforms for music consumption, and what this means for their daily well-being.
Peltola is an active developer of higher education in her own field at the JYU Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies. She believes that the development of university education is one of the most important channels for disseminating research knowledge across many sectors of society.
Henna-Riikka Peltola's recommendations for science books:
1.
Title: I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine
Author: Daniel J. Levitin
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Why: Musician and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin writes in an accessible and entertaining fashion about the significance of music for humankind as well as about its medical use. The book addresses both everyday music listening as well as various rehabilitative contexts of music therapy.
2.
Title: Lailasta Almaan – Suomalaisten naisten populaarimusiikin historia
Authors: Tiina Käpylä and Anna-Elena Pääkkölä
Publisher: Into
Why: The book describes the status of women working in the field of popular music and how it has changed from the 1950s to the present day. Despite of the female perspective, the book also provides a comprehensive picture of the history of Finnish popular music in general.
3.
Title: Tunteiden historia (The history of emotions)
Author: Rob Boddice
Publisher: Vastapaino
Why: Historian Rob Boddice outlines the cultural history of emotions and explains why emotions are not only phenomena of personal psychology, but also bodily and historically constructed experiences. This perspective is particularly interesting with regard to the study of music-related emotions.
An overview of artificial intelligence and threat scenarios
Veikko Halttunen works as a University Teacher at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä. He teaches and studies the responsible development and usage of digital systems. Currently, he is interested in the vast energy and water consumption of AI, in particular, and he hopes that knowledge about the effects of AI would reach a wider audience.
Equally important themes include the privacy and data protection issues related to AI. Halttunen explores how AI is used in governmental control and as a driver of data economy, and what risks this poses for privacy.
Veikko Halttunen's recommendations for science books:
1.
Title: Pysyvästi merkitty (Permanent Record)
Author: Edward Snowden
Publisher: WSOY
Why: This book is a must-read for anyone interested in threats to privacy. Although it is not an actual non-fiction book as such, it is written by a real expert in this field.
2.
Title: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Author: Shoshana Zuboff
Publisher: Profile Books Limited
Why: Zuboff describes in detail how Internet users became products of surveillance capitalism. The risk potential of AI cannot be understood without perceiving this development.
3.
Title: Taming the Machine – Ethically Harness the Power of AI
Author: Nell Watson
Publisher: Kogan Page
Why: Watson examines AI from the responsibility point of view and presupposes that the machine can be tamed. Irrespective of this premise, the book is absolutely worth reading.
Information on the changes and significance of reading
Professor Minna Torppa from the JYU Department of Teacher Education investigates learning and learning difficulties. Her particular focus is on the development of reading and writing skills as well as mathematical skills. She studies, for example, how motivational factors and children’s well-being influence the development of these skills. Her research topics also include genetic and environmental factors related to learning and learning difficulties.
Literacy work and increasing reading motivation are pivotal in Minna Torppa’s research.
Minna Torpan tieto- ja tiedekirjavinkit:
1.
Title: Miksi lakkasimme lukemasta? Sosiologinen tulkinta lukemisen muutoksesta
Author: Riie Heikkilä
Publisher: Gaudeamus, 2024
Why: A major reason for the decline in reading literacy is the decrease in the amount of reading. We need different perspectives on why we don’t read anymore – one such analysis can be found in this book.
2.
Title: Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World
Author: Maryanne Wolf
Publisher: Harper
Why: The increasing dominance of the digital world can be seen in how we spend our time and in our reading habits. In this book, changes in reading habits are addressed from a neuropsychological and cognitive perspective.
3.
Title: Salaliittoteorioiden ihmemaassa
Author: Pasi Kivioja
Publisher: Docendo
Why: There is plenty of information available, but its reliability varies. In addition to basic literacy, there is also a need for critical literacy – the ability to evaluate the reliability of texts through the motives and expertise of the sources used, for example. Conspiracy theories offer one perspective on this theme.
