As the title suggests, A Short History of Nearly Everything has nearly everything. It brings you everywhere – from the atoms that make up this world to the entire universe.

Take, for example, the Milky Way. It ends at Pluto, right? Wrong: it continues for millions and millions of miles.

The book is very long. However, it simplifies things so that even non-­scientists can understand. Learning is the only option with so much packed in.

Bill Bryson goes into great detail about the smallest things. For example, we do not actually touch other objects; the atoms deflect other atoms so we are levitating at a very, very small height.

This book focuses on things that you’ll want to know. It may take a long time to read (it took me over a month), but it is definitely worth it. I’m reading it for the second time, and still there is more to learn.