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Christmas is the perfect time for stuffing yourself with food before getting cosy and wiling away the long winter nights with a great book. Take a look at this list of what we've been reading this year, and maybe you'll find some inspiration for your own bookshelves – virtual or otherwise – this Christmas.

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

Looking for alien life? Start by taking a closer look at the remarkable world of the octopus. In The Soul of an Octopus, naturalist Sy Montgomery explains how these creatures aren’t just super-intelligent, but also full of personality. During her studies, Montgomery explores the fledgling field of octopus intelligence, showing them at their playful, ingenious best. This book sets out to change your preconceptions of what intelligence means and – in a roundabout way – gives a glimpse of how these ideas might be further challenged when we eventually find equally bizarre life elsewhere in the universe. And you’ll fall in love with a few octopuses along the way. James Temperton, digital editor


The Visual History of Type

Paul McNeil has put together a mind-blowing catalogue of typefaces and type history from 1450 to 2015. From Akzidenz-Grotesk to Zapf Renaissance, anyone who has an interest in graphic design will geek out over this. A fantastic, heavyweight compendium of letterforms that’s a firm WIRED art department favourite. Andrew Diprose, creative director

The Runaway Species: How human creativity remakes the world

The Runaway Species is a beautifully illustrated deep dive into human creativity by Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman and composer Anthony Brandt. Covering the neuroscience of why and how we innovate, using examples of Picasso’s offensive art and the agenda-setting iPhone, this is a must-read for anyone with curiosity about the workings of the human mind. Sian Bradley, editorial intern

Providence: Volume 3

The third volume of Alan Moore’s possibly-last-ever-comic-book-at-least-until-he-changes-his-mind-again collects the last four chapters of his exhaustive love letter to Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos. A grand conspiracy, kinky sex, mental breakdowns and probably more tentacles than you are entirely comfortable with. Mike Dent, managing editor

The Gene: An Intimate History

Cancer researcher and physician Siddhartha Mukherjee manages to cram in a detailed and nuanced history of the entire study of genetics, from Darwin’s mid-Victorian musings on Galapagos finches right up to recent groundbreaking work uncovering CRISPR gene-editing techniques. But The Gene is much more than stolid jaunt through 150+ years of genetic research. Mukherjee takes a look at all the different groups, from eugenicists to biotech firms, who have leapt upon new discoveries in genetics and shaped the ongoing nature-nurture debate. Along the way the author weaves his own personal story, using his family history of mental illness as a way of untangling our confusing relationship with our own genes. Matthew Reynolds, acting staff writer


Autumn

The first in a four part series, Ali Smith's Autumn is the first serious novel about the political rollercoaster that was 2017. With Brexit a constant hum in the background of the narrative, this novel is one of the most painfully relatable of the year. Eleanor Peake, editorial intern

To Be a Machine

Humans and robotics are merging. Leading this movement is a dedicated bunch of transhumanists who want to augment their bodies with technology. With a gonzo-style reporting aproach, Mark O'Connell meets the people who want to become machines and those who have already taken the first steps. Matt Burgess, acting commissioning editor

Jupiter’s Legacy: Volume 2

Mark Millar – who recently sold his comics imprint MILLARWORLD to Netflix – continues his celebration of fucked-up superhero family dynamics. The world has gone to hell, thanks to a misguided super-brat running a failing dictatorship, so it’s down to the villains to become the heroes for a change… Lovely artwork by Frank Quitely makes for a fun, if rather violent, super-romp. Mike Dent, managing editor