Jeffrey K. Mann - When Buddhists Attack

This recommendation is driven by my personal interest in martial arts. While many other books discuss the technical and philosophy associated with martial arts, this is an interesting one that tries to look into the seeming contradiction between martial arts and (non-violent) Eastern philosophies. It provides interesting angles on Buddhism and its different derivatives and how these play a practical role in martial arts practice.

Robert Sapolsky - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

The book deals with what are the biological components of stress and how it is related to different physical and mental conditions, including depression, ulcers, heart disease, and others. Once these are understood, it points to how we may control our stress responses to improve our well-being. In an informal, easy language, it explains how an evolutionary biological response deeply impacts our lives and how this understanding can help us to adapt properly to modern life challenges.

Christof Koch - Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist

The book deals with the most fundamental question in neuroscience and probably the biggest question of all, which is how a biological system creates subjective experiences. Koch doesn’t just discuss the philosophy of this old question but provides updated evidence to support his views, which rely on years of active research. It is a thought-provoking book that looks into the meaning of consciousness from a modern neuroscientific biological point of view.