Besides the classic below, see what I've read, am reading or intend to read at CiteULike
uncle tungsten
memories of a chemical boyhood. a scientific biography of neuroscientist oliver sacks. he interweaves a narration of his childhood interest in chemistry with a gripping account of major ideas and developments in science during the last few centuries.
the selfish gene
will change your way of thinking about the biological world. read more...
the language instinct
steven pinker argues that natural language is an instinct shaped by natural selection.
darwin's dangerous idea
everything you wanted to know about evolution but were afraid to ask. daniel dennett's tour de force.
the major transitions in evolution
john maynard smith and eors szathmary explore the big breakthroughs: from the birth of life to the origin of language. eye-opening. read more...
surely you're joking, mr feynman or adventures of a curious character
my girlfriend said this guy was a smartass but still she couldn't put the book down. hilarious stories told by one of the most brilliant physicist of our times. read an article about the rivalry between feynman and gell-murray.
foundations of language
ray jackendoff's grand synthesis of brain, meaning, grammar, evolution. jackendoff goes some way towards bridging the gap between linguistics and the rest of the natural sciences.