Science · Similar reads

Books like Reality Is Not What It Seems

The best books like Reality Is Not What It Seems are Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and The Elegant Universe. Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli is about loop quantum gravity, space and time, quantum mechanics. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.

  1. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
    Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

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    Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

    Carlo Rovelli · Science

    Carlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist best known for his work on loop quantum gravity, wrote this book originally as a series of essays for an Italian Sunday newspaper.

    Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  2. The Order of Time
    The Order of Time

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    The Order of Time

    Carlo Rovelli · Science

    Carlo Rovelli's meditation on time begins with a simple observation: the time we experience — flowing forward, carrying us from past toward future — is not quite what physics describes.

    A kindred science read.

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  3. The Elegant Universe
    The Elegant Universe

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    The Elegant Universe

    Brian Greene · Science

    The Elegant Universe is Brian Greene's attempt to bring string theory — one of the most mathematically demanding ideas in modern physics — within reach of general readers.

    Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  1. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat
    In Search of Schrödinger's Cat

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    In Search of Schrödinger's Cat

    John Gribbin · Science

    John Gribbin's 1984 book remains one of the most thorough popular introductions to quantum mechanics ever written.

    Shares quantum mechanics and history of physics with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  2. A Brief History of Time
    A Brief History of Time

    05

    A Brief History of Time

    Stephen Hawking · Science

    A Brief History of Time is Stephen Hawking's attempt to explain the biggest questions in physics — where the universe came from, how it behaves, and where it might be going — to readers with no scientific training.

    Shares space and time and quantum mechanics with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  3. The Fabric of the Cosmos
    The Fabric of the Cosmos

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    The Fabric of the Cosmos

    Brian Greene · Science

    The Fabric of the Cosmos is Brian Greene's attempt to explain what physicists actually mean when they talk about space and time — not the intuitive everyday notions, but the deeply strange picture that emerges from general relativity and quantum mechanics.

    Shares space and time and quantum mechanics with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  4. Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You
    Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You

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    Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You

    Marcus Chown · Science

    Marcus Chown, a former radio astronomer and longtime science writer, takes two of the most counterintuitive theories in physics — quantum mechanics and special relativity — and presents them in a single short book aimed squarely at readers who find both intimidating.

    Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  5. The Grand Design
    The Grand Design

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    The Grand Design

    Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow · Science

    The Grand Design is Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow's short, provocative book about the deepest questions in physics: Why is there something rather than nothing?

    Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  6. The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
    The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

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    The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

    Brian Greene · Science

    Brian Greene, a string theorist at Columbia University and the author of The Elegant Universe, devoted this book to a single sprawling question: does our universe have company?

    Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems.

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  7. A Short History of Nearly Everything
    A Short History of Nearly Everything

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    A Short History of Nearly Everything

    Bill Bryson · Science

    A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's attempt to understand the scientific story of everything — from the Big Bang to the emergence of modern humans — by spending three years talking to scientists and reading science history.

    Both dig into cosmology.

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  8. A Universe from Nothing
    A Universe from Nothing

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    A Universe from Nothing

    Lawrence M. Krauss · Science

    A Universe from Nothing is Lawrence Krauss's argument that modern physics has resolved, or at least reframed, the ancient philosophical question of why there is something rather than nothing.

    Both dig into cosmology.

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  9. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
    Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

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    Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson · Science

    Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is Neil deGrasse Tyson's deliberately compact introduction to the biggest ideas in modern astrophysics.

    Both dig into cosmology.

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Books like Reality Is Not What It Seems: quick answers

What are the best books like Reality Is Not What It Seems?

The best books like Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli are Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli, The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat by John Gribbin, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Reality Is Not What It Seems, such as loop quantum gravity, space and time, quantum mechanics.

What should I read after Reality Is Not What It Seems?

A natural next read after Reality Is Not What It Seems is Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli. Shares quantum mechanics and cosmology with Reality Is Not What It Seems. Other strong choices are The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat by John Gribbin.

What books are similar to Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli?

Reality Is Not What It Seems centers on loop quantum gravity, space and time, quantum mechanics. Books with a similar feel include Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli, The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat by John Gribbin, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.

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