I've been on the prowl lately for good books on the brain. Maybe I'm feeling guilt over not having done all the required reading during my neuropsych class in grad school. Maybe I want to know why the hell I can't ever remember whether or not I locked the front door when I get into bed a night. Or maybe there are just a lot of good books around now that do an excellent job of explaining the brain and I've been fortunate enough to keep crossing paths with them. Either way here are my recommended brain books in the order in which I've read them:

Mind Wide Open by Steven Johnson:
Steven Johnson is a science reporter, and his book reads like it comes from a science reporter. It's simple, straightforward, and deals with what we can know about the brain. The premise is that Johnson participates in a battery of attention tests, empathy tests, neurofeedback, and fMRI scans to learn more about his own inner-workings which in turn gives his readers more insight on their own inner-workings. His writing is clear and concise with excellent analogies and descriptions of complex topics. If you aren't convinced, I'd urge you to listen to Johnson talk about the book and what he went through on NPR's Science Friday.

Mind Hacks by Tom Stafford and Matt Webb:
Mind Hacks is an interesting book in that is published by O'Reilly, a publisher who typically dwells in technical books. That says a lot about Mind Hacks and it's approach to the brain. It's broken down into short sections that deal with little quirks or behaviors like the blind spot in vision or the action of caffeine on the brain. Each section includes a hack you can do on yourself or an unsuspecting friend and an explanation. Many of the explanation include tips on how to accomodate or exploit the quirks and behaviors in interface design and technology development. I highly recommend this book for people who do this sort of work and for people who want a book that can be digested in little chunks with lots of interactivity. If you want a preview, O'Reilly has several chapters available online.

Phantoms in the Brain by V S Ramachandran:
I have to start by saying that Phantoms in the Brain was an excellent read. Rama weaves in a lot of narrative about his patients to help shed light on the complex processes that he covers in the book. He also delves into a lot of the deeper questions on consciousness, existence, and spirituality. If you want the basics and mechanics, I recommend the two previous books; if you want to get deeper and more philosophical, Phantoms in the Brain is definitely what you need.

A User's Guide to the Brain by John Ratey:
I probably shouldn't be commenting on this book as I just started it yesterday, but the first fifty pages have proven quite interesting. Ratey, like Rama, weaves in stories from his research and practice, but he shapes his discoveries and knowledge into advice that you can use to maintain and strengthen your brain. And who wouldn't want more insights on that?

My advice: Your brain is a muscle; use it or lose it. And you can start by picking up a good book.