Helen Czerski’s engaging debut book seeks to demystify physics in everyday life, so whether you know your refraction from your reflection, or find the entire subject incomprehensible, this should be an invaluable primer. Dealing with the everyday – such as what really happens when you spill a few drops of coffee, or how magnetism really works – is a winning ploy. It enables Czerski to offer a mixture of erudition and enthusiasm to explain her chosen topics, leading the reader gently by the hand into some surprisingly complicated areas, but mostly keeping the discussion light, accessible and interesting. It must be said that, very occasionally, Czerski’s almost determinedly unpretentious approach can verge on the grating, and if you’re allergic to popular science, this won’t be the book to convert you. But for everyone else, there will be a great deal here to edify and to entertain.
• Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski is published by Bantam Press (£18.99). To order a copy for £15.57 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
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