Cambridge Festival 2025: Reading List

Step into the world of manufacturing, learn how to navigate chance and luck, and dive under the sea in our CamFest 2025 reading list.

For adults

38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia (published on 3 April 2025) by Philippe Sands

East West Street by Philippe Sands

The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive by Philippe Sands

See Philippe speak at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/philippe-sands-impunity-pinochet-and-patagonia-journey

Your Life Is Manufactured: How We Make Things, Why It Matters and How We Can Do It Better by Professor Tim Minshall

See Tim at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/your-life-manufactured-how-we-make-things-why-it-matters-and-how-we-can-do-it-better

The Ideological Brain: A Radical Science of Susceptible Minds (published on 20 March 2025) by Dr Leor Zmigrod

See Leor at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/ideological-brain-exploring-science-susceptible-minds-dr-leor-zmigrod

The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI by Professor Neil Lawrence

See Neil at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/how-can-we-harness-power-ai-public-benefit

The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck by Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter

The Art of Statistics: Learning from Data by Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter

See David at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/professor-sir-david-spiegelhalter-art-uncertainty-living-chance-ignorance-risk-and-luck

The Invisible Universe: Why There’s More to Reality than Meets the Eye by Dr Matt Bothwell

See Matt at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/great-alien-hunt

The Brilliant Abyss by Dr Helen Scales

Brain Boost: Health Habits for a Happier Life by Professor Barbara Sahakian

See Barbara at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/brain-boost-healthy-habits-happier-life

Living with Jane Austen by Janet Todd

Learn more at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/living-jane-austen

Vaxxers: A Pioneering Moment in Scientific History by Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green

Learn more at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/making-vaccines-last-pandemic-and-next-one

Out of Her Mind: How We Are Failing Women's Mental Health and What Must Change by Dr Linda Gask

An Improbable Psychiatrist by Dr Rebecca Lawrence

Learn more at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/all-her-mind

Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo

Join the Really Popular Book Club: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/really-popular-book-club-mr-loverman-bernardine-evaristo

For children

Astrophysics for Supervillains series by Dr Matt Bothwell

Scientists in the Wild: Antarctica by Dr Helen Scales

Scientists in the Wild: Galapagos, Return of the Wild by Dr Helen Scales

See Helen at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/antarctic-adventure-explore-frozen-frontier

There's No Such Thing as a Silly Question: 213 Weird Questions, Expertly Answered! by Mike Rampton

Ask your silliest questions at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/no-such-thing-silly-question

Open Wide!: Jaw-dropping mouths of the animal world by Dr Letizia Diamante 

Get to grips with wild teeth at the Festival: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/open-wide-jaw-dropping-jaws

---------------------------------

Most books will be available to buy on a special Cambridge Festival table inside Heffers Bookshop on Trinity Lane.