Liars, Cheats and Copycats by James O'Hanlon

Read this if you… want popular science that moves at pace and makes you rethink what you assumed about survival.

Why does this beguile? Of course I had to request a book called Liars, Cheats, and Copycats as an ARC. A nerdy nature book about sneaky little creatures? Yes, please! This book was a quick and fun read. O’Hanlon is immediately relatable, just the right amount of self-deprecating, and makes science approachable and not stuff. While some of the nerdier elements are explained, by-and-large, O’Hanlon explains the science in an easy to grasp manner without coming off as condescending or out of touch with the non-scientist. Loved it!

What it's about: A globe-trotting popular science book about the creatures who survive through camouflage, mimicry, and misdirection. From tropical rainforests to deep ocean trenches, O'Hanlon uncovers the evolutionary logic behind nature's most brazen liars, exposing how deception is woven into the fabric of life on Earth. Witty, fast-moving, and full of moments that will stump you, O'Hanlon takes deception, something we usually treat as a moral failing, and reveals it as one of evolution's most elegant solutions. By the end, you'll look at every dead leaf and quiverying twig differently.