Looking for ways to fill up your Christmas holiday?

Then why not heed these shameless plugs for my friends? John Whitfield’s book In The Beat of a Heart is a fabulous read – one of the best science books of 2006, though it’s not received the UK push it deserves. If this doesn’t get shortlisted for next year’s Aventis Prize, there’s no justice. It explains the notion of metabolic scaling in biology – the idea that one can develop a unified view of life by considering the way energy requirements depend on size. Like Nick Lane’s Power, Sex, Suicide, it’s a timely reminder that there’s more to life than genes.

And if you’re in the Lincoln area, pay a visit to Lindsay Seers’ exhibition The Truth Was Always There, which explores connections between magic and alchemy, Lincoln cathedral, Robert Grosseteste, Temple Bruer and John Dee. This is part of an ongoing project by Lindsay, comprising five ‘biographical’ films that document a strange past and an obsession with becoming a human camera. There’s a forthcoming book, called (I think) Human Camera, that records these films and narratives. Yes, I admit that I’m a contributor – but that’s because I think it is a wonderful project. The exhibition runs until late January.