Read All About It: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey and Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

Jewel Wasp: Giving Roaches Nightmares for Millennia

Happened to read Girl with All the Gifts and Parasite Rex back to back. That was a (fortuitous) coincidence because they overlap a bit and both books are good.

If you have to choose only one then read Parasite Rex. It is sensationally titled as "Inside the bizarre world of nature's most dangerous creatures", which is one of the reasons it sat on my shelf for so long. I thought it would be sensationalistic and dumb. It is neither. It is a cerebral look at parasites and the way they have shaped the world. Turns out the book just scratches the surface but it is very easy and entertaining reading. The variety, complexity and specificity of parasite species is astounding.

If you want some easy science-y fiction then Girl with All the Gifts is a good read. It is perfect light reading as long as you do not mind savage brutality as a plot device. Main character is a girl, so: feminism? Not sure. Some of the characters are a little thin and predictable but overall it's a good pickup if you see it used or can borrow it from a handsome gentleman that does not need it taking up any more of his already overflowing bookcase.