"Time Reborn" by Lee Smolin (2013)

"Logic is not the mirror of causality."

Lee Smolin is a theoretical physicist resident at the University of Toronto.  As a theoretician, he is known for his work in loop quantum gravity, cosmological natural selection, and the philosophy of physics.  As an author, he is known for the books "The Life of the Cosmos," "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity," "The Trouble with Physics," and this book, "Time Reborn."

"Time Reborn" discusses the role of time in physical models of the universe, and how current cosmological theory needs to be reformulated to accommodate the reality of time.  In other words, the picture of the universe achieved through Newtonian, Einsteinian, or quantum physics is static (timeless), and needs to be adjusted (or transformed entirely) to reflect the role of temporality - or causality - in our observations of natural phenomena.

And if some of what I said above got by you, don't worry.  It took me a while, too.  I had to read the first few chapters of this book SLOWLY, and there were a few sections I had to reread just to make sure I understood them correctly.  "Time Reborn" might be a short book, but it is a dense book, and some of the earlier chapters require concentration.  The part about "space atoms" gave me particular trouble, and even now I'm not entirely sure I understand it.

Which isn't to say that I found "Time Reborn" boring or difficult.  On the contrary, it's one of the most interesting books I've read in a while.  It offers a lot more than the generic "Wow!  Quantum physics!" that many popular science books are offering, and instead challenges the reader to think through a series of propositions.  Granted, some of these propositions must be taken on faith, but the author makes a very convincing case just the same.

If you like reading about philosophy, science, and the nature of reality I would highly recommend this book.  It challenges accepted notions in a way that any good book ought to.