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We asked writers and scientists including Robert Macfarlane, Pragya Agarwal and Peter Marren to tell us what books they were planning to take away with them this year. And if their picks don’t make it into your packing, then why not try our round-up of the best science non-fiction to read on holiday and our picks of the year’s best science fiction to date?

Jim Al-Khalili is a physicist and the author of

I will probably reread Iain M. Banks’s masterful Culture series of sci-fi books. Having just finished the last of them, The Hydrogen Sonata, I now want go back to the first one, , which I read many years ago.

Robert Macfarlane is the author of and Landmarks

This year sees a rich crop of books that explore and celebrate the sensory and cognitive capacities of the more-than-human world. I will be reading two this summer: Ed Yong’s and James Bridle’s .

Sarah Gilbert is professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford and co-author, with Catherine Green, of

I rarely read science books. There is no time to read them when I’m at work, and they are too much like work to read them when I’m not. But someone sent me Vaclav Smil’s, and that might be my next holiday read.

Yuval Noah Harari is the author of Sapiens. His first children’s book, , is out in October

I will be reading Frans de Waal’s Different: What apes can teach us about gender and Lucy Cooke’s . These are two very timely books that tackle some of the hottest political topics from a scientific perspective.

Peter Marren is an award-winning nature writer and author of

Why aren’t there more books about enjoying wild flowers? They define and colour the UK countryside – think bluebell woods, heather moors and seaside banks of pink thrift – and, unlike birds, they don’t fly away the moment you spot them. As the names of even common wayside flowers retreat from everyday knowledge, it is good to be reminded of the pleasure of finding them, of learning about them, of knowing them better. This is where Leif Bersweden’s new book, , scores. He not only knows and loves his plants, but he perfectly conveys the simple joys of botanising as he rides about the UK and Ireland on his bike, from The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall to Unst, the northernmost inhabited area of Britain. He is young, likeable and conveys so sharp a sense of place that reading his words is like being there on his journeys. That is why I am taking Leif with me on holiday, as a fresh-air-in-the-face reminder of the pleasures of discovery and the endless fascination nature affords.

Pragya Agarwal is a behavioural and data scientist. Her book is out in September

I will be reading by Meghan O’Rourke. It is so difficult as a writer because almost all the time, I feel guilty for not reading something related to my work – it is hard to read for fun and relaxation. But this is just the sort of book I like to read (and to write): very cross-disciplinary, drawing from both literary and memoiristic aspects, but also from scientific and cultural analysis. O’Rourke examines the way we talk about illness and the ambiguity of categories that medical professionals can impose on ill health that are often rooted in bias against disability, as well as racial and gender inequalities. I am always intrigued by how language is shaped and how words affect our actions and reactions. I am also interested in this as someone who has a life-threatening chronic illness. This book doesn’t promise any silver linings or happily-ever-after endings, but is a stark and honest examination of the relentlessness and ongoing nature of ill health. O’Rourke writes beautifully, and in this book she is trying to achieve a radical new understanding of our bodies and health, which is of interest to everyone today.

Guy Leschziner is a neurologist and author of

My to-be-read pile is growing exponentially, but at the top of it are three books for the summer. The first is by Walter Isaacson, the story of the race to develop CRISPR, the technology that enabled gene editing. The second is by Victoria Shepherd, a historical tour of mental illness. Finally, I am late to get to grips with blockchain, non-fungible tokens and cryptocurrency, so I hope that Jamie Bartlett’s book will educate me while entertaining me with an engrossing account of the hunt for a world-class scammer.