Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
Tom Vanderbilt

A helpful explanation of many of the things we encounter each day that we drive, as well as a sympathetic look at the sociology of driving. It seems, for example, that the late merge (using the empty lane to get as close as you can to the merge point at a construction site lane closure) actually is more efficient for the group. Now if only there was a way to convey that, to all the self-sacrificing and indignant drivers you pass by on the way to the head of the line. We recommend the unabridged audio book version, so you can listen to nine hours of this while on the road.

Knopf, 402 pages, hardcover, 2008