The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene is a fantastic book about well... the Universe. It's true, the entire universe and our entire understanding of it, or the lack thereof are what comprise this book.

It is a great read for physics buffs such as myself, but you don't have to be a genuis to understand the concepts because Greene makes it readable by those who have only a basic understanding of physics.I have only had an honors course in high school physics, and granted i have read other books on physics so my knowledge does extend a little beyond high school however, while terms like quantum mechanics, weak gauge bosons and spatial geometry might scare the average person, they excite and intrigue me, and luckily they come with handy explanations and illustrations.

Greene writes with a surprisingly amusing and tongue-in-cheek style that keep the reader interested as well as elliciting a chuckle every now and then to relieve and refresh puzzled minds.

From Newton to Einstein and beyond, the buildup to super-string theory and its attempt to unite physics on a quantum and relativistic level reads like any drama packed romance novel with a pastel pink and risque cover. Discoveries and failures, measurements smaller than Planck's length to theories that cover beyond the known universe this book will challenge the reader to not only come to a better understanding of the laws and theories of modern physics, but also inspire you to ask the fundamental question that has everyone furiously scrambling to be the first to answer with certainty... Why?