Reddit mentions of Introduction to Planetary Science: The Geological Perspective

If you have a physics background, the first thing I would point you towards would be this. It's a textbook, but, it's actually so well written that it makes for light, and FUN, reading. It's on planetary geology, a subject that I just think is all-round sexy.

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Planetary-Science-Geological-Perspective/dp/1402052332

For light, fun reading, I would put this way up on the top of any recommended list. I just love this book. It's about the wave of diamond exporation and discovery that happened in Northern Canada in the 1980s/1990s.

http://www.amazon.com/Barren-Lands-Kevin-Krajick/dp/1462034985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343362453&sr=1-1&keywords=barren+lands

I would also highly recommend this excellent piece of work. It's a binding of the letters that Thomas C. Barger, the first CEO of Saudi Aramco (the world's largest company) wrote to his wife.

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Blue-Letters-Arabia-1937-1940/dp/0970115733/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343362518&sr=1-3&keywords=thomas+c+barger

Message for more, especially if you would like more complex material (textbooks...). All of these books are great, even (especially even) the Planetary Science one.

Not sure if you've played then, but haven't: Kerbal Space Program is the best way to get an intuitive understanding of orbital mechanics. If you like to play God you should also try the Universe Sandbox, and if you want a really really hardcore space sim you should play (or wait, it's still in alpha) for Rogue System.


As for actual books, OpenStax recently published their free astronomy book, and it's quite good for an introduction. From there, it depends entirely on what you're interested in, there's literally a universe's worth of information about
Astrophysics,
Astrochemistry,
Astrobiology,
Astrometry and
Orbital mechanics (for the aspiring galactic navigator),
Cosmology,
Planetary geology and
Cosmochemistry (careful, these last two lead to geology and meteorology which are equally disastrously addictive fields!)


Also, feel free to follow NASA's, ESA's, and JAXA's blogs. And spend a minute each morning checking the astronomy picture of the day.


Just don't end up llike me and annoy all your friends.