I'm still reading it, but the book Material World by Ed Conway has been very informative and enjoyable to read.
It's a book that I've been looking for for a long time. It explores how different common natural resources are intertwined with one another and their role in our every day lives. It also contains a lot of details about the processes and economics related to their extraction and how they are turned into usable forms.
In this vein I would also recommend: "Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization" (2014) by Vackav Smil. In this work, Smil explores how these materials have shaped industrial civilization and examines trends in material use, efficiency, and potential future challenges.
Vaclav Smil discusses the main materials used in building the modern world, such as oil, steel, cement, plastics, and ammonia
I have yet to read Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization however I paired his "How the world really works" with Material World. That was an excellent read in itself.
Material World is an excellent book. I like the choice of the six metals/minerals/materials he picked to illustrate our dependence on the physical world. It is surprising how the valuation of these materials is commoditized.
