This book wasn’t exactly what I thought it was when I decided to read it. I thought Mary Roach would be writing from the perspective of what needs to be done/brought/invented to get us to a place where we are sending humans to live on Mars. What Roach really does is explain how the same things which had to be accomplished for basic space flight and putting a man on the moon are the things that scientists of various stripes are working on right now […]
Sh*tting in Space: It’s a Problem….
Knowing Mary Roach’s work very well from her amazing first publication, Stiff, (side note, if you haven’t read Stiff, you need to. Now. Immediately! I’ve even put a handy link here! Stiff) I was excited to jump into the world of rockets and space food to find out what gets us out into the deep void, and I was not disappointed! In her usual no-holds-barred style, Roach takes us on a journey through all the nuances (particularly the ones no one wants to talk about) […]
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
As anyone who has read Mary Roach knows, this woman will do anything in the name of research on her chosen subject (and if you haven’t read any Mary Roach, you should do something about that). In Packing for Mars, she experiences zero gravity (or as close as you can get while still on earth). In Spook, she tracks down scientists who have attempted to measure the weight of the soul. She’s gone to funeral homes, packing plants and countless universities. he’s admitted several times that librarians find her […]
Gulp
Mary Roach’s Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal was something I’d seen on The Colbert Report and thought “huh that seems really interesting, I should read that.” But I know myself and I know that if it weren’t for my book club selecting it, I probably would still have it on my “to read” list. With Gulp, Roach seeks to explain how we eat, why we eat it, and what our body does with whatever we choose to consume. She does so with many humorous […]