Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Sex and Science - Mary Roach

This is the third Mary Roach book I've reviewed on this blog and as such, I think you'll realize by now that I really like her. She takes subjects that interest her but that she knows little about, researches them and writes easily accessible and extremely interesting books. I'm a bit addicted to them.

The most recent book of her's I've read is Bonk. Bonk is all about the science behind sex. As such, it was kind of embarrassing to read on the train. However, despite the initial squirm you get pulling it out of your bag and determining if it's worse to let people see the cover or open it up on your lap and let your next seat over neighbor glance over and catch a sentence about vibrators, you're quickly pulled in.

The interesting thing about the science behind sex is just how recent everything is. Sex is such a taboo subject, especially in America, that most studies began, at the earliest, in the 1950s and even those were very scandalous and not taken super seriously. Beyond that, funding was near impossible because it was just so very hard to convince people that this was a thing that needed to be studied, let alone figure out how to get human test subjects for most of it. 

This book was extremely interesting and posed a lot of questions I didn't even realize where questions, let alone what the answers were. For instance, how does one actually investigate what happens in the vagina during sex? Seriously. That is a thing I have never pondered but once it's asked, you kind of just sit there and think "…yeah. How does that work?" The answer: penis camera.

Seriously, though. Stuff like that. Stuff you would never even think about. It's all there and in the humorous, curious style of Mary Roach. It's not for the faint-hearted, as most of her books are but it's very interesting and, yes, entertaining. Definitely worth a read, if only in the privacy of your own home.

Stiff - Mary Roach

A few months ago, I read Spook by Mary Roach and fell in love with it. Her writing style and humor combined with nonfiction made her an easy and fun read. Although I knew a lot of what she talked about in Spook already, I couldn't wait to read more by her as I was sure I would enjoy it just as much.

Stiff is kind of the opposite of Spook. It takes a look at the various ways in which cadavers are used. From anatomy class to burial, from test dummies to medicine (ack!) there are dozens more ways than you ever expected to deal with dead bodies.

Some bits are extremely interesting. I especially liked a chapter on how one could use the injuries on passengers from airplane crashes to detect just how and why the airplane malfunctioned. Other chapters on the history of bodysnatching and rumors of Chinese cannibal restaurants were just as fascinating, if not just fun.

Although I never think of myself as squeamish, a few bits did make me a little rough around the edges. Chapters on how cadavers are used to test car crashes did make me a little uncomfortable. However, I blame most of my nauseousness for reading that chapter on a hot, crowded subway train.

The best part of the novel is just the fact that Mary Roach is just so gosh darn personable. She writes in first person, as befits an ex-travel writer, and brings you right there into the experience with her. Not only that, but she shows that she's the kind of person that you'd want to be doing these kinds of things with. She infects you with her good humor and honest reactions to everything. Just reading a few paragraphs of her book and you'd know you'd want to be her friend.

Stiff is a bit of a hard read sometimes. Although the material is presented in an engaging and interesting manner, there's just no getting over that it's a book about dead bodies. However, it's definitely worth a read if you get the chance. I would recommend Spook over Stiff but I just happen to like the subject matter in Spook better. If you have a strong stomach and a keen interest, then this is a book for you.

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife - Mary Roach

As you are all aware by now, I'm super interested in horror movies and science fiction. What you probably don't know (but wouldn't be surprised to find out, I'm sure) is that I'm also completely fascinated by the supernatural. I love anything spooky but hands down, one of my favorite things in the world are ghosts. I don't know what it is about ghosts that appeal to me: their need for a backstory, the idea that life goes on after death, just the genuine spookiness of the idea. All of it has drawn me in since I've been young and to this day, they are probably one of the top five things I am interested in.

Now, I have my own beliefs about ghosts, obviously. You can't have been studying up on them since you were five and not have an idea of what you think about them by now. But I'm sure most people haven't done as much in-depth research as young!Molly has and for those of you, I recommend Spook.

Spook is Mary Roach's second book after the well-received Stiff, a novel about the body after you leave it. Spook takes the other side of that coin: what happens to you after you leave your body. 

Mary Roach is super endearing as her books always seem to be about something she was vaguely interested in but knew nothing about so she decides to do a whole ton of research and follow it with a book. I love that approach. Normally, you get books written by people who are experts in their fields and while yes, it's nice to get information from someone you know you can trust on the topic, it's refreshing to read a nonfiction book written by someone that started off knowing as little as you did. It makes the narrative of the research much more appealing and personal, pulling you into it.

Not to mention that Roach is a genuinely excellent writer. She packs what could be a dry expose on spiritualism into a fun and witty adventure through the various ideas and theories people have had over the years. I spent a good portion of my time reading it chuckling to myself and reading portions of the book out loud to whatever friend I happened to be with at the time. I'm sure it was quite obvious I wasn't doing the work I should have been doing in the library.

From ectoplasm to psychics to ghosts to EVPs, Roach tackles all sorts of different ideas on what happens to you when you die. It's a fun journey and one that I would happily read over again. I haven't checked out any of Roach's other books yet but I fully intend to. She's a wonderful writer that makes science fun. Proving, I suppose, that that's possible.