mary roach

BookBin2013: Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

~ lobablanca

spook

I enjoyed Mary Roach’s first appearance here at the lair so much that…rather than read the book of hers that I have owned for almost a decade and still have not read, I found the other book of hers that our local library had in stock and borrowed that instead!

I probably should have gone with the book I already own. I suspect that it would have been more entertaining. That’s not to say that there is nothing enjoyable about Roach’s second book, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. There are several interesting, strange, funny, and disgusting portions of this book that amused (or traumatized) me greatly. Holistically, though, it’s quite an uneven read with a painfully slow start. I think it took me a full four chapters before I finally started enjoy the read. It’s also painfully obvious that Roach doesn’t really believe in any of the things about which she’s writing.

I can’t completely fault her for this outlook. Tackling aspects of the afterlife when there’s not really anything that you can do to prove anything pertaining to the topic…it can be a hard pill to swallow, for sure. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be so…patronizing about it all. Her obvious “Scully” stance on this subject infiltrates every chapter.

To be fair, I have somewhat set thoughts on the “afterlife,” but I’m still not 100-percent certain what I believe (which is why books like this appeal to me in theory). After reading this book, I’m quite certain I know how Roach feels about it all. However, that wasn’t my interest in this book and it wasn’t my hope when I decided to read it. I simply wanted to learn more about other cultures’ views as well as some of the experiments performed in the hopes of applying science to faith. I got that, but I definitely could have done without the accompanying patina of Roach’s incredulity concerning everything she discussed.

Still, there are some interesting portions, as I mentioned. You simply have to suss out the interesting from the supercilious.

Final Verdict: I do believe I shall pass on adding this book to my library. I also really do need to read Stiff at some point in 2014…along with all the other books in my library that I’ve still not tackled. No, seriously. STOP LAUGHING.

BookBin2013: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

~ LobaBlanca

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I’ve been slowly whittling away on a book from my own collection that has proven to be quite a journey (note that I did not use a pejorative, like “slog” or “ordeal”; it’s been an interesting read, but also a very full read). However, I set this particular book aside for a little while (because, honestly, you need a break from even enjoyable things when they go on for too long) to read the latest book from Mary Roach, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void.

For those of you who are not familiar with Roach, she’s made a bit of a name for herself by writing “curious” examinations of topics that I assume pique her interest: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, and Six Feet Over: Adventures in the Afterlife. I actually received Stiff as a Christmas present from my parents almost 10 years ago (which speaks volumes about: A) how sad my book backlog really is; and B) the types of books that make my dad think of me). After reading Packing for Mars, I’ve made a deal with myself that I really should try to fit Stiff in at some point this year.

Hopefully.

So I’m going to do that cop-out thing again and post the dust jacket description. Really, though, it’s quite a well-written summary, and I always like to give credit when it’s due:

Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can