renmarshallbrown's review against another edition
3.0
Let me start by saying I LOVED Stiff. It was one of my favorite books that I read last year. With Stiff, we got tons of science and research with a little bit of Roach's charm and humor and it made the experience a special one, but with Spook, we get mostly Roach's jokes and only a little bit of science. This one was so heavy with the snark and funny anecdotes that it felt like Roach couldn't treat the subject seriously at all and didn't even try to - or any of the people she interviewed. I am not a religious or spiritual person, so I share the skepticism of the author, but even I felt a little offended at the tone.
My biggest gripe with this book, though, is how long we spent on Spiritualism. A slog of chapters making fun of mediums, which I already had zero interest in, made it difficult to get through.
Unfortunately there isn't much new information to share in the scientific search for the afterlife, so I'll save you a read: There is no proof. You can continue about your day.
My biggest gripe with this book, though, is how long we spent on Spiritualism. A slog of chapters making fun of mediums, which I already had zero interest in, made it difficult to get through.
Unfortunately there isn't much new information to share in the scientific search for the afterlife, so I'll save you a read: There is no proof. You can continue about your day.
leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up: "Simply put, this is a book for people who would like very much to believe in a soul and in an afterlife for it to hang around in, but who have trouble accepting these things on faith. ... If you found this book in the New Age section of your local bookstore, it is grossly misshelved, and you should put it down at once."
kendyl180's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 ⭐️ Somewhat interesting, somewhat entertaining. Had a hard time staying with it, but managed to finish.
setauuta's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite of her books, but it is quite entertaining and informative.
alldaffer's review against another edition
4.0
I love Mary Roach. I have now read each of her three books, and in every one there is information and humor in equal parts.
Spook is concerned with life after death, and even though the last sentence of the book is "I believe", you have to logically assume that there is no basis to life after death when you are finished ready the book.
I do hope that she continues to create these very idiosyncratic books.
Spook is concerned with life after death, and even though the last sentence of the book is "I believe", you have to logically assume that there is no basis to life after death when you are finished ready the book.
I do hope that she continues to create these very idiosyncratic books.
monicaa_d's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
3.0
I enjoy Mary Roach's lighthearted writing. I like books with answers, and although this book has very few, the journey was fun and informative.
cluckingbell's review against another edition
1.0
This was a painful listen. I enjoy some solid debunking as much as the next rube, but this was like if Dana Scully were a raging misanthrope with no real science background who got all her "knowledge" from Google searches. It's possible the audiobook reader conveyed even more smug contempt for the subject and pre-Google-era ignoramuses than Roach intended. It's possible the reader didn't really sell the humor (though contempt is not the best vehicle for humor, and the attempts at humor were too often undercut by overselling the joke, or by making a joke when the facts spoke for themselves). It's probable this extraordinarily shallow book is not the best introduction to Roach's work. But I have absolutely no interest in reading anything else by this author.