Reviews
Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik
ladyofthelake's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
mattgoldberg's review against another edition
5.0
The best book about science I’ve ever read because Miodownik gives it a narrative. If you ever hated chemistry or physics class because atoms and molecules seemed so uninteresting, I strongly encourage you to read this book since Miodownik breathes life into that science so we can appreciate why stainless steel has no taste or why porcelain is such an art form. By never losing sight of the connections to our everyday life and human history, ‘Stuff Matters’ makes the underlying science come alive.
rlse's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty interesting, but there are some quirks of the writing that make it a little absurd at points. They greatly added to the entertainment value, though, and made my traveling companion and me laugh out loud several times as we listened to the audiobook.
jlpearce13's review
5.0
5☆ The writer who can get me to understand complex scientific concepts is definitely a good one. The writer who can get me excited about them is truly gifted. Mark Miodownik is phenomenal and now I can't wait to read Liquid Rules. This book is an easy, enlightening must-read.
miguelf's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great and fun overview of the peculiarities and intricacies of some of the common (and uncommon) materials around us covering such diverse topics as stainless steel, paper, concrete, aerogels, and of course chocolate. Each of these has properties that only a century or slightly more ago were beyond the contemporary understanding, and the author does a great job in explaining what makes them work or behave the way that they do. He also presents these materials in such a way that even if you already know most of the facts is still a fun and interesting read (or listen).
pivle's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This makes me wanna almost get mugged and get a 13 cm cut in my back with a razor blade shiv
kiramke's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating to listen to. Though I'd probably get way more out of reading it, this was sufficient for my interest level. I quite enjoyed paper, as I'm sure many readers did.
nuggetworldpeace's review
2.0
The history and structural explanations for some of the materials Miodownik covers in his book is pretty interesting - the chapters on concrete and porcelain come to mind. But overall this book suffers from the author's campy self-inserts and mediocre writing.
But I might be realizing that this sort of popular, easy to swallow science writing just might not be for me, generally speaking. Would've much rathered just watch a short documentary on any one of these topics.
But I might be realizing that this sort of popular, easy to swallow science writing just might not be for me, generally speaking. Would've much rathered just watch a short documentary on any one of these topics.