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Reviews
Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik
sunset8305's review
4.0
Yet another random book I picked up from the Edgewater library’s recommended books section, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The author takes the reader through the history and chemistry behind... liquids, of all things. I know it sounds as boring as can be, but the author narrates it in such an entertaining, approachable manner that it kept my attention throughout. Not only that, but I have a renewed appreciation for all things liquid - from all the ballpoint pens we toss around without a second thought to the paint on my walls to ketchup... yes, ketchup! Highly recommend, and can’t wait to check out more of this author’s books.
biobabe's review
4.0
Probably more 3.5. His style of framing such diverse materials around a single event is interesting, but sometimes was hard to follow his train of thought through the chapters.
kitkat962's review
5.0
Filled with facts and trivia, most of those are first-year chemistry level, yet, it is such a fun read. I really like the approach of the authors, by taking readers through the transatlantic flights and explaining our relationship with liquids. An essential read for the curious mind and I think I will need to read Stuff matters again
raymanesque's review
2.0
The content is what you'd expect: A general walk-through of some basic scientific concepts concerning liquids. However, the writing style was uniquely sub-par with an included unnecessary obsession with a female flight passenger- and her appearance - that continues the entire book through and adds nothing. The personal asides the author makes were too frequent and unenjoyable. I found the depth of explanation to be a tad underwhelming even for a pop-science book aimed at lay-readers. The book isn't a disaster, the explanations are very brief, but clear. However, the writing style and voice of the author, the focus on so much pointless setting-the-scene (which is just a justification for introducing concepts and *does not* need to be fleshed out so thoroughly and filled with narrative) and the overall tone were noticeably abysmal in a way that most books in this genre are not, and that stood out. If you're looking for a general pop-science book to read, I would highly encourage you to check out almost anything else the genre has to offer - the book is perceptively and memorably below standard. Perhaps the pacing and narrative approach lands better in audiobook form; I've seen it suggested several times on audible, but I read a physical copy.
jeff's review
2.0
This book uses a meandering anecdote about a plane flight to weave together factoids about different liquids. I learned a few things here and there, but the story felt forced and there were a bit too many fadcescuous but demeaning comments about random inconsequential characters. I loved the author's other book, "Stuff Matters," but didn't like this as much.
ccollard58's review
4.0
Just as a disclaimer, i found Miodownik's "Stuff Matters" to be one of the most enjoyable non-fiction books I have ever read. Perhaps I therefore had my expectations set pretty high.
Don't get me wrong, Liquid Rules is an excellent book with fascinating facts, it just never rose to the level of Miodownik's coverage of solid materials.
I'm not really sure why. maybe liquids just aren't that interesting, but maybe the author just didn't find the same fascinating personal stories this time out, or maybe it doesn't quite get to the same level of technical details and seems a little dumbed down. It could also be the format, Miodownik sews everything together through the tail of an airline trip that i just didn't find engaging?
Anyway, the highlight for me were the description of why wines and tea taste different when you change the serving or preparation temperature.
if you are into material science this is a fun read but you are not going to cite it as a reference in your PHD dissertation.
Don't get me wrong, Liquid Rules is an excellent book with fascinating facts, it just never rose to the level of Miodownik's coverage of solid materials.
I'm not really sure why. maybe liquids just aren't that interesting, but maybe the author just didn't find the same fascinating personal stories this time out, or maybe it doesn't quite get to the same level of technical details and seems a little dumbed down. It could also be the format, Miodownik sews everything together through the tail of an airline trip that i just didn't find engaging?
Anyway, the highlight for me were the description of why wines and tea taste different when you change the serving or preparation temperature.
if you are into material science this is a fun read but you are not going to cite it as a reference in your PHD dissertation.
joshhall13's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
A book of little facts about liquids. Interspersed with unusual comments about fellow airplane passenger, Susan.
A book of little facts about liquids. Interspersed with unusual comments about fellow airplane passenger, Susan.