Scan barcode
rosyred15's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting little tidbits about what goes in to everyday science, like why the toast cooks differently each time.
simple_sock's review against another edition
informative
4.0
This book was very interesting and the information was presented in a very digestible way.
gabe_reads's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This book was carried by the fact that it’s easy to read, and each sub-chapter is incredibly short. It means I could easily get through the slightly less interesting bits. It has a lot of interesting information in there, and just the kind of things I often wonder about. Also corrected several misconceptions I had, which is really cool! I also appreciate that he was willing to admit when we don’t know about something, even if it’s annoying when that happens. I don’t think it had anything hugely stand-out though, and would have preferred it if it generally went into more detail I think.
littlebluejay's review against another edition
5.0
Who knew I could be so fascinated with smoke alarms? Who knew that Jaffa Cakes are actually biscuits? Who knew that pectin is the reason for a good crunchy apple (whoever likes mealy apples cannot be my friend)? Marty Jopson, Marty Jopson did and I am so glad he wrote all about weird mundane everyday things that I didn't realise I could be so interested in. I loved the style of writing and the way the author explained everything meant I understood what he was telling me and then I could communicate it effectively to others. I loved this book and it is one of my top 5 favourite books of all time. I always bring this with me on road trips and love telling people about smoke alarms, rainbows, Jaffa Cakes, and smoked salmon. I even found a series of six lectures given by Michael Faraday 'Chemical History of a Candle' (which I loved so thank you for introducing this to me!) which was mentioned in the book.
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
A fairly standard assemblage of facts about everyday science. Jopson explains them well, and there were a few things I didn't know or where the explanation was illuminating -- I'm just a tough audience because I love my popular science books and have read much of this stuff elsewhere.