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ddavis3739's review
5.0
Saucy and salacious, this book is full of interesting facts and stories of marine reproduction. My background is in marine biology and I still learned a fair bit so this is useful to those in the field as well.
The information was all great but the highlights were definitely the illustrations and scenarios at the beginning of sections.
The information was all great but the highlights were definitely the illustrations and scenarios at the beginning of sections.
meggiemagpie's review
4.0
Fabulous read! Packed full of interesting facts and mostly told in hilarious ways. I would recommend reading it near someone who can read out random facts to. I did not have anyone next to me so I missed out on that and it made me so sad! There were just so many things I wanted to share. The real issues of climate change and human impact did tend to make it serious and a bit depressing, but I understand, you really can't tell the complete story without including it. And at the end of the book she puts a very optimistic spin on it which was very appreciated! Didn't feel depressed by the end of it. Highly recommend, even if you a don't know much about the ocean world.
ireadtosurvive's review
5.0
I found this book interesting and fun to read mainly because of Marah's writing style. Marah writes in a more conversational tone than may be expected and so manages to describe the acts in involved in the sexual reproduction of sea creatures in a way that is not only informative but easy to understand. This is done by using well defined terminology and comparison to human sex to allow the reader to fully understand what she is describing. Science books can sometimes be a bit of a bore to read, but this book is not. Aside from the subject matter which lets admit is funny in itself, elements are added (such as each chapter beginning with a soundtrack of songs relating to the contents) which make this book fun to read.
However, what makes this book a 5-star read is that it not only describes the sexual habits of sea creatures but how humans affect and are affected by them. Throughout the book, how humans negatively impact the population size of different species by fishing or damaging their environments, and thus how the decrease in population size negatively affects humans by causing a lack of future food, is described. All culminating in the final chapter of this book which summarises the methods which could be used, and in many cases are being used, to reduce the affects of humans on the oceans.
However, what makes this book a 5-star read is that it not only describes the sexual habits of sea creatures but how humans affect and are affected by them. Throughout the book, how humans negatively impact the population size of different species by fishing or damaging their environments, and thus how the decrease in population size negatively affects humans by causing a lack of future food, is described. All culminating in the final chapter of this book which summarises the methods which could be used, and in many cases are being used, to reduce the affects of humans on the oceans.
readinglush9's review
4.0
What a funny and informative book! I wanted to be a marine biologist for years, but decided to nope out of all that science. So, this is my way of still being close as I can get to this field of study. Anyway, everything was fascinating to read about. I am now determined to find somewhere (at least semi) local to volunteer to help out all those beautiful oceanic creatures!
uberbutter's review
4.0
Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep by Marah J. Hardt
278 pages
★★★★
Before reading this book, if you had asked me something that bored me, it would be fish. But I saw a fellow book nerd read this book and I was intrigued. I won’t lie…that word “sex” in the title helped. And oh am I glad I read this one. Yes, it deals with intercourse between sea animals but it deals with so much more as well. The author talks about the ecosystem and how it is effected by the slightest changes – mostly thanks to humans. And if sea life isn’t having sex, reproduction doesn’t happen, certainly not a good thing to keep biodiversity going. So along with fascinating tales on how the underwater world gets it on, she explains ways we can attempt to fix the issues humans have often caused.
I really enjoyed this book. It left me interested and laughing. It’s well researched but the author doesn’t always take herself seriously when discussing sex. She reminded me of the author, Mary Roach, of the sea. It kept me up later than it should have most nights and I didn’t like putting it down. It was a quick read overall and definitely worth the time to look into, even if you think you aren’t interested in fish and the sea.
278 pages
★★★★
Before reading this book, if you had asked me something that bored me, it would be fish. But I saw a fellow book nerd read this book and I was intrigued. I won’t lie…that word “sex” in the title helped. And oh am I glad I read this one. Yes, it deals with intercourse between sea animals but it deals with so much more as well. The author talks about the ecosystem and how it is effected by the slightest changes – mostly thanks to humans. And if sea life isn’t having sex, reproduction doesn’t happen, certainly not a good thing to keep biodiversity going. So along with fascinating tales on how the underwater world gets it on, she explains ways we can attempt to fix the issues humans have often caused.
I really enjoyed this book. It left me interested and laughing. It’s well researched but the author doesn’t always take herself seriously when discussing sex. She reminded me of the author, Mary Roach, of the sea. It kept me up later than it should have most nights and I didn’t like putting it down. It was a quick read overall and definitely worth the time to look into, even if you think you aren’t interested in fish and the sea.