A review by raymanesque
Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik

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.