Mary RoachAnmeldelser

Amusing and sad by turns. Accounts of efforts to control human/animal interactions as when bears raid garbage, protect crops and endangered species.

This book is fascinating, and also pretty gross. I can only imagine some of the faces that I made while listening to the more disgusting portions. Stiff covers a wide range of topics involving the human body and it does a great job of fitting a lot of information into a 300 page book without it feeling bogged down.

I really enjoyed a lot of Packing for Mars. There's so much information that I've never seen in any other book that I've read about space or NASA. Astronaut selection processes, space toilets, product testing, food selection, hygiene in space, etc.

But it took me a month to finish this book. Some of the chapters seemed padded out, and I didn't feel the need to pick this book up as often as would've liked. And, although I generally really like Mary Roach's books, this isn't the first time I've thought that about her writing.

Interesting book. I like the information and humor that Mary Roach brings to her books, even if some of it is gross. Who would have thought that a book about the digestive system could be disgusting?

I've been looking forward to reading Fuzz for long time, but sadly it didn't live up to my high expectations. That's not to say that it was bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

This book had a lot of interesting information. I really liked reading about people's interactions with dangerous animals like bears, elephants, and big cats, how experts track animals in the woods to estimate populations, the issues with highways and wildlife, and possible solutions to deal with invasive species.

However, this book was bogged down with long descriptions about things that I'm not as interested in. Like monkey birth control. And half of the book seemed to be devoted to birds screwing with crops, airplanes, spaceships, and parties, and the many ways that people try and fail to deal with them.

3.5 stars

In this book, Mary Roach takes a look at wild animals and their “relationships” with humans, primarily breaking human laws (like attacking them, breaking into houses, stealing, etc.). She talks to and follows along with fish and wildlife officers, and other scientists that study these animals (oh, and trees and plants, too!) and their interactions with humans (and how humans are trying to mitigate these interactions).

I liked this. Despite being about animals, I didn’t like it as much as I like some of her other books, but it was still interesting. I don’t think there was as much humour in this one as some of her others, either, but there were bits of it, too.½

Not what I was expecting. I was told that Roach is hilarious but I didn't find her writing humorous at all. To add, the last few chapters were written in a very immature and disgusting way. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is that it at least made sense.

Always have mixed feelings when I close a Mary Roach book. It's a great joy to read them but then I know it will be a year or two before a new one comes out, so I'm sad. I think Roach chose a really difficult topic this time. It is hard to be funny when you are talking about conservation and the life and death of people and animals. Difficult, but not impossible. Please be sure to read her footnotes as well, a lot of good info and fun gets tucked in there. Especially enjoyed her time at the Vatican.

and, to all those who failed to return her calls and email, you will get called out in this book

A pleasure as always. I was a bit worried, how do you inject humor into war, combat, injured veterans? Mary roaches can actually achieve the impossible

like everything Mary Roach has written so far- it presents educational material in such a way that you sometimes laugh at loud. Everything you really wanted to know about the digestive process and probably much you'll be happy to forget

I loved it .
Mary Roach has a wonderful blend of curiosity and humor that can make any topic interesting, but with starting material like this, she really soars.
Everything you ever wanted, and much you may never have wanted, to know about oddities of space travel

despite the subject matter, a wonderfully funny book

I listened to this audiobook and I loved the narrator. She caught exactly the humour that Mary Roach infused into this subject which seems like the last topic you could make enjoyable.

Mary Roach examines all the ways in which dead bodies can be and have been disposed of. Much of the book is about using cadavers for scientific research or teaching anatomy. I've always known that medical and other students need dead bodies in order to study human anatomy. As a person who didn't even want to dissect a rat in biology I know that would be something I could never do. However, it does seem like a good idea for people who want to treat humans to know how all the organs and bones and muscles work. I'm still not convinced to leave my body for that use although I signed my organ donor card decades ago. But some of the other uses of cadavers were surprising to me, such as using them to test what happens in car crashes. Apparently, crash test dummies just can't replicate the way a real body will handle an air bag release when a vehicle is hit. Roach managed to get into all kinds of labs where cadavers are used and she seemed to really enjoy that. Again, not my cup of tea.

The chapters on alternatives to burial or cremation were the most interesting to me. I long ago decided I wasn't going to be put into a coffin and take up a plot of land. About the only other alternative is to be cremated but there may be a time coming when bodies could be composted or freeze-dried and broken into powder. I like the idea of this greener alternative to cremation but it is not available in Canada yet. I wonder what Greenpeace and the David Suzuki Foundation have to say about green ways of disposing of your body.

This book was first released 20 years ago but Roach has done an afterword for a new edition. Unfortunately, this audiobook didn't include that. I watched a Q & A Zoom session with Roach but if other readers don't have that opportunity, then I recommend getting the updated book.

I really enjoyed this book. I never believed that a book about death & cadavers could be funny, but the author managed to sneak humor in there along with lots of interesting information. I would definitely recommend this book - except to anyone with a weak stomach.

Grunt is Mary Roach's foray into the world of the armed forces and war-like things and how they relate to the body: sweat, diarrhea, noise, cadavers, flies & maggots, shark attacks, material for uniforms, amputations of limbs & genitals, stink bombs, and the like. Kind of a hodge-podge of items, but that's sort of Mary Roach's m.o. As always, subtle and not-so-subtle humor is thrown in to keep things even more interesting.

This was not particularly my favorite of Roach's books, possibly because the subject matter wasn't as interesting to me. I also think I need to stop reading her books on audio and go for reading in print. I tend to find my mind wandering with non-fiction on audio in general, even though Roach is one of my go-to non-fiction authors. She's one of the best if you like science and like to see how the body responds to certain circumstances and situations, and her research methods are indeed fascinating. But while Grunt is enjoyable, it's not her best.

If you have any curiosity for how nature conducts her business, both above board and below.

Mildly interesting stories about how human kind has tried to rid, tame or displace the world of all kinds of “pests”. These include bears in the US, monkeys in India, rabbits in New Zealand and countless birds. The problem is that animals are smart and quickly re adapt to the threat. Quite often when a vacuum is created through killing or displacement, another “pest” can move, creating the same problem.
I found the chapters repetitive and skimmed through many.

Roach found another fun topic, another wonderful piece of non fiction investigative reporting entertainment. Certainly as good as her previous works.½

Most of what you expect to get from a Mary Roach book is here: a curious person investigating areas they don't know much about, conversations with experts in areas it perhaps had not previously occurred to you there would be experts in, and lots of engaging/funny anecdotes you will want to repeat to those around you.

That said, a lot of what humans do in the name of animal control is just depressing, and some of that wore on me after a while. Also, this felt less structured than Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, still my favorite book of hers that I've read, and I sometimes wondered where we were going and why.

(2021) I have heard interviews with the author a few times and I am struck by her curiosity and humor. This comes thru in this book about animals that behave ?badly? in human perspective and we must come up with a way to cope with this ?bad behavior? Ultimately, she posits whether we have the right to determine what living things are pests and nuisances that warrant some kind of control and ultimately life & death. But usually nature and wild things always tend to win out and frustrate our efforts to master these beings. Best part of the book are the footnotes, which are actually small stories themselves. Good book.KIRKUS: Tracing the line between wildlife and the law, the acclaimed science writer examines how humans interact with the natural world.?What is the proper course when wild animals break laws intended for people?? So asks Roach in a book that, in the author's characteristic style, ranges widely, from wild animal attacks to the inherent dangers of certain plants to ways in which we have treated animals that most humans consider vermin. The author begins by examining ?the intractable nature of human-wildlife conflict�as it is known today by those who grapple with it professionally.? Roach discusses well-known conflicts such as bear attacks before moving on to an account of her visit to a tea plantation in West Bengal, India, ?a place where ?the elephant in the room' is not a metaphor.? As in her previous bestsellers such as Grunt and Stiff, the author has clearly done her homework, speaking to professionals across a variety of disciplines, including members of the military; nuns, priests, guards, and other workers at the Vatican; and those with job titles that sound ?like something you'd hear if you asked an animal-besotted ten-year-old, What do you want to be when you grow up?? (The lucky fellow in question, who has a doctorate in wildlife biology, researches mountain lions and gray wolves, two apex predators.) Traveling from a bear seminar in Reno to a bird-infested island in the Pacific that plagued the American military during World War II, among many other venues, Roach joyfully explores how human culture and wildlife, including plant life, have either found ways to coexist or are constantly at odds. Throughout, Roach highlights people who are genuinely passionate about the work, and she also includes suggestions for readers on how to deal ethically (and effectively) with their own wildlife issues, wherever they live.From the terrifying to the frustrating, a great starting point for understanding the animal world.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021ISBN: 978-1-324-00193-5Page Count: 336Publisher: Norton

This is a tough one to rate. I like Roach's style of nerdy investigation and humor and I have loved most of her books. I had a hard time with this one though because its really, really gross.

My habit of reading while eating lunch did not work with this subject matter but frankly, I'm not sure it would ever be pleasant to read.

So so didn't dislike it but I didn't enjoy it either. I'm going with 3 stars. If you like her other work you will like this one and your enjoyment will depend on your individual tolerance for nasty stuff.

I've read two by Mary Roach before (Stiff and Packing for Mars) and I enjoyed both of them quite a bit. I was hoping for the same here: funny and informative. This one was mostly just boring and in some places, pretty disturbing. What some of these researchers do with toothbrushes...e gads!

I guess I figured the sex book would just be inherently more interesting than it was but it was either creepy, or boring or sad.

I wanted more info about the sex in the MRI lab!

Great! I now know many awesomely gross things about space travel! Seriously, some of the things made me laugh out loud, then feel grateful that my job does not have these crazy hazards. I would like to see Earth from Space but I'm not sure it's worth the hygiene challenges.

The first book by [a:Mary Roach|7956|Mary Roach|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1363641585p2/7956.jpg] that I have read, [b:Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void|17590015|Packing for Mars The Curious Science of Life in the Void|Mary Roach|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|8159756] was a packed with much science history of which I was unaware. I recommend it for an off-the-beaten-path look at the science and history of space travel.

[UPDATE : I have listened to the audiobook and, in accordance with my rules, have adjusted my rating to 5 stars. And I can recommend the audio version, as well. Roach's writing style practically begs to be read aloud. ]

Here, Mary Roach provides another dive into science delivered with her trademark humor, a lightheartedness that never diminishes the credibility of the information she presents. If you have not read any of her books before, I recommend starting with [b:Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void|9542311|Packing for Mars The Curious Science of Life in the Void|Mary Roach|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349098526l/9542311._SX50_.jpg|8159756]. Then you can come to this one or any of her other books and enjoy the ride all the more.