Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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“We are irrational in our species-​specific devotions.”

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

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It’s been a few years since I read a Mary Roach book, which seems like a terrible oversight. I generally love Roach’s books, even when the topic isn’t quite my jam (looking at you, Grunt). Its pretty simple to determine why – Mary Roach is hysterically funny. Ever since my first endeavor with her writing when I read Packing for Mars in 2015, I’ve been lowkey in love with her writing style, and am aware that I try to keep my own writing similarly lighthearted […]

not exaaaaactly what it says on the tin, but a good time none the less!

Fuzz by Mary Roach

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Honestly, Mary Roach could write a book about the paperwork filing systems for an auto dealership (my truest nightmare) and I would still roll up my sleeves and give it a go. Luckily, the topic  of animal criminals is NOT my nightmare, so I was eagerly anticipating another romp with my gal, Mary! As usual, I listened to this one, and if you are interested in picking it up I recommend doing the same as well! I almost always prefer a read-by-the-author piece of non-fic […]

“The caterpillars were ordered to appear in court on the twenty-eighth of June, at a specified hour, where they would be assigned legal representation.”

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

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I was so happy when Mary Roach announced this book, because I have been missing her writing. I never read her last book, even though I tried and couldn’t get more than ten minutes in before waving the white flag, because reading about warfare and war and its consequences is something that I found actively unpleasant. And this book sounded so silly! And it’s about animals. I fucking love animals! Even the ones most people dislike, like rats and spiders and snakes. I anticipated laughter […]

As always, I’ll read all the non-fiction if it’s about science 🤓

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

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Hmm I really did like this one, although I will admit that there are some overlaps with Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers around utilizing cadavers to experiment with some of the rocket capabilities. One of the most interesting things I learnt in high school physics was the utter logistical impossibility of leaving planet Earth. We’ve got no other options, people, there is no Wall-E way to get us off this planet with enough supplies to keep us going. The fuel costs are exorbitant as is, […]

A non-fiction catch all, although these books aren’t really related to one another in any way…

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Issacson

Humble Pi: A Comedy of Math Errors by Matt Parker

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

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The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race These are usually the only types of non-fiction that I will read: non-fiction about science or math or healthcare, doubling down on my nerdy persona. This book in particular was recommended to me by a colleague who mentioned reading it during a meeting. This is a long book, and as another colleague said, it might not be his best. My rationale for why is this: I think that the combination of […]

Mary Roach’s Stiff: Macabre, fascinating, and funny

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

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Reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was a real experience. I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since I heard someone on NPR talking about it years ago, and I finally got around to it. This is one of those books that fascinated me while it repulsed me, and it made me feel like I was learning a lot while also challenging my preconceived notions about death and body donation. I especially appreciate when Roach tells anecdotes about her sense of humor not quite […]



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