I completed my first task in this year’s Read Harder Challenge! It’s my first time taking part in the challenge (or any reading challenge for that matter), and I think it’s really going to stretch my reading in both numbers and diversity. I’m excited to see where it takes me over the next 12 months or so.
I started with the nonfiction science book, mostly because I had already checked Gulp out from the library at the end of last year. I just hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. Mary Roach is an author of many science-related books, popular for her sense of humor and for making each topic accessible to the unfamiliar reader. I told my husband I was reading a book about the digestive system and he responded by saying, “Hmmm.” But the author really makes it interesting!
The book definitely picked up as it went along. Roach started at the beginning of the alimentary canal, in the mouth, and ended…well…at the end, if you know what I mean. She doesn’t hesitate to throw in some childlike humor (like poking fun at the real-life gastroenterologist named Dr. Terdiman), but this only shows the fun she has with researching and presenting what may otherwise be dull subjects. I plan to read other books she has written. I am not a scientist by any means, so I appreciate any help I can get with expanding my knowledge on scientific matter.
Other books I considered for this task: Missing Microbes by Martin J. Blaser, MD, On Immunity by Eula Bliss, anything else by Mary Roach
*You can find the editable form for the Read Harder Challenge (like the one I used above) at this link. I’ve also found good suggestions for each task on the Goodreads group for the challenge.
Disheveled Shelf 