Devi Nair
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by: Mary Roach ā± Duration: 9 hours š·ļø Publisher: Books on Tape and W.W. Norton & Company š Read as part of: Goodreads Challenge ā Hot & Fresh: The New Hit Books According to Fellow Readers
I came into this one riding the Goodreads hype train. A book about how the human body can be rebuilt, piece by piece, sounds wild and fascinating in equal measure. New release, big energy, everyone buzzing about Mary Roach's latest dive into the weird corners of science. I've enjoyed her work before, especially her knack of turning the macabre into something delightfully human. The concept is brilliant on paper, the research is clearly deep, and the structure promises a wild ride through labs, operating rooms, and the strange frontiers of regenerative medicine.
However, I had to tap out at 10%, not because the writing was bad, but because it just wasn't my kind of non-fiction. There's a specific type of science writing that works best for me: narrative-led, character-driven, emotionally anchored. This one felt more like an enthusiastically delivered textbook tour, and no matter how witty the guide, if the subject matter isn't clicking for you viscerally, nine hours is a long time to sit with it.
For the right reader, this is genuinely a five-star experience. It's been named one of the best science books of 2025 by Time, Scientific American, and the Chicago Public Library. Fans of Stiff and Fuzz are already obsessed. I'm just not the reader this book needed, and that's okay. Not every well-made thing is made for every person, and recognizing that early is actually the kindest thing you can do for your reading life.
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by: Mary Roach ā± Duration: 9 hours š·ļø Publisher: Books on Tape and W.W. Norton & Company š Read as part of: Goodreads Challenge ā Hot & Fresh: The New Hit Books According to Fellow Readers
I came into this one riding the Goodreads hype train. A book about how the human body can be rebuilt, piece by piece, sounds wild and fascinating in equal measure. New release, big energy, everyone buzzing about Mary Roach's latest dive into the weird corners of science. I've enjoyed her work before, especially her knack of turning the macabre into something delightfully human. The concept is brilliant on paper, the research is clearly deep, and the structure promises a wild ride through labs, operating rooms, and the strange frontiers of regenerative medicine.
However, I had to tap out at 10%, not because the writing was bad, but because it just wasn't my kind of non-fiction. There's a specific type of science writing that works best for me: narrative-led, character-driven, emotionally anchored. This one felt more like an enthusiastically delivered textbook tour, and no matter how witty the guide, if the subject matter isn't clicking for you viscerally, nine hours is a long time to sit with it.
For the right reader, this is genuinely a five-star experience. It's been named one of the best science books of 2025 by Time, Scientific American, and the Chicago Public Library. Fans of Stiff and Fuzz are already obsessed. I'm just not the reader this book needed, and that's okay. Not every well-made thing is made for every person, and recognizing that early is actually the kindest thing you can do for your reading life.