As April showers give way to May flowers, we’ll be making visits to 4th and 5th grade classes to talk up our amazing Personalized Reading List (PeRL) program. I know I am biased, but there probably isn’t another public library out there that offers such an outstanding service for readers of any age. (Sorry adults, [...]
Well folks, we’re quickly approaching the end, and in short, I’m not sure what more Ms. Roach could cover. Our last two titillating chapters covered two popular pastimes: sleep and sex. Take note, all of you bed-lovers–spending too much time horizontally without exercise or weight-bearing motions will lead to a significant decrease in bone density. [...]
Houston, we have a problem…It appears that yours truly has slightly miscalculated the flight speed at which we should be reading. As a result, we’re behind schedule! I apologize for the error–next week’s blog entry will attempt to briefly summarize the book, and psych everyone up for attending the final event, where Mary Roach [...]
That was a painful last chapter, eh? Reading about the effects of lateral impacts on your brain (swelling of the axon separating the two lobes? Not good…), or the concern of vibrating organs practically had me curled up in a ball, wincing gingerly as I continued to read. And where in the world do they [...]
Whew, what a chapter! Ms. Roach spares almost nothing as she covers the gag-inducing subject of vomiting. Several less-squeamish things we’ve learned from the chapter: * Motion sickness is caused by sensory conflict: conflicting signals between your inner ear (which detects the motion) and your brain (which, when glancing at a stable sight, does not). [...]
And sometimes, writing a book pays off. For a number of reasons, of course. Few authors, however, get the chance to experience “reduced-gravity” at NASA’s field station. Well played, Ms. Roach, well played. What a perk! One has to admire her utter commitment to the cause; she never stops reporting (just like any dedicated author)– [...]
And so, gentle readers, we’ve made our way gracefully through the 3rd chapter of Packing For Mars. I quite enjoyed the way in which Roach poetically captures the grandeur and tantalizing awe of space that some astronauts experience, known to NASA as “space euphoria.” To begin with, the idea of just how small (and insignificant?) [...]
Greetings lovely readers. On Wednesday evening at 1900, Marin county in conjunction with Dominican University and Book Passage kicked off the launch of this year’s One Book One Marin Program. Mary Roach was present for the launch party, and judging from the number of guffaws from the audience, she was quite a hit. She also [...]
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