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miguelf's review
3.0
This felt more like a random long form science podcast rather than a coherent audiobook – some of the bits were informative, others much less so, thus the quality was all over the place.
claudyne's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for permission to read this work prior to its publication date. "How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi" is a collection of essays from researchers that share their awesome discoveries on "Nerd Nite" A presentation-based show that tows cities bringing STEM to people in relatable ways. That is exactly what these essays do- I really felt like the pieces were approachable and enjoyed reading them. Though I did love them and it is a great read, you might many of the essays have sexual themes, so be mindful of that if you're planning to gift this to a teen.
nina_chan01's review
4.0
If you're like me and love knowing little tidbits about many different things and find STEM topics fascinating but can't wrap your mind around a career in STEM, this is the book for you.
There are tons of quick little essays that delve just deep enough into a wide variety of topics to help you understand just how amazing the topic discussed is. Some do go a little too hard into the complicated points, but if there's one thing that I most enjoyed about this book, it is that the authors are perfectly willing to chime in and recognize when things get too complex for the average Joe.
As is the case with most anthologies and essay collections, there are some that I wish were a lot longer and some that come off as rambly. I feel that this is pretty much mandatory with collections as not everything will be for everyone, yet it's the one thing that kept this from being a full five-star read.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the educational read!
There are tons of quick little essays that delve just deep enough into a wide variety of topics to help you understand just how amazing the topic discussed is. Some do go a little too hard into the complicated points, but if there's one thing that I most enjoyed about this book, it is that the authors are perfectly willing to chime in and recognize when things get too complex for the average Joe.
As is the case with most anthologies and essay collections, there are some that I wish were a lot longer and some that come off as rambly. I feel that this is pretty much mandatory with collections as not everything will be for everyone, yet it's the one thing that kept this from being a full five-star read.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the educational read!
cindy_leavemetomybooks's review
4.0
From the founders of Nerd Nite, which has been putting on live shows in 100+ cities since 2003, comes an epic collection of short essays from experts in their fields about a wide variety of bizarre and fascinating STEM topics - like The Science of the Hangover, Mass Extinction, Zombies Are Real and You Might Be One, Cut It Off!:A Civil War Amputation, What Does Google See?, Artificial Gravity in Science Fiction, and What I Learned About Dating Apps (Generally) After I Spent Five F**king Years Studying Them for a PhD.
This book is so fun to read - I’ve been picking it up and reading a few essays at a time - and it would make a great gift for any nerd in your life (I’m passing along my copy to my dad when I’m done). The essays are all quick reads and serve as a great starting point to find a topic that sparks your interest. Love it!
* thank you, St Martin’s Press, for the NetGalley and finished copies. HTWF&IF publishes February 20, 2024.
This book is so fun to read - I’ve been picking it up and reading a few essays at a time - and it would make a great gift for any nerd in your life (I’m passing along my copy to my dad when I’m done). The essays are all quick reads and serve as a great starting point to find a topic that sparks your interest. Love it!
* thank you, St Martin’s Press, for the NetGalley and finished copies. HTWF&IF publishes February 20, 2024.
ithinktfiam's review
3.0
A thoroughly mediocre, moderately interesting collection of information. It's based on some group of folks who claim to be nerds but, based on the story, just seems to be circles of folks who wish to impress each other. Science, engineering and more are covered in very short snippets.
The main problem is that they all try so hard to be too cute, and it usually fails. Also, for true nerds, there's not a lot of new here. Most are immediately forgettable, a polite shrug. However, they span the spectrum. The worst is an alcoholic talking proudly about his hangovers. Researching is one thing, bragging is a problem. The enjoyable one that sticks with me the most was a nice introduction to one origin of modern scientific method, about something curious about the disgusting British practice of ruining tea with milk. How the scientist goes about testing the hypothesis was then extendable to far more complex issues.
It's worth a read, a bit at a time, during lunches or other short breaks.
The main problem is that they all try so hard to be too cute, and it usually fails. Also, for true nerds, there's not a lot of new here. Most are immediately forgettable, a polite shrug. However, they span the spectrum. The worst is an alcoholic talking proudly about his hangovers. Researching is one thing, bragging is a problem. The enjoyable one that sticks with me the most was a nice introduction to one origin of modern scientific method, about something curious about the disgusting British practice of ruining tea with milk. How the scientist goes about testing the hypothesis was then extendable to far more complex issues.
It's worth a read, a bit at a time, during lunches or other short breaks.
matchamaker's review
3.0
Could be nerdier. The chapters are so short I wouldn’t even call them vignettes —more like blurbs— which provided very little exploration of the subjects. I was surprised how few entries included citations, less than 10% by my estimate. Some were indexed and some were included at the end of the chapter, which seemed like a strange editing inconsistency.