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vishnu_r1 's review for:
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe
I really wanted to like this book. I'm a fan of XKCD (the author's web-comic, for those who don't know about this). I also occasionally read the blog/what-if section on the xkcd website and I found it amusing (if not downright interesting). When I heard he was launching a book that focused on the 'what-if' section of his website, I was interested in it. I figured I'd pick it up from the library and read it.
I'm glad I decided against buying it. While the book's various questions and answers are just as interesting as the ones on the website, there is nothing more to it that will keep a reader engaged. I found myself skipping the pages from time-to-time and coming back to it later (out of guilt more than anything - this is a book on science after all (however absurd the questions)).
I was glad when I finished the book, but when I think about the book, I remember hardly anything about it. Maybe I'm forgetful. Or maybe the book just wasn't interesting to me. I could always go back to the book, read each answer and read up on the science behind each and then remember it, but then - why? There are simply more interesting things to read about and more fascinating books on science(be it physics/chemistry/geology).
A lot of people seem to enjoy this. So I do believe the author did something right in this. I just can't see it. I wasn't really bored by it, so 3*.
I'm glad I decided against buying it. While the book's various questions and answers are just as interesting as the ones on the website, there is nothing more to it that will keep a reader engaged. I found myself skipping the pages from time-to-time and coming back to it later (out of guilt more than anything - this is a book on science after all (however absurd the questions)).
I was glad when I finished the book, but when I think about the book, I remember hardly anything about it. Maybe I'm forgetful. Or maybe the book just wasn't interesting to me. I could always go back to the book, read each answer and read up on the science behind each and then remember it, but then - why? There are simply more interesting things to read about and more fascinating books on science(be it physics/chemistry/geology).
A lot of people seem to enjoy this. So I do believe the author did something right in this. I just can't see it. I wasn't really bored by it, so 3*.