Book: The Body
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Nonfiction
Pages: 383
Rating: 10/10
Who should read this book: Anyone even slightly interested in how our bodies work
First of all I would like to say thank you to Penguin Random Canada for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’d also like to thank everyone who joined in the buddy read I hosted with @activelyreading we read this book 1 chapter per day through the month of November finishing on the 23rd.
Click on the image to go straight to Indigo to check this out.
Ok so I love Bill Bryson, I will read anything of his and have read a lot of his books already. My favourites being Mother Tongue and A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is an amazing researcher so his books are filled with interesting facts and he’s funny and wise so his own personal take on everything is interesting too.
The Body is broken down into sections of surprise, the human body. Each chapter focuses on a different body part, organ, or system. The chapter is detailed, often telling us how that part works, a brief history of some of the scientific discoveries made about that part, and interesting facts about that part.
I loved reading this book one chapter a day. Each morning I would read the 10-15 pages for that days chapter and learn something interesting about my body. It’s definitely easier to read nonfiction slowly because there is so much information.
If you like learning more about how this miracle body of ours works, this is a great book to pick up. I loved being able to read this for #nonfictionnovember and learn some interesting things. For example:
“For many people the principal cause of insomnia is the snoring of a partner. It is a very common problem. About half of us snore at least sometimes. Snoring is the rattling of the soft tissues in the pharynx when one is unconscious and relaxed. The more relaxed, the greater the snoring, which is why drunken people snore particularly robustly. The best way to reduce snoring is to lose weight, sleep on your side, and not drink alcohol before retiring. Sleep apnea (from a Greek word for breathless) is when the airways become obstructed and victims either stop breathing or nearly stop breathing while asleep, and it is more common than generally appreciated. About 50 percent of people who snore have some degree of sleep apnea.” (page 271)
As far as interesting and insightful nonfiction books go, this one was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.
Happy Reading!
Read With Angie 