Fun Science: A Guide To Life, The Universe, And Why Science Is So Awesome by Charlie McDonnell Book Review by: Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN:978-1-84949-802-9 Admittedly it has taken me WAY to long to read this book...even though I preordered it when it was announced. So I was really excited that this YouTuber series was giving me the perfect opportunity to finally sit down and read it. Now, while I enjoy science, I generally don't enjoy reading nonfiction. BUT Charlie McDonnell did a fantastic job with this book! I was laughing and enjoying the connections he was making. I can only relate this kind of ease and enjoyment to watching Drunk History. They teach you something you may not have known before, but in such an entertaining way that you just want to come back for more! This is Charlie's first book, however he has been dabbling with "Fun Science" videos on his YouTube channel for quite some time now. They are always entertaining with a great flow to them. The book reads exactly like those, so if you've never heard of him before, don't worry I will link his YouTube page below. In those videos he covers all kind of topics like, "How Does Music Affect Us?", "What Makes Something Cute", and "Why Do Our Taste Buds Change Over Time?". All of which are really fun and fascinating to think about. This book however, really is a basis of our universe. It starts out covering the universe, then the planets, right on down to our bodies and finally particles that make up everything. So I felt like it kept a nice concise flow without jumping around or out of place. BUT I would LOVE to see another Fun Science Book with more random topics like what is covered in his Fun Science Videos! Another HIGHLY enjoyable part of this book are the illustrations and the editors notes that are found around the pages. The entire book is set up in this fun flowing style where you don't FEEL like you're sitting down with a school textbook, BUT you also know you're actually learning quite a bit. I am going to include some example photos to show you what the inside looks like. Please don't come after me book people I want you to sell a lot of these! We need more Fun Science! Plus there were several "fun facts" that made me laugh so hard it was kind of embarrassing.
In conclusion, I really really enjoyed this book. I would happily read any text book that it set up with this kind of ease and familiarity. Education is so important but let's face it, it's hard to care when it's not presented in an interesting way. I feel like this book is great for younger ages as well as older. I will definitely let me sister read this when she starts getting to that kind of science (she's 8 so right now the focus is on small things). I hope this book gets more attention and one day we can have all kinds of Fun Science Books lining the shelf! THIS is the way I want to be educated.... well this or drunk people, lol. Read on my fellow book worms. May we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below.
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You're Never Weird On The Internet (almost)
By Felicia Day Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-4767-8566-0 Oh man, if you know who Felicia Day is you probably know her for her work as Charlie on Supernatural. A lot of people do. I take no offense and I doubt she does either. In terms of being a youtuber though, she was one of the first. Youtube hadn't really been a thing all that long when she graced us with a web series called, "The Guild". This is where I discovered her and fell in love with her work. After/during the end of "The Guild" she also ran a channel on youtube called Geek and Sundry. So though she is known for her television works, and to some people, her love of books, she is an OG Youtuber. Making her perfect for this series! This book is a memoir about her life, how she came to be the person we know her as. And, as if I didn't already find her awkwardness SO DARN relatable, this book really solidified it for me. It's one of the things I love most about her, social situations are completely nerve wrecking and she handles them with an awkward anxiety that somehow comes across as adorable. Something, I pray my anxiety does, but I'm sure it just makes me look insane, lmao. She was home schooled and discovered her love of the internet, specifically games, at a very early age/stage of the internet. Like before computers were in every household sort of early! The earliest I can date my love of gaming is the Nintendo, you know the one with the little grey rectangle controllers. The one you're not supposed to blow into the cartridges but literally everyone did... So it's also nice to see how her origin story dated back. It's not something people like to talk about but there is a stigma around girls who game. If we game we're probably doing it for attention. Even back in the 90's and EARLY 2000's that was a stigma I knew about. I think it's part of why to this day I don't like people watching me game. My anxiety flares up so badly that I see every little mistake I've made and panic that the male sitting by me is thinking how stupid of a gamer I am because, you know, vagina. *shrugs* and she does touch on the famous "Gamer Gate" from a few years back. Something that I pray in 2019 we as a society are well past. Outside of that though she also REALLY discusses how "The Guild" came to be. And it was pretty exciting to read about her writing process and how they did everything from their garages. With a budget of nothing. Talk about inspiring! As a writer I beat myself up all the time that I go through huge spells of not being able to write. And here's this woman I admire telling it all, completely honest, that sometimes checking off to-do-lists in a virtual world is less nerve wrecking than trying to get through real life. It's not pretty but it's a reality for a lot of people. I think there are a lot of younger people who could use this book, use the words of someone who is considered very successful, telling them that it doesn't just happen. That there's a mental exhaustion to an extent that normal... and then there's a point where reaching out for help may be the best thing you can do. In the end I feel like this book is great for anyone who is trying to figure out who they are or if it's okay to be themselves. But if you're a gamer, remember "The Guild", or are interested in learning who the bad-ass Charlie is in real life, then please pick up a copy of this book. I'm so glad I did. I got more than I was hoping for from reading my own copy. Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. |
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October 2020
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