Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary RoachMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I've heard over and over that Mary Roach is such a funny writer. When I hear too much about a thing, I am usually disappointed by it. However, I really wanted to like this book, which is about the study of sexual physiology. I mean, I'm rarely disappointed in anything that discusses sex. This book should have been perfect for me.
This book was the opposite of "can't put it down" for me, and halfway through I realized why. Although I knew it was a science book, somehow in my head I was expecting more of a cultural history of sex. Roach lives up to her job description: science writer. There were a lot of big science words in this book, and while Roach does a great job of keeping it from sounding like a textbook it still isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as other readers have suggested. When I realized that my favorite parts of the book were about history -- for example, French men having to prove to a divorce court that they could satisfy their wives by producing an erection on the spot -- I knew that the book wasn't for me.
This experience hasn't turned me off of Roach's writing, however. I may give her other books a try. I just need to make sure I am in a science frame of mind first.
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