Discover's 20 Things You Didn't Know about Everything: Duct Tape, Airport Security, Your Body, Sex in Space...and More!

Discover's 20 Things You Didn't Know About Everything: Duct Tape, Airport Security, Your Body, Sex in Space...and More! Great book. Great transaction. Very pleased.

An enjoyable and light-hearted read which was refreshing in its delivery and informative at the same time... It'd appeal to the inquisitive of any age group and is a nice book to enjoy by the pool-side on a lazy day! I loved the range of topics and how the facts are presented in an easy-to-grasp manner that avoided science jargon :)Looking forward to more things I didn't know but would soon find out!

I'm a big fan of these kinds of kitchen-sink books. In an era when nonfiction writing seem to be getting smaller and smaller (300 pages all about...cod, chocolate, heat, pi, etc) it's great to curl up with a book that's all about expanding your range of knowledge, and doing it in a totally entertaining way. Probably the ultimate example of that is AJ Jacobs' "The Know It All," which manages to live up to the promise of its title without succumbing to the brattiness that it suggests. "20 Things" isn't quite in the same category--this one doesn't have the unifying plot thread or strong author's voice--but it's really satisfying all the same. The topics range all over the place, and even within the chapters the information quickly bounces from ancient history to modern science and so on. The common thread is that the nuggets of information in here almost all make you think. Yeah, the writing could be a little sharper and there are a couple bits of repetition, but the world looks a little richer each time I put this book down. Good stuff.

For trivia buffs and people who are just curious about how the world works, this book is a real treat. The topics are eclectic and a bit quirky but it works; the chapter on duct tape explains everything from why some people say "duck tape" (I always thought they were just being dim) to why the tape was the real hero of Apollo 13. And I keep finding surprising nuggets of serious science and history in here, even though the tone of the whole thing is easy-breezy. This book is like junk food that's good for you--and that's something you just don't find every day.