#42 (2013/CBR5) "My Planet" by Mary Roach

I went on Amazon while writing my review for Gulp, and that's when I discovered yet another book by Mary Roach that I needed to read. My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places (2013). By now, I've read all of Roach's books, so there was no question about me picking up this one. I'd never heard of it before, but apparently it was a collection of articles that Roach had written for Reader's Digest. I wasn't sure what these would be like, but I was certainly willing to find out.

This book is a collection of many, very short articles about Mary Roach's life. Most of these articles focus on her relationship with her husband and their witty banter is pretty entertaining. Roach also breaks off into other common subjects such as: her brand new Roomba; people who tilt their seats back on airplanes; and tipping. These articles were pretty short and fluffy as far as reading goes. Although it allows an interesting glimpse into Roach's life, there isn't much insight or depth. Roach keeps to fun and funny subjects without drama, controversy, or even the scientific detail I would usually expect. I could relate to Roach's miserly ways when it comes to money, and she came across as a fun person to be around.

Because I generally like to learn or really feel something while I'm reading, I think I prefer Roach's other books to this one. However, My Planet was still a quick, entertaining read that made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Each short article tended to have the same format, with Roach bringing in some detail from the beginning of the story to tie in to the end with a joke. I'll admit that this form felt a little manufactured by the end, although that's probably just because I read so many of the articles in a row. On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book and I'm glad I read it.