Welcome to Litsy!

Interesting book about the chemistry of gases, particularly those in the air we breathe. Lots of interesting tidbits and anecdotes, as well as the scientific information, most of which I have the illusion I understood. I will certainly keep an eye out for the author's other books.

A couple of pages later:

“You'd need to eat twenty million bananas to induce radiation poisoning, eighty million to guarantee death.“

Phew. Because I am partial to bananas. 🍌 🍌

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Moduhardindin

#coffeeandabook

Finished a #d100 this morning that was SUPERB. Sam Kean unrolls the history and effects of various gases here. If that sounds dry, believe that in Kean‘s hands, it isn‘t. I can‘t equation, & that wasn‘t an issue either. His examples are at layperson-level and grounded in delightful humor. Treat yourself. I‘m glad I did. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With everything from the eruption of Mount St Helens to Humphry Davy getting high off his own supply (all in the interest of science, of course) to terraforming Mars with comets armed with nuclear weapons, this was a fun addition to my son's chemistry curriculum. He really appreciated the irreverent tone, infrequent soft-swears, and frequent references to flatulence.

Kean does such a wonderful job making serious science fun and relatable! This focuses on the air molecules we breathe, what makes up our atmosphere, how scientists have used those gases and who breathed them before us. An extremely unnerving read during COVID days but interesting nonetheless!
#quarantinereads

"In fact, if you're reading this in public, you're inhaling the exhaust from everyone around you right now---secondhand breath. Your reaction to this will probably depend on the company you keep...But short of breathing from a tank, we can't escape the air of those around us. We recycle our neighbors' breaths all the time, even distant neighbors'."

Started reading this with my son today for chemistry. So far it I do not find it comforting.

My all around #CoronaSlump continues as I struck out with the audio for When We Were Vikings. I put the book on hold because it's not really great with the kids running around... so I loved Sam Kean's other book, The Disappearing Spoon, and thought this might be a little better if anyone catches part of what I'm listening to. I've promised not to listen to Welcome to Night Vale without my son in the room also, LOL.

I enjoyed this book and thought it had a great structure. The interlude about farts was hilarious 😂😂 Recommended if you like popular science books or have read other books by this author.

"The Pig 311 propaganda (pro-pig-anda?) had one overriding purpose---to reassure the public about the safety of nuclear weapons."
A+ punnage ??

One of the interludes in this book is about farts 😂😂 Specifically, the story of Joseph Pujol, the man who could fart like a musical instrument 😂😂 I cackled an embarrassing amount in this short interlude!
#IAmSecretlyFour

"Some geologists have argued that all these gases came rushing out of the ground at once -- the so-called Big Burp. Sadly for the juvenile-minded everywhere, the Big Burp probably never happened; Earth seems to have hoarded her gases instead, letting them seep out."

Sam Kean, I like your style ?

Another DNF for me 😕
I was satisfied with just a couple chapters - the rest is just going past me.
It‘s not awful. But it definitely isn‘t for me 🤷🏻‍♀️

I once heard that due to the cycle of air, we‘re currently breathing the last breath of Caesar, Jesus, and other people from that era. The idea fascinated me, & never left me.
We‘ll see if it holds my interest for 10+ hours ...

Book #103 of 400. wow! This is easily the best science book I have ever listened to. Really brings awe and wonder to everything so vital to life and history that we don‘t even think about, yet we interact with it all everyday. Highly highly recommend

Part 1 of 2.

Part 2 of 2

I agree with Benjamin Franklin that newborn babies have no use.

Filled with interesting facts, Caesar's Last Breath is about how, every time you take a breath, you're breathing in the entire history of the world. Unfortunately, it only touches upon this topic, and the overwhelming majority of the book is about the less interesting subtitle--Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us (although, to be fair, I'm not sure how an entire book could be written about the former).

Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, and Washington Irving all had characters that died from spontaneous combustion.

Due to several meteorological quirks, it basically never rains on the Chincha Islands. You've heard of those people raised in Florida or California who've never seen snow? People who live near the Chinchas--especially in the Atacama Desert along the coast of Chile--can go a lifetime without seeing rain.

If chlorine smells like swimming pools, mustard gas smells like horseradish and phosgene like cut hay. To counter these new threats, gas masks soon became standard issue on both sides; in a pinch, soldiers could also urinate on handkerchiefs and hold them over their mouths, since the chemicals in urine neutralized the gas agents.

As if the Manhattan bound F train isn't disgusting enough.

As a non-science person, when I say a book about science is worth reading, you better pick it up! Kean has a gentle way of combining science with historic anecdotes to discuss air composition. Kean writes a fun, though at time dismal, narrative nonfiction about air particle discoveries and the people who brought each particle to life. Thanks to #NetGalley and @LittleBrownBooks for giving me a copy to review!

My schedule has been all over the place this week, thanks to a few days at a library conference. A day off today for working tomorrow finds me doing my Saturday routines on a Friday. This is my favorite routine by far...#Zeke #Vladimir #catsoflitsy

Sam Kean makes science accessible and fun. A molecule or two of Caesar's last breath is probably in your lungs right now! Kean explains the amazing (and sometimes frightening) history of our interactions with gases from volcanoes to alien atmospheres. He finishes the book with climate change and the importance of climate engineering.
If you like Mary Roach, I suspect you'll like fellow Master-of-the-Footnote Kean too. #science

...heavy carbon dioxide gas in the grotto hugs the floor, and visitors back then would amuse themselves by letting short dogs run around until they passed out."
#bastards

"Apparently, one symptom of Nitrous overdose is abuse of exclamation points."

Saw Sam Kean at the Decatur Book Festival #DBF2017 He is a fabulous presenter. I loved his previous books. This one discusses gasses (including atmosphere and global warming).

#TBRtemptation post 9! Recently released. Air. It's everywhere, invisible, necessary for life. With each breath, you inhale the history of the world--Caesar's last exhalation, Cleopatra's perfume, German mustard gas, dinosaur breath, atomic bomb particles, even stardust. The atmosphere's origins and ingredients, the reshaping of continents, the fuel of technology, and much more is discussed. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

Used the PRIMEBOOKS17 code to pre-order this on Amazon. Sam Kean is almost as amazing as Mary Roach. Due to massive vet bills, I haven't bought any new books in over a month. I deserve just one, don't I? #tbr #scienceisfun

Heyo Litsy, it's been a while, but I'm back! To continue your scheduled programming - i got this #bookmail today, and am PUMPED.