Journal Entry 1 by indygo88 from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Friday, July 16, 2010

"Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth."

Acquired through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. (Yeah!) 

Journal Entry 2 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Bookray being organized! Current mailing order:

tranq1 (FL)
JennyC1230 (GA)
guinaveve (OH)
arugh48187 (MN)
kiyoteefoxx (PA)
Aramena (OK)
NMReader (NM)
galleycat (CA) (skipped; no response)
oldreader (CA)
hyphen8 (HI)
azuki (FL)
collectorkerri (IL)




 

Journal Entry 3 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Monday, August 30, 2010

Once again, Mary Roach has turned this fiction lover into a lover of nonfiction as well. As with her previous books, Roach tackles a large amount of information and research & presents it in a way that anyone can enjoy and appreciate. And she's funny -- deadpan funny -- which makes it all the more enjoyable. I want to meet Mary Roach. I want to be her. And once again, as soon as I finish her most current book, I can't wait for the next one.

I have a middle ground opinion of space exploration. Like most people, I'm curious & want to know more about what's out there and what untapped potential is waiting to be discovered. But I also think any space exploration & all that's involved in its preparation is so extremely costly that there's no way to justify it when there are so many other needs in the world. But still.....I can see how alluring all the space stuff is & part of me just wants to say go for it -- spend all that money & let's see where it takes us. While a manned trip to Mars seems to be the current ultimate goal of the space program, there are so many things that are being researched just to even get close to that point -- things you'd never think about but that Roach explores in this book. And as always, she manages to take a serious topic and make the reader giggle &/or laugh out loud. Kudos to Roach for yet another well-researched and thoroughly enjoyable book!

Ironically, just a few days ago it was announced that NASA's administrator, Charles Bolden, would be making a visit to Purdue's campus (practically outside my back door) within the next couple of weeks. Prior to reading this book, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about that, but now that my interest in space travel is once again piqued, I think I'm going to plan to attend the talk. :') 

Journal Entry 4 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Monday, August 30, 2010

Wrapping up & will be sending out tomorrow to tranq1 to start the ring! Happy travels! :') 

Journal Entry 5 by tranq1 at Tampa, Florida USA on Friday, September 03, 2010

Received it today. Thank you indygo88. 

Journal Entry 6 by tranq1 at Tampa, Florida USA on Thursday, September 16, 2010

I enjoyed reading this. I have always had a strong interest in space travel. The book has lots of interesting antidotes about NASA and the space program and as with all Mary Roach books it is very funny even while she is discussing serious topics. 

Journal Entry 7 by tranq1 at to the next participant, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, September 16, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (9/16/2010 UTC) at to the next participant, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to JennyC1230 who is next in the ring. 

Journal Entry 8 by JennyC1230 at Woodstock, Georgia USA on Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The book is here! I will read it soon and pass it on to the next person! Thanks for sharing! 

Journal Entry 9 by JennyC1230 at Woodstock, Georgia USA on Monday, October 04, 2010

My Review: This book was fascinating and funny! I always wondered how do you go to the bathroom in space and what do you eat, etc. It's a really fascinating history of space too.

My husband Lumbermoose is going to read this quickly and then I will send to the next person in line. 

Journal Entry 10 by Lumbermoose at Woodstock, Georgia USA on Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Sorry - I didn't know it was part of a bookring. I'll finish it ASAP.

11/7/10 -- As always, Mary Roach explores an interesting subject from a different angle. It's funny to read the interviews she did with the astronauts - here are men and women who have been asked every serious question you can think of only to get a curve ball when Mary Roach throws out an odd question. Great book! 

Journal Entry 11 by Lumbermoose at Woodstock, Georgia USA on Monday, November 08, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (11/8/2010 UTC) at Woodstock, Georgia USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Passing back to JennyC to send to the next participant. Thank you for including me. 

Journal Entry 12 by JennyC1230 at Woodstock, Georgia USA on Monday, November 08, 2010

I'm sorry we kept this one so long! Thank you for sharing!

I am planning to mail this tomorrow to Guineveve.

Delivery Confirmation #03100480000228210249 

Journal Entry 13 by guinaveve at Mason, Ohio USA on Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thank you for including me in this bookring. I am now going to PM the next participant to have their address when I finish the book. I will start this after my current read.  

Journal Entry 14 by guinaveve at Mason, Ohio USA on Friday, November 26, 2010

This is an informative, fun read full of the things that you don't often read about in the NASA publications. I find space exploration intriguing and this was all the more so with the frequent mentions of Wright Patterson Air Force Base which is about 35 minutes north of where I live. I have visited several times since I was a child and have taken my kids there many times too.
I have heard of other books by this author and always intended to read them, but now I am all the more committed to searching them out.
Thanks for sharing with me. I will mail this on to the next participant early next week.  

Journal Entry 15 by guinaveve at by postal services in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, November 28, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (11/29/2010 UTC) at by postal services in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Thanks for sharing this with me. 

Journal Entry 16 by arugh48187 at Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Thursday, December 30, 2010

I found this one in my PO box this afternoon. I am in the middle of a book right now, and then this is next up. (I actually started it while waiting in the interminable line at the post office and I think I am going to like it.) 

Journal Entry 17 by arugh48187 at Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on Friday, February 25, 2011

Yikes! It's been here almost two months. Good thing I have finished it. And I loved it. I especailly love Mary's asides. I had trouble finding the asterisks sometimes (they need to be bigger), but I managed. Those little comments were my favorite part of the book. I completely grossed out my husband while describing the elimanation complexities of zero gravity. Serves him right for complaining that I never talk about what I read. Ha! The unwashed chapter gave me the heebie-jeebies as I can hardly stand to go two days without a shower. I cringe just thinking about it. Anyway, good read. Thanks for sharing. 

Journal Entry 18 by arugh48187 at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, trades, Minnesota USA on Friday, February 25, 2011

Released 11 mos ago (2/25/2011 UTC) at -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, trades, Minnesota USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed off to kiyoteefoxx who is next on the list. Happy reading! 

Journal Entry 19 by kiyoteefoxx at Littlestown, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Sorry I kept it so long, I loved it! Wasn't sure that I would like the non-fiction but this author is excellent, quite an enjoyable read.
Thank you for including me and again, I'm sorry about the delay. Life gets in the way of my reading sometimes ;) 

Journal Entry 20 by Aramena at Moore, Oklahoma USA on Thursday, June 02, 2011

Arrived yesterday but my internet was down. I finished my current read this morning so I'll start this today.  

Journal Entry 21 by Aramena at Moore, Oklahoma USA on Thursday, June 09, 2011

If you’re like me and don’t read a lot of non-fiction but feel you should read more of it and have the intentions…Mary Roach is a great place to start. I’d read one of her books previously, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and I felt like she was someone I would get along with in real life. She would fit right in with my family and would “get” our humor.

My sister used to work in payroll at Space Center Houston, touted on their website as the “Official Visitor’s Center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center”. When we visited her one summer, she took us on a tour, and thanks to her connection I’ve always been interested in NASA and what’s going on there.

In her book, Ms. Roach takes us way behind the scenes. You’ll learn more about space exploration and preparation than you ever thought you wanted to. The book touches on gravity, psychology, a crash test lab, how to eat in space, how to use the bathroom in space, etc. While not laugh out loud funny, the author does present everything in a humorous way, so what could at times be a dry and boring subject will keep your interest. She also includes lots of footnotes and asides, some of which have nothing to do with space itself but are nevertheless interesting. As someone said before me, I sometimes struggled to find the asterisk to know what sentence the footnote related too - hopefully since this is an ARC, that problem was addressed when the book came out.

I'll be mailing to the next participant tomorrow. I'm even more eager now to read more of this author! 

Journal Entry 22 by Aramena at Moore, Oklahoma USA on Friday, June 10, 2011

Released 8 mos ago (6/10/2011 UTC) at Moore, Oklahoma USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On it's way to NMReader! 

Journal Entry 23 by NMReader at Herndon, Virginia USA on Friday, July 08, 2011

I am not sure what happened but I remember journaling this book when I got it but I noticed it wasn't on my bookshelf yesterday.

It has been here for a while - sorry 

Journal Entry 24 by NMReader at Herndon, Virginia USA on Wednesday, August 03, 2011

I thought a staus update might be appreciated.

I have started the book but I am on a two week break with niece that doesn't give me a lot of reading time. I will read as fast as I can.

Enjoying the book so far- and as always the footnotes are the best part

August 10th: I'm about halfway through the book and enjoying it very much. 

Journal Entry 25 by NMReader at Herndon, Virginia USA on Thursday, August 18, 2011

I finished this book on Sunday August 14th.

It was as always a delightful read with wonderful footnotes and a wicked sense of humor that Mary Roach brings to her all her writings. I am so glad that I signed up to read this book.

I thought I had the next reader's address and have been pm-ing for it but not such luck. I will try one more time and also pm the person following them on the list.  

Journal Entry 26 by NMReader at Herndon, Virginia USA on Thursday, August 18, 2011

Released 5 mos ago (8/18/2011 UTC) at Herndon, Virginia USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Dropped at PO by a very nice lady.

The delivery confirmation # is 0309 1140 0001 4002 2971 

Journal Entry 27 by oldreader at Citrus Heights, California USA on Sunday, August 21, 2011

TBR arrivede today 

Journal Entry 28 by oldreader at Citrus Heights, California USA on Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Her books have all been interesting.Each filled with unusual funny facts.Thanks for sharing.Waiting for addy for hyphen8. 

Journal Entry 29 by oldreader at a fellow BookCrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Monday, September 26, 2011

Released 4 mos ago (9/23/2011 UTC) at a fellow BookCrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

you have found a bookcrossing book.This is a free site that tracks the books as they travel.Please journal this when you find it and after reading.
You may remain anonymous.

mailed to the next person. 

Journal Entry 30 by hyphen8 at Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Friday, October 14, 2011

Help, they're ganging up on me! I'm in the middle of a ring book right now, and there's at least one other on its way. It doesn't seem to matter whether I space out the sign-ups or not: they arrive in bunches regardless....

Anyway, I expect to enjoy this and I'll get to it as soon as I can, thanks!

Must...read....faster.... 

Journal Entry 31 by hyphen8 at Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Sunday, November 06, 2011

Journal Entry 32 by hyphen8 at Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Sunday, November 06, 2011

Released 3 mos ago (11/7/2011 UTC) at Honolulu, Hawaii USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is hitching a ride to Florida with a CD audio box. 

Journal Entry 33 by azuki at Miami, Florida USA on Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Book is here. It looks like a well-travelled and well-read book...
Mary Roach's patent humor shines on the first page already. I'd love to tear into it although I have to let it wait in line behind a couple other rings I have waiting now. But most certainly I will enjoy it. Thanks hypen8 for telling me about the ring and indygo88 for letting me join in.

ETA: 1/5 Sorry for being such a staller, but I am not able to start on the book till all the holiday craziness is over - didn't really get much reading done last month. Will finish as fast as I can and pass it on.  

Journal Entry 34 by azuki at Miami, Florida USA on Friday, January 27, 2012

Sorry for taking so long to read this book.

I probably won't read this were it not for Mary Roach's name. I really enjoy her previous books, and while the topic of space does not interest me as much, it's nonetheless entertaining in Roach's trademark style of humor, including and especially the footnotes. My inner child loves all the talk about gross and dirty stuff.

This will head to the next reader tomorrow.  

Journal Entry 35 by collectorkerri at Springfield, Illinois USA on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Received today. Will read ASAP.