Reader, Digest

As regular readers of this blog (hello, lovely people!) know, I have an eclectic appetite when it comes to books.  Though I enjoy a lot of non-fiction, Science is something that rarely appears on the menu.  When I saw 'Gut' by Giulia Enders and Jill Enders in my local bookshop, however, I couldn't resist!

'Gut' by Giulia Enders,
illustrated by Jill Enders
(Scribe, 2016)

'Gut' is the story of the human digestive system, from mouth to... err... the other end.  Written by a German medical student and based on her prize winning presentation on the same topic, 'Gut' puts what happens when we eat centre stage, exploring the latest ideas and research about everything from the best position to sit on the loo to the influence of gut bacteria on obesity and food cravings.

I absolutely loved this book.  It's playful and accessible, but manages to stay the right side or twee or patronising.  The author is very reader-conscious and the text is rooted in the idea of personal experience and understanding our bodies better.  Best of all, she's clearly very enthusiastic about her subject and it shows in every morsel of this book.  It makes it very hard not to become enthusiastic in turn.

My only real criticism is that 'Gut' does seem to finish mid-meal and left me feeling a bit dissatisfied and far from sated.  It really needed some sort of conclusion, possibly with some recommended further reading or websites which offer more information.

Overall, I really recommend this book and hope that it's not the last from the future Dr. Enders.  I'm sure that there must be other, similar books out there and I intend to keep an eye out for them in the future.  Although I wouldn't want to gorge on too many too soon!