What I'm Reading: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

There are some rather exciting books coming out in the next couple of months. I have been lucky enough to get a hold of a few of them. Here's a few of the books that make up the very special stack that sits beside my reading chair.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
By Mary Roach
April 7th, 2008

Few things make me as giddy as the release of a new book by Mary Roach. Her past titles include the immensely popular Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (once featured prominently in a plot on Six Feet Under) and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. With Stiff, Mary took an unprecedented look into the sometimes stomach-churning uses for human bodies after death. It is fascinating, horrifying, incredibly informative and oddest of all, funny. With Spook, Roach looked at the history of clairvoyants and psychics and the human preoccupation with forging contact with the beyond. Roach is a detective who will stop at nothing to make the right connections in order to get unbelievable access to the subject at hand.

For that last two weeks I have had nothing but a smile on my face and it isn't purely because the holidays are over (at last). The reason is that Mary Roach, who I occasionally email and feel flattered every time she responds, sent me an advanced copy of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex! Mary and I had chatted about the release of this book for several months and so when it arrived in a small package I was elated. Bonk, which is due to be released in April of 2008, is about the history of the scientific research of sex. Roach writes about famed American biologist and sexologist Alfred Kinsey as well as a slew of other scientists who have worked hard and heavy to understand some of the more subtle aspects of human sex and how things work.

I am happy to report that Bonk is every bit as good as Mary Roach's two previous books. Those not fully comfortable with the human body and some of the more biological aspects of what happens during coitus should probably think twice. Anyone who appreciates science, history, and a witty look at sex will find that Bonk includes tons of information that should have been included in the talk about the birds and the bees. I will be finished with the book in a matter of days! Loaded Questions will be doing feature on the book and author Mary Roach in March which will include an author interview with the author. Click here to read an interview I conducted with Mary Roach a year ago.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex can currently be pre-ordered with a sizable discount here.

This Week's New Book Releases: 1/6-1/12

Welcome to the new Loaded Question feature that will provide readers with an week by week updated list of all of the new book releases in a multitude of genres.

We'll list them off, let you know what we're looking forward to and what books we will be featuring in the new future with free giveaways and author interviews.

Here's some of the books you can expect the week of Jan. 6th - 12th.



The Painter of Battles by Arturo Perez-Reverte

This new novel, published by Random House on Jan. 8th is the next offering by the talented author of The Club Dumas, Captain Alatriste, and The Queen of the South. Perez-Reverte's latest novel follows Andrés Faulques, a world-renowned war photographer who is visited one night from an unexpected guest with a deadly motive. Perez-Reverte is an extraordinary author with a real talent.




The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

Sue Miller, another extraordinary author whose past credits include Lost in the Forest, The World Below and While I Was Gone to name a few, releases her newest book The Senator's Wife this week. Just as she has done before, Miller has written a novel rooted deeply in the lives of complex women. The Senator's Wife takes a look at two marriages, both wrought with trouble and disaster but strong and somehow whole because of dedication and love of two women come to play a key role in each other's lives. Yes it's deep and emotional but it's good. I hope to have a conversation with Sue about this book for Loaded Questions, stay tuned as details become available.

The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle

The Deportees is the first book of short stories published by Roddy Doyle, author of titles Paula Spencer and The Woman Who Walked Into Doors. That is not to say, however, that some of the stories included in this book may not be familiar to some Doyle fans as they originally appeared in a serialized format for a Dublin newspaper. This collection features some irreverent and entirely meaningful stories all of which deal with immigration and its influence on the Irish couples. Stories are told from the vantage point of an Irish native who meets someone who has come to live in Ireland.


The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux

This could well be a very entertaining memoir. Robert Leleux writes about his Texas boyhood and, in particular, the day in which his father left both he and his mother on a horse ranch with his parents in a "white-pillared house" that they can't really afford. Mother, it seems from the cover of the book, might be as crazy as Daddy claims. Robert's childhood is filled with stories of his mother's makeovers, insane plastic surgeries, and a myriad of other inflicted improvement to ensure herself a chance at finding a rich husband. Im a sucker, count me in. I vow to read this book and let you all know how it goes. But I am only doing it for the sake of my readers ... sorta.

Stay tuned for next week's list of new releases. Check this post throughout the week as I reserve the right to add books to this list at will. Did I miss a book of extreme importance? Please let me know, fire off an email to KellyHewittLS@gmail.com!