WTRW: The Disappearing Spoon

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This week's What to Read Wednesday was inspired by the recent picture of a black hole's shadow. It is such a cool scientific feat. It got me thinking about other scientific discoveries and their backstories. It reminded me of a book I listened to called amzn.to/2Di6CURThe Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. 

What to Read Wednesday: The Disappearing Spoon

The full title is The Disappearing Spoon: And other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the Periodic Table of Elements. The New York Times Bestseller does just that. It's a smart book that reveals the stories that filled in the periodic table of elements. It's not just for science minded people either. No, you don't need to have a degree in chemistry to enjoy this book. Anything science related you need to know is explained in the book, but it's really more of a study of the people behind the discovery or use of the elements. 

I wholeheartedly recommend The Disappearing Spoon to anyone who asks for non-fiction book recs. Everyone who read it has told me they loved it and I've seen them in turn recommend it to their friends and family. Now there's a Young Readers Edition of the book, for your aspiring scientists. 

And if you're looking for a book that is great to listen to on your commute this is one for you. That's how I read The Disappearing Spoon and I was looking for excuses to get in the car and drive, so I could keep listening to the book. One of my favorite stories was that of the disappearing spoon. Gallium is a metal that melts at a low temperature. So as a prank chemists would serve each other tea with a spoon made of gallium. When the drinker would use their spoon to stir their tea it would melt away in the hot liquid. 

So will you be reading The Disappearing Spoon? Let us know in the comments below!